9
98 Guy
I wonder why Vista's aggressive digital rights management wasn't
mentioned in this story.
I like this point:
"Everybody wants there to be a repeat of Windows 98 - the
excitement, the sales volume, the rate of growth and
everything else" said Michael Cherry, an analyst for the
independent research group Directions on Microsoft. "
Yea, and I bet they'd like to be able to repeat the relative security
that Win-98 gave to users vs that abomination known as XP.
As expected, MS will spend very little to advertise or market Vista,
since it will come by default on new systems because people will have
no choice. It will take 5 years before it reaches the saturation
point of 85%, at which point the Wintel monopoly will engineer another
wholesale hardware change (which even the current Micro$haft mindset
that you have to change-out your hardware every 3 to 5 years goes
against the "green" grain - no doubt people and corporations will be
MUCH more resistant in the future).
=========================
6 Months Later, a Report Card on Vista
http://channels.netscape.com/pf/sto...ff/story/0001/20070714/0739769324.htm&sc=1333
By JESSICA MINTZ
SEATTLE (AP) - Chris Pirillo leaned away from his webcam and pointed
to his printer/scanner/fax machine, which stopped scanning and faxing
after he installed Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows Vista operating
system. "I can't live in Vista if the software that I use in my life
for productivity does not work," said Pirillo, in the third minute of
a 52-minute video he posted on YouTube.
Nearly six months after it launched, gripes over what doesn't work
with Vista continue, eclipsing positive buzz over the program's
improved desktop search, graphics and security. With Vista now
shipping on most new computers, it's all but guaranteed to become the
world's dominant PC operating system - eventually. For now, some users
are either learning to live with workarounds or sticking with Vista's
predecessor, Windows XP.
Pirillo is geekier than the average user. He runs a network of
technology blogs called Lockergnome, and was one of several "Windows
enthusiasts" Microsoft asked for Vista feedback early on. Still,
Vista tested even Pirillo's savvy. He fixed the hobbled printer and
other problems by installing VMware, a program that lets him run XP
within Vista. But when his trial copy expired, he decided the
solution was too clunky - and too expensive.
He "upgraded" as he called it, back to XP.
Users' early complaints aren't a threat to Microsoft's dominance in
operating systems. The various flavors of Windows run 93 percent of
PCs worldwide, according to the research group IDC. Last fiscal year,
Windows accounted for about a third of Microsoft's total revenue of
$44.3 billion.
Industry analysts say Vista adoption is plodding along as expected,
with most consumers and businesses switching over as they replace old
hardware with new. IDC analyst Al Gillen said he expects Vista will
be installed on the vast majority of computers in about five years,
the time it took for XP to reach 84 percent of PCs.
It's too early for industry watchers to know exactly how many people
are using Vista. At the same time, it's hard to gauge Vista's success
by comparing it to XP, because the PC market has grown tremendously in
the last six years.
In early May, Microsoft said it had distributed 40 million copies of
Vista, which costs $199 to $399 depending on the version. But it did
not specify the number actually sold through to consumers, versus
those shipped to computer makers like Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell
Inc.
Analysts noted that as many as 15 million of those copies could
represent upgrade coupons given to XP buyers during the holidays,
before Vista went on sale. Microsoft would not say how many of those
customers installed the new system, but Forrester Research analyst
J.P. Gownder estimated just over 12 million U.S. consumers would have
Vista by the end of the year, out of about 235 million PCs in the
country.
As for the compatibility problems, 2 million devices - such as cameras
and printers - now work with Vista, said Dave Wascha, a director in
the Windows Client group.
"We are way ahead with Windows Vista right now than where we were when
we shipped Windows XP" he said.
Still, it's an uphill battle: Vista interacts differently with
programs and peripherals than previous versions of Windows, and some
companies have chosen not to spend time and money updating older
products. Printer makers, Wascha noted, draw profits from ink
cartridges and services, and have little motivation to invest in
updating drivers for old hardware.
As a result, many early adopters have made a sport of grumbling about
the one device or program they still can't get to work. And they've
ranted about other things, from how hard it is to open Vista's
snap-together plastic retail box, to what they see as arbitrary
decisions on Microsoft's part to hide common settings and features.
One of the most common annoyances: Microsoft's user account control
feature, designed to protect unwitting Web surfers from spyware and
viruses that would otherwise install themselves on the hard drive.
