OJBs Web Site: Blog Page

Note: You are currently viewing my old web site. There is a new version with most of this content at OJB.NZ.
The new site is being updated, uses modern techniques, has higher quality media, and has a mobile-friendly version.
This old site will stay on-line for a while, but maybe not indefinitely. Please update your bookmarks. Thanks.

Add a Comment (Go Up to OJB's Blog Page)

Aaaaiiiiieeeeee!

Entry 492, on 2007-03-12 at 14:39:57 (Rating 4, Computers)

I read a good signature in a post on Slashdot today. It said something like: how do you pronounce IE (as in Internet Explorer) answer: aaaaiiiiieeeeee! (as in a scream of anguish). A similar comment would apply to Microsoft's other products, in my opinion. I never use Microsoft Word for my own work, but I was asked to help with a project someone else was working on this weekend. Word is a pile of junk, and its not long before I get to the aaaaiiiiieeeeee stage!

It seems that Microsoft might be heading to a few screams of anguish themselves because of the negative reception of their latest abomination: Vista. Descriptions of problems and negative reviews just keep coming up. A report today said that Microsoft are already working on a replacement to be introduced in 2 years. Who believes that? And I read that support for XP will be extended until 2014. That's 7 years from now. Maybe Microsoft think both Vista and its theoretical successor, to appear in 2 years, are both lost causes!

An independent report showed that Vista's user interface is actually less usable than Windows XP's, because of time lags and lack of precision. Of course, Mac OS X's was away ahead of both.

In the US, the FAA and DoT (users of 60,000 PCs, the poor suckers) have both banned from upgrading Microsoft operating systems, web browsers, and office software. Other major organisations have said that the effort involved in upgrading to Vista from XP is similar to upgrading to Mac OS X. I wonder how many will see the Mac as a viable option now. The debate regarding the merits of Vista is ongoing, with many experts saying its unsuitable for corporate and professional environments.

Microsoft are trying to force the issue, of course. Its impossible to buy XP in many retailers, and most new PCs come with Vista installed. There are allegations that Microsoft have been threatening Dell after Dell wanted to sell PCs with Linux pre-installed. They reversed the decision a short time later. I wonder why.

But despite the propaganda and dirty tricks Microsoft seem to be losing the battle. I can just hear the anguished screams from Steve Ballmer's office now: aaaaiiiiieeeeee!

Comment 1 (640) by Steve on 2007-05-10 at 18:47:40:

OJB, what are you talking about? Vista is selling faster than any other OS in history. Read the news and don't be so biased!

Comment 2 (641) by OJB on 2007-05-10 at 18:50:48:

Hmmm, Steve eh? You're not Steve Ballmer, trying to spread MS propaganda, by any chance? :) Yes, I know about the sales figures, but there is a lot of debate over how much they can be relied on because of various accounting tricks Microsoft have used to create them. And I know, I'm biased. Bad experiences with Microsoft products have made me that way! I guess we will only know in a year or two how successful Vista really is.

Comment 3 (3379) by OJB on 2012-11-28 at 20:11:37:

It's now 5 years later. Who was right? I was, because Vista was a disaster!

You can leave comments about this entry using this form.

To add a comment: enter a name and email (both optional), type the number shown above, enter a comment, then click Add.
Note that you can leave the name blank if you want to remain anonymous.
Enter your email address to receive notifications of replies and updates to this entry.
The comment should appear immediately because the authorisation system is currently inactive.