[ale] Forbes trashes Micro$soft

Jay Lozier jslozier at gmail.com
Fri Jan 4 11:43:18 EST 2013


One key difference between Unity and Metro is that I can replace Unity 
with something else on Ubuntu or use a Ubuntu based distro (my choice) 
while with Metro I am basically stuck because M$ has not see fit to 
allow users to chose a default setting they like. One of the reviewers 
on Distrowatch basically did what the video was trying to do with Metro 
and concluded Unity was a functional DE even if he personally disliked 
it. My take on Unity is similar; it is functional but not the DE I want 
to use (I prefer Cinnamon). So if I get a computer with Ubuntu installed 
I do not have to trash the OS to make better suited to me; I just 
install Cinnamon and move on.

On 01/04/2013 10:54 AM, Ron Frazier (ALE) wrote:
> Hi Jay, and all,
>
> As you all know from my other posts, I'm a Windows user.  I have been, 
> forever, since it's been in existence.  It was what came with your 
> computer, or just about the only option to upgrade a DOS machine, back 
> in the day.  It was there, it ran the system, generally did the job, 
> generally worked, and generally stayed out of my way.  If it can help 
> me do what I need to do, so much the better.  The main things I want 
> the OS to do is run the computer, stay out of my way, and make the 
> features of the system available and accessible to me.  Even though I 
> like Windows and use Windows OK, I am not a fan in the sense of a 
> fanatic screaming at a football game.  It's there.  It does what I 
> need most of the time.  It allows me to use the PC to get NON TRIVIAL 
> work done.  I routinely have 50 browser tabs open and, sometimes, 6 or 
> more windows open on the screen.  I neither love it, nor hate it.
>
> I've been a Ubuntu user since 10.04 (2010), I think.  So, for the last 
> couple of years, I could say the same things about Ubuntu.  I try to 
> keep my computers functionally identical or close to the same no 
> matter which OS they're booted into.  I can do 90% of all the same 
> stuff whether I'm running Windows or Ubuntu at any given time.  I can 
> still have lots of Firefox tabs open.  I can still have 50 browser 
> tabs open and 6 windows open.  Right now, I'm typing this on my Vista 
> machine. Right next to me, the other machine is booted into a Ubuntu 
> live CD and yesterday that one was running 4 terminal windows doing 
> badblocks tests on 4 separate HDD's.  All the while, I could browse 
> the web, write email (if I enter the credentials while the live CD is 
> running), write documents, etc.  I like Ubuntu OK.  I neither love it, 
> nor hate it.
>
> I will acknowledge and do appreciate the benefits of a free software 
> culture that you guys rave on about.  I will also acknowledge that I 
> don't like the cost of Windows.
>
> So, I neither love nor hate Windows; and I neither love nor hate 
> Ubuntu.  They're tools.  I use them to get things done, and sometimes 
> have fun.
>
> UNTIL ...
>
> Unity!
>
> and
>
> Metro!
>
> I can now comfortably say, having used Unity for less than a few hours 
> in the last year, that I hate it; and that I won't use it, unless I'm 
> forced to kicking and screaming from a live CD, etc.  In fact, every 
> time I use it, I find myself saying I hate this, I hate this. (Yes, I 
> know I can change it.  At least that's an option.)
>
> And, you wouldn't expect to hear ME saying this ...
>
> I can now comfortably say, NEVER HAVING USED WINDOWS 8 AT ALL, BASED 
> SOLELY ON HEARSAY, that I hate Windows 8, and solemnly plan NEVER to 
> use it in its current form as long as I have a choice.
>
> (I think it can support multiple windows in the Desktop "mode", 
> contrary to a quote in the video, but it's far from obvious.)
>
> That video was amazing, and mind boggling, and it NAILS it!  I do wish 
> he'd avoid the foul language, but he NAILS it.
>
>  This is the most incredible epic fail I've ever seen of a business 
> ticking off a very large percentage of it's core customers.
>
> It is also the most incredible epic fail I've ever seen of a business 
> throwing PRODUCTIVE COMPUTER USERS under the bus.  YES, there are far 
> more consumers out there than heavy producers of content, but SOMEBODY 
> has to produce it!  Somebody has to do video editing, sound track 