Dan Cohen, chief executive officer of Silicon Valley startup
Pageflakes, bought a Vista laptop a couple of months ago. After one
too many pop-up windows warning of possible threats from the Internet,
Cohen switched the control feature off.
Now he gets pop-ups warning him that turning off UAC is dangerous. "I
feel more secure - and more irritated" he said. When Cohen went to
buy his wife a new computer in April, he stuck with XP on a laptop
from Lenovo Group Ltd.
Some analysts say Microsoft hasn't put enough energy into marketing
Vista's benefits to consumers. But it may also be the case that
Vista's biggest benefits are ones that cause average PC users' eyes to
glaze over, like improved security.
"Everybody wants there to be a repeat of Windows 98 - the excitement,
the sales volume, the rate of growth and everything else" said Michael
Cherry, an analyst for the independent research group Directions on
Microsoft.
At the time of Windows 98's launch, broadband access to the Internet
was catching fire and consumers were pumped up about getting a faster,
cheaper computer.
There's no such compelling reason to buy Vista, said Gownder, the
Forrester analyst.
Businesses, like consumers, are in no hurry to upgrade. Before the
business version of Vista landed late last year, a Forrester survey of
about 1,600 companies found that 31 percent planned to upgrade within
a year, and 22 percent more planned to be running it within two years.
Most businesses think those plans now seem too aggressive, said
Forrester analyst Benjamin Gray.
While corporate technology departments are looking forward to some of
Vista's security features and easier administration tools, there's
little reason to switch if more secure PCs end up choking on a
critical piece of software.
"They're waiting for Microsoft to bless it with a service pack" said
Gray, referring to a major software update that fixes bugs.
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a member of Microsoft's
Vista Technical Adoption Program, started evaluating Vista in January
2006. Today, only 300 of the hospital's 30,000 desktop computers run
the software.
Karen Malik, associate director of technical services, said the
rollout is behind schedule because several key programs still aren't
compatible, including patient scheduling software. Malik knows the
software vendors will catch up to Vista - someday. In the meantime,
she's not rushing.
"We know eventually we're going to need to move to this operating
system" Malik said. "It's not really an option."
On the Net:
Chris Pirillo's Vista video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HELrxLdP85c
mentioned in this story.
I like this point:
"Everybody wants there to be a repeat of Windows 98 - the
excitement, the sales volume, the rate of growth and
everything else" said Michael Cherry, an analyst for the
independent research group Directions on Microsoft. "
Yea, and I bet they'd like to be able to repeat the relative security
that Win-98 gave to users vs that abomination known as XP.
As expected, MS will spend very little to advertise or market Vista,
since it will come by default on new systems because people will have
no choice. It will take 5 years before it reaches the saturation
point of 85%, at which point the Wintel monopoly will engineer another
wholesale hardware change (which even the current Micro$haft mindset
that you have to change-out your hardware every 3 to 5 years goes
against the "green" grain - no doubt people and corporations will be
MUCH more resistant in the future).
=========================
6 Months Later, a Report Card on Vista
http://channels.netscape.com/pf/sto...ff/story/0001/20070714/0739769324.htm&sc=1333
By JESSICA MINTZ
SEATTLE (AP) - Chris Pirillo leaned away from his webcam and pointed
to his printer/scanner/fax machine, which stopped scanning and faxing
after he installed Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows Vista operating
system. "I can't live in Vista if the software that I use in my life
for productivity does not work," said Pirillo, in the third minute of
a 52-minute video he posted on YouTube.
Nearly six months after it launched, gripes over what doesn't work
with Vista continue, eclipsing positive buzz over the program's
improved desktop search, graphics and security. With Vista now
shipping on most new computers, it's all but guaranteed to become the
world's dominant PC operating system - eventually. For now, some users
are either learning to live with workarounds or sticking with Vista's
predecessor, Windows XP.
Pirillo is geekier than the average user. He runs a network of
technology blogs called Lockergnome, and was one of several "Windows
enthusiasts" Microsoft asked for Vista feedback early on. Still,
Vista tested even Pirillo's savvy. He fixed the hobbled printer and
other problems by installing VMware, a program that lets him run XP
within Vista. But when his trial copy expired, he decided the
solution was too clunky - and too expensive.
He "upgraded" as he called it, back to XP.
