Thursday, May 08, 2008
C-Net Inbox to be filled with remembrances of Agnew this week
by Ken Houghton
Realizing that not having anything to publish next week would be embarassing, Koo adds:
So here would have been my list of positive things about Vista:
Feel free to add to or correct this list in comments.
The short list of "challenges" I won't send in response to this query, even with its opening:
Today, I'm not here to create another discussion topic dealing with how Vista sucks or how peripherals aren't working because they don't have drivers for Vista, or how I want to revert to XP again, and so forth. [T]his week's topic stems from a forum discussion created by CNET member chustar, who wants to know if there are any folks out there who are part of a silent, Vista-loving majority and would like to express their enthusiasm for it. He has used Vista for close to a year without any problems and simply loves it. I'm sure he's heard enough of the bashes on Vista and would like to take this opportunity to hear from the people who actually are using Vista and, quite frankly, like it or love it
Realizing that not having anything to publish next week would be embarassing, Koo adds:
Now remember, folks this discussion is, for the most part, based on the positive experiences around using Vista, but not just limited to that. So I ask that you please be civil in your replies and be considerate of others when posting.
So here would have been my list of positive things about Vista:
- It has given me a new appreciation of Linux systems
- It has confirmed that Bill Gates and/or Steve Ballmer really were good at finding products for MSFT, since the results since they moved to being upper management have been a monopolistic version of the Peter Principle
- It has given me a new appreciation of those cute little Apple computers.
- It has proved that the OEMs are still dumb enough to believe anything they are told by MSFT. (Releasing Vista OSes on a machine that can handle a maximum of two MB of RAM should, in itself, put several firms out of business.)
- It has given me a greater appreciation of Unix systems
- It has reminded users who had forgotten with the NT4.0-XP that MSFT systems require Constant Vigilance.
- It has given me a greater appreciation of XP
- It has demonstrated that Judge T. P. Jackson was correct, and that the Fourth Circuit and the Bush Justice Department are not working in the best interest of the long-run survival and growth of United States corporations.
- I has given me a greater appreciation of Sun systems
- It has returned us to the Good Old Days where you could make a cup of coffee, have a conversation with your family, and catch up on your reading—and that's just waiting for it to boot up.
- It has given me a greater appreciation of OpenOffice 2.0 and GoogleDocs, since the money spent on that 2 Meg of RAM (see point 4 above) would otherwise have gone to buying MS-Office.
Feel free to add to or correct this list in comments.
Labels: Apple, competitive advantage, computers, Linux, Monopoly, MSFT, technology
Monday, March 05, 2007
I Really Do Hate Microsoft Bashing; Reality Is Sufficient
by Ken Houghton
It appears they might have just said only if you want substandard protection:
The corporate response is as encouraging as usual:
Translation: We are going to "teach to the test"?
I dunno; I'd guess that being the poorest performer in the group means you have a lot to learn. Either that, or you need to concentrate on your competitive advantages:
C-Net's e-mail question a few days ago was "Is Microsoft's Live OneCare sufficient virus protection?" They presented a wishy-washy answer, roughly "one program is never enough."
It appears they might have just said only if you want substandard protection:
Microsoft's Live OneCare security software has failed tests which check how well it spots and stops malicious programs designed to attack Windows.
OneCare was the only failure among 17 anti-virus programs tested by the AV Comparatives organisation....
The majority of programs tested, 14, got an advanced pass or better from AV Comparatives; two got a standard rating and OneCare failed.
The corporate response is as encouraging as usual:
" We are looking closely at the methodology and results of the test to ensure that Windows Live OneCare performs better in future tests."
Translation: We are going to "teach to the test"?
He added that Microsoft was trying to: "determine whether any learnings from these tests can be used to improve our services as part of our ongoing work to continually enhance Windows Live OneCare to ensure the highest level of protection and service that we can provide our customers."
I dunno; I'd guess that being the poorest performer in the group means you have a lot to learn. Either that, or you need to concentrate on your competitive advantages:
A spokesman for BT [British Telecom, I presume] said: "I think we are now supporting it though we did have some issues with it."
In particular, he said, Vista was conflicting with the Norton security software that BT sells with some of its broadband bundles.
"That's now been ironed out," he added. [emphasis mine]
Labels: competitive advantage, MSFT, Vista
