Comments on: Microsoft, as a Brand, Loses Ground http://blog.techfun.org/2008/03/microsoft-loses-ground/ Linux, Politics, Whatever... Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:23:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Techfun http://blog.techfun.org/2008/03/microsoft-loses-ground/comment-page-1/#comment-385 Techfun Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:17:04 +0000 http://blog.techfun.org/microsoft-loses-ground#comment-385 Yeah great article! We were just talking at work today about how it would be hard to convert "low skilled" Windows users to Linux if they have that self imposed attitude of "I suck at computers" since people like that can be resistant to new ideas and training. However, if you gave me a person who had never used a computer, I could have them up and running and using the Internet and email far faster with Linux than I could with Vista or even XP. Yeah great article! We were just talking at work today about how it would be hard to convert “low skilled” Windows users to Linux if they have that self imposed attitude of “I suck at computers” since people like that can be resistant to new ideas and training. However, if you gave me a person who had never used a computer, I could have them up and running and using the Internet and email far faster with Linux than I could with Vista or even XP.

]]> By: Jeanne http://blog.techfun.org/2008/03/microsoft-loses-ground/comment-page-1/#comment-384 Jeanne Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:12:34 +0000 http://blog.techfun.org/microsoft-loses-ground#comment-384 I read this last night and thought - "how timely!" http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LINUX_PCS?SITE=COBOU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT I read this last night and thought – “how timely!”

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LINUX_PCS?SITE=COBOU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

]]> By: Techfun http://blog.techfun.org/2008/03/microsoft-loses-ground/comment-page-1/#comment-383 Techfun Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:16:35 +0000 http://blog.techfun.org/microsoft-loses-ground#comment-383 Will, it was Vista specifically that I was taking about when I suggested that Microsoft had embraced "forced obsolescence". I have lost track of the number of friends, family, and colleagues who have purchased new machines that shipped with Vista and have been confronted with the option of either downgrading to XP or adding RAM to get their NEW computer up to the speed of their old one. My current PC shipped with Vista and instead of just blowing it away when I installed Linux I set it up as a dual boot so I could play with Vista and see what all the positive and negative fuss was about. Vista did help convince me that most Windows users could switch to Mac OSX or Linux without too much fuss. My main argument against that position in the past was based on the fact that Windows versions maintained a certain level of continuity in how it operates from the user perspective. They have often made big "under the hood" changes while leaving the user interface alone so people easily adapted to new versions. Vista changed all that. Its confusing, kludgey, non-intuitive, and seems to have made major changes for no apparent reason. I spent ten minutes making mine look and act like XP or windows 2000 and it was fine then, but most people I know would not have been able to do that without asking for help. Will, it was Vista specifically that I was taking about when I suggested that Microsoft had embraced “forced obsolescence”. I have lost track of the number of friends, family, and colleagues who have purchased new machines that shipped with Vista and have been confronted with the option of either downgrading to XP or adding RAM to get their NEW computer up to the speed of their old one.

My current PC shipped with Vista and instead of just blowing it away when I installed Linux I set it up as a dual boot so I could play with Vista and see what all the positive and negative fuss was about. Vista did help convince me that most Windows users could switch to Mac OSX or Linux without too much fuss. My main argument against that position in the past was based on the fact that Windows versions maintained a certain level of continuity in how it operates from the user perspective. They have often made big “under the hood” changes while leaving the user interface alone so people easily adapted to new versions. Vista changed all that. Its confusing, kludgey, non-intuitive, and seems to have made major changes for no apparent reason.

I spent ten minutes making mine look and act like XP or windows 2000 and it was fine then, but most people I know would not have been able to do that without asking for help.

]]> By: Will http://blog.techfun.org/2008/03/microsoft-loses-ground/comment-page-1/#comment-382 Will Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:29:38 +0000 http://blog.techfun.org/microsoft-loses-ground#comment-382 I agree with your thinking on this. It is hard for the average user to get away from Microsoft, though. I have never looked back after ditching IE for Firefox, but I think IE still has the majority market share. Three of our 4 computers have XP and the other has Vista. I hate Vista. I think MS might have done as much as anything else they have done to shoot themselves in the foot when they came out with Vista. It stinks almost as bad as the factory farming I rant about in my last post. And with the stress I deal with anytime I have to do something on the Vista computer, Vista is probably as unhealthy for us as the factory farmed hogs! -Will <em>Will's last blog post..<a href='http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WillTaftFullFeed/~3/261023081/' rel="nofollow">Most Modern Farming Methods Stink!</a></em> I agree with your thinking on this. It is hard for the average user to get away from Microsoft, though. I have never looked back after ditching IE for Firefox, but I think IE still has the majority market share. Three of our 4 computers have XP and the other has Vista. I hate Vista. I think MS might have done as much as anything else they have done to shoot themselves in the foot when they came out with Vista. It stinks almost as bad as the factory farming I rant about in my last post. And with the stress I deal with anytime I have to do something on the Vista computer, Vista is probably as unhealthy for us as the factory farmed hogs!

-Will

Will’s last blog post..Most Modern Farming Methods Stink!

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