Users' early complaints aren't a threat to Microsoft's dominance in
operating systems. The various flavors of Windows run 93 percent of
PCs worldwide, according to the research group IDC. Last fiscal year,
Windows accounted for about a third of Microsoft's total revenue of
$44.3 billion.
Industry analysts say Vista adoption is plodding along as expected,
with most consumers and businesses switching over as they replace old
hardware with new. IDC analyst Al Gillen said he expects Vista will
be installed on the vast majority of computers in about five years,
the time it took for XP to reach 84 percent of PCs.
It's too early for industry watchers to know exactly how many people
are using Vista. At the same time, it's hard to gauge Vista's success
by comparing it to XP, because the PC market has grown tremendously in
the last six years.
In early May, Microsoft said it had distributed 40 million copies of
Vista, which costs $199 to $399 depending on the version. But it did
not specify the number actually sold through to consumers, versus
those shipped to computer makers like Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell
Inc.
Analysts noted that as many as 15 million of those copies could
represent upgrade coupons given to XP buyers during the holidays,
before Vista went on sale. Microsoft would not say how many of those
customers installed the new system, but Forrester Research analyst
J.P. Gownder estimated just over 12 million U.S. consumers would have
Vista by the end of the year, out of about 235 million PCs in the
country.
As for the compatibility problems, 2 million devices - such as cameras
and printers - now work with Vista, said Dave Wascha, a director in
the Windows Client group.
"We are way ahead with Windows Vista right now than where we were when
we shipped Windows XP" he said.
Still, it's an uphill battle: Vista interacts differently with
programs and peripherals than previous versions of Windows, and some
companies have chosen not to spend time and money updating older
products. Printer makers, Wascha noted, draw profits from ink
cartridges and services, and have little motivation to invest in
updating drivers for old hardware.
As a result, many early adopters have made a sport of grumbling about
the one device or program they still can't get to work. And they've
ranted about other things, from how hard it is to open Vista's
snap-together plastic retail box, to what they see as arbitrary
decisions on Microsoft's part to hide common settings and features.
One of the most common annoyances: Microsoft's user account control
feature, designed to protect unwitting Web surfers from spyware and
viruses that would otherwise install themselves on the hard drive.
Dan Cohen, chief executive officer of Silicon Valley startup
Pageflakes, bought a Vista laptop a couple of months ago. After one
too many pop-up windows warning of possible threats from the Internet,
Cohen switched the control feature off.
Now he gets pop-ups warning him that turning off UAC is dangerous. "I
feel more secure - and more irritated" he said. When Cohen went to
buy his wife a new computer in April, he stuck with XP on a laptop
from Lenovo Group Ltd.
Some analysts say Microsoft hasn't put enough energy into marketing
Vista's benefits to consumers. But it may also be the case that
Vista's biggest benefits are ones that cause average PC users' eyes to
glaze over, like improved security.
"Everybody wants there to be a repeat of Windows 98 - the excitement,
the sales volume, the rate of growth and everything else" said Michael
Cherry, an analyst for the independent research group Directions on
Microsoft.
At the time of Windows 98's launch, broadband access to the Internet
was catching fire and consumers were pumped up about getting a faster,
cheaper computer.
There's no such compelling reason to buy Vista, said Gownder, the
Forrester analyst.
Businesses, like consumers, are in no hurry to upgrade. Before the
business version of Vista landed late last year, a Forrester survey of
about 1,600 companies found that 31 percent planned to upgrade within
a year, and 22 percent more planned to be running it within two years.
Most businesses think those plans now seem too aggressive, said
Forrester analyst Benjamin Gray.
While corporate technology departments are looking forward to some of
Vista's security features and easier administration tools, there's
little reason to switch if more secure PCs end up choking on a
critical piece of software.
"They're waiting for Microsoft to bless it with a service pack" said
Gray, referring to a major software update that fixes bugs.
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a member of Microsoft's
Vista Technical Adoption Program, started evaluating Vista in January
2006. Today, only 300 of the hospital's 30,000 desktop computers run
the software.
Karen Malik, associate director of technical services, said the
rollout is behind schedule because several key programs still aren't
compatible, including patient scheduling software. Malik knows the
software vendors will catch up to Vista - someday. In the meantime,
she's not rushing.
"We know eventually we're going to need to move to this operating
system" Malik said. "It's not really an option."
On the Net:
Chris Pirillo's Vista video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HELrxLdP85c
