And so the Vista malarky continues! More and more details of the behemoth that is Vista are coming to light which, quite frankly, freak me out even more.
First of all, Microsoft won’t let you run some Vista editions virtualised, which is a bit of a surprise. Why would they push for free Virtual PC software and then not let you use some basic versions of the new OS under such a set up?
Secondly, despite there being large support for a 3D desktop, the coverage in the game area is lacking. WTF is going on here? So we’re going to make it hard for the gamers to move over as well? This is just unbelievable.
I think that this nugget of genius sums it up nicely 
This will hit home for those who have spent any time in text-based adventure games and/or MUDs.
October 16, 2006
(everyone who knows my posts, knows my stance, so i make no apologies for this.)
Why is it that some people will actually put up with this?? Almost everywhere i look i see the reasons where MS is putting the nails into their coffin for the people. Its almost as if they want to stop, they are making that easy. But not everyone has the balls to use a hammer.
Why can’t people use mac’s for buisness?? it has office, it has other lotus notes, and other business software. Seriously, what is the hold up? Is fear of change really that scary to people? I know there is this whole “retraining” thing, and i understand that loss of productivity is loss of money, because we all know time == money. But at what point does not changing strategies effect the bottom line? Not just now, but in the future. Sure going with the flow of a river is easy, but what if that river is about to turn into a waterfall in a mile or so? Is it still worth going with the flow, or should you maybe start trying to get to shore for safty?
October 16, 2006
B, I’ve just had a good yarn with a mate about this, and it’s unfortunately a moot point. Any geek with a bit of common sense in this scenario is going to say “well, personally I’ll look for another option with more freedom if it gets to a point where I feel limited or abused by MS by sticking to the products”. Unfortunately, the market is so much bigger than people like you and I.
If you look at it from the perspective of big corporations with a huge Microsoft infrastructure, then it makes sense to stick it out until it gets unbearable. Why? The cost of rolling out the new tech isn’t just a matter of hiring some dudes to replace the servers. All the users (including business people, developers, analysts, etc) will all have to learn the ropes of the new OS, whatever it happens to be. Sure there are ways to make the transition easier, but there’s always going to be a massive hit to productivity initially, and it’s a step that most companies won’t make unless they really have to.
Personally, I would rather eat my own poop that chow down on the ‘a-la carte’ of Vista, if it remains how it is in its current form. Lots of things about it scare me, and I will be happy to stick to XP and Linux instead.
Deep down I don’t think that the majority really is happy to put up with it. I think they’d feel abused, and taken advantage of given the fact that they can’t necessarily afford to move away from MS.
I think if anyone is going to make a move it will be the standard home consumer. The other options are just too attractive. My feelings are that initially, those “pleb” users who just use their machines for the Internet, sending emails and writing documents will stick with XP and their current installation for quite some time to come - especially given that Vista will most likely require those people to upgrade their hardware. Those people who are gamers, they’re going to find it hard intially due to Vista’s bad form on the games front. With options like Cedega and Wine functioning better by the day, I think they’ll end up making the move to Linux and using one of those as an option instead (I know some that already have!). It’s going to take some of the geekier end-users to make the move to Linux and experience the fun/joy/freedom and lack of cost first. When it gets to the stage where these people are happy to use it on a daily basis without thinking about booting their Windows install, you’ll find they’ll start to push it on their friends and family as a better and cheaper alternative. The word will spread, and people may (will?) eventually migrate to the alternative (which may also be Mac). As far as corporations go, it’s going to take a heck of a lot longer - if it happens at all.
Unfortunatley, there are a couple of the issues that need to be addressed. I’ve seen a stack of Linux geeks respond to posts on forums by Linux newbies by saying “you’re crap, go back to Windows”. While these posts are starting to dwindle, they’re still quite common and this going to stop people from making headway into the Linux world. Making Linux easier to install is really going to help as that’s part of the reason so many end-users use Windows at home - for the most part it just works. Another issue to sort out would be the software support. While software such as OpenOffice is starting to really come together it’s still not quite as feature-rich as MS Office (please no flames, it’s the truth :)). I think that OpenOffice is a great application, and I’m an advocate of it. I’m even thinking of starting to contribute to it if I can find the time. But the quality and feature set needs to improve before it’s going to be adopted on-masse. As more users adopt Linux/Mac and Open Source, I think the number of contributers will go up and the quality will follow.
In a nutshell, I think that MS’s stance and approach with Vista can only be a good thing for the Open Source and Linux/Mac communities. They certainly stand out to me as a better option, and it’s an option that I for one will be chasing up.
PS. No apologies would be needed anyway mate
Free speech and opinions are what this is all about!
October 23, 2006
There’s a bit more info (and a good translation) of what the Vista EULA says just overe here.