> mixing, simulations, server administration, weather analysis, etc. 
> These systems say to the serious amateur users, the professional 
> users, and the extremely geeky users, like people in forums like this 
> - screw you.  We don't care if you're productive any more.  Everyone 
> can just be a simplistic, CONSUMER of content, and so what if nobody 
> can produce.  Not only that, these systems make it harder for even the 
> simple users to do anything but the most basic and obvious tasks.
>
> This is an epic example of the new pups not knowing or caring about 
> the knowledge that the old farts have accumulated for 20 - 30 years, 
> reinventing the wheel, and coming up with a square tire.  Whether it 
> will be a financial success is unknown, but I stand by may statement.
>
> Stupid, stupid, stupid.
>
> I can't imagine the billions of dollars of lost productivity and / or 
> training costs to work AROUND the Windows 8 UI that businesses will 
> suffer ... IF they even allow this thing to be deployed.
>
> Don't get me wrong, good change is good, but bad change it bad.
>
> OK.  End of rant.
>
> Thanks for posting the video link.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Ron
>
>
> On 1/3/2013 10:44 PM, Jay Lozier wrote:
>> On 01/03/2013 07:15 PM, Bob Toxen wrote:
>>> Forbes Magazine article calls Micro$oft:
>>>
>>>    "A failing giant that only survives by charging prices that 'bleed
>>>    customers dry'"
>>>
>>>
>>>    http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-called-failing-giant-only-survives-charging-prices-151012820.html
>> Running down the original article
>>
>> http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerkay/2013/01/02/microsoft-is-fast-turning-into-a-sideshow/ 
>>
>>
>> he references a very scathing You-Tube video about Windows 8 by Brian 
>> Boyko (its about 24 minutes)
>>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTYet-qf1jo
>>
>> The video's main theme is that M$ broke the 4 basic rules for a good 
>> UI design without any valid reason. This gives a very poor user 
>> overall experience because it frustrates users. He actually stated 
>> that as UI a command line was superior because it obeys 2 of the rules.
>>
>> Back to the article, apparently M$ has many serious internal problems 
>> and once people start migrating away from M$ they could be in very 
>> serious financial trouble. Apparently many of their products try to 
>> force a vendor lock and once people find other solutions they lose 
>> the vendor lock in. The article appears to reference Linux in that he 
>> referred to alternates to Windows that were cheaper.
>>> NOTE: if you have my"bob at cavu.com"  email address it now is
>>> "bob at cavu.info"  as I sold cavu.com on 12/31/2012.
>>>
>>> Bob Toxen
>>> bob at verysecurelinux.com                [Please use for email to me]
>>> http://www.verysecurelinux.com         [Network&Linux security consulting]
>>> http://www.realworldlinuxsecurity.com  [My book:"Real World Linux Security 2/e"]
>>> Quality Linux & UNIX security and SysAdmin & software consulting since 1990.
>>> Quality spam and virus filters.
>>>
>>> "One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring
>>> them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond where
>>> the shadows lie...and the Eye is everwatching"
>>> -- The Silicon Valley Tarot Henrique Holschuh with ... Bob
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>      
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Jay Lozier
>> jslozier at gmail.com
>>
>>
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>>    
>
> -- 
>
> (To whom it may concern.  My email address has changed.  Replying to former
> messages prior to 03/31/12 with my personal address will go to the wrong
> address.  Please send all personal correspondence to the new address.)
>
> (PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
> call on the phone.  I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy
> mailing lists and such.  I don't always see new email messages very quickly.)
>
> Ron Frazier
> 770-205-9422 (O)   Leave a message.
> linuxdude AT techstarship.com
>
>
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-- 
Jay Lozier
jslozier at gmail.com

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