Yeah DELL
First of all, I am not a big Dell fan. Their higher end stuff (XPS, servers, etc) is good, but their lower end stuff is just terrible in my experiance. Honestly, they make fine computers if you buy a new box every few years, but if you want to upgrade and expand well their non standard motherboards and all on one board systems have always bothered me. Bottomline, in high volume big business where there is a consistent and regular migration pattern then Dell works, but in small to medium non tech businesses they create problems with the less then stellar quality and properitary products.
With that all behind us I heartly say CONGRATS and WELL DONE to Dell (HP and Leveno too) for coming up with creative and LEGAL ways to continue to provide XP after the CURRENT (as I think the Redmond gang will move it) June 30, 2008 end of product life date for XP. Vista is just bad. Every person I know now is trying to stay with XP. All my IT friends are working hard to keep Vista out of their offices and off their users desktops when possible. Windows 7 better get here soon or OS X and Linux will continue to get traction (and growth) in the marketplace. At this point Microsoft needs to understand that people are trying to stay on XP and are only going to Vista when they have too. That sort of situation causes people to look around at alternatives ALOT more. Personally I would love to see a working Windows 7 by Jan 1, 2009, but honestly I don’t think Microsoft could hit a any reasonible deadline at this point.
Ah yes. I sit here for the fourth day in a weeks time, working on a malfunctioning Dell.I am plagued with the desire to ram my head through the black 17″ inch monitor while biting at the silver dell circular logo that is center of the bottom of the monitor. Cursed machine it is. On a positive the machine went to cable internet on Friday.Just curious….as anyone ever tried to download Windows updates, java, flash, or forensics software using dial-up?!?!?!?! Grrrr.
That issue is starting to look better now that I have been given decent download speeds to work with. When it comes to Microsoft, One day people will look back at it and say WOW! What a perfect picture example of how to drive your company into a flaming pile of poo ran over twice. The features do not amount to the price. Did you know that as a student of Microsoft IT Academy I receive discounts. Now I thought Windows is raking in probably about half of what they are selling Vista for as profit. I think I was wrong. Windows Ultimate(black box for those who don’t know) is available to me for 90 bucks! How much money are these non-social communist making! This is the primary reason that I believe fully that I should start working more toward Linux. For those Mac lovers who cling to OSX as being better than Vista and Linux…..Guess what?! Mac is Linux! Linux will one day over ride Windows. I believe that fully. Why not?! It is getting easy to use, free, large community that is just waiting to help you make Linux your own. Microsoft better shape or they will ship out with in the next 15 years, I would say!:)
Comment by
SocialCommy — 4/29/2008 @ 1:48 pm
All interesting points and very little of it I would differ with. Dell’s are just junk at the low end.
My big disagreement with you would be on Microsoft going away. I just don’t see it happening. They will lose market share,yes, and Vista will hurt them for a few years, but I personally do not think Linux is coming on that fast and hard as most users will not try it until it comes installed for them. The average user is not going to ask for it to be installed for them either. Add to that,the average user is not surfing the web looking for OS’s to switch too.
Understand, I am not saying that Linux is bad or that it is not gaining momentum. It is good and it is growing. I also think that Linux and OSX (Linux with a good GUI)are great competition which will make Microsoft work a bit more (HOPEFULLY. The Redmond gangs profit margin is INCREDIBLE, and it will stay there until they really get pushed. Going from 98% of the market to 94% is not going to cause dramatic price drops. Users not buying PC’s with Vista will though. Unfortunately day after day home / casual users buy new PC’s with Vista. Hopefully the business and tech/geek markets will force Microsoft to extend XP’s life and make them get a WORKING and BETTER Window’s 7 here ASAP.
Comment by
Team Swap — 4/30/2008 @ 8:52 am
While Linux is not coming on that strong it is getting user friendly. I do not think it will be for a little while and only if Microsoft continues to just waltz into battle pretending to be ignorant of what it’s users are saying. Linux failing to tighten the bolts on Microsoft is disappointing. I am researching the fall of Novell and I see so many similarities to the way Microsoft(lets say MS for short) knocked them out and the direction that MS is headed.
MS is just shrugging off the cry of their people. They have set a 2010 date to retire the Server 2003 Certifications. Why? Because 2008 is here and will WOW people. Not quite. It is like Vista. Incompatibilities, resource hog, and pointless.There is no need to put out new a OS if it is not an improvement. I guess I just don’t see how MS can keep their momentum when they are slapping people in the face(both with performance and price).
Now with that said I enjoy Windows. It is truly the people’s choice. I hope that,like you mentioned, MS starts to look at themselves and move forward with innovation. They are just standing still. MS has sold 140 million copy’s of Vista since it’s release. Adding to what you said ,most of it has been to manufactures like Dell, HP, and so on. People who buy these Vista shipped PCs have no choice(or clue) about what they are getting when they buy it from Wal-mart. Windows 7 better bring some huge and I mean huge improvements over Vista. Like say ditching the Vista code and just improving on XP. That would have made sense to me to start with:)
Comment by
SocialCommy — 4/30/2008 @ 10:27 pm
I agree with you 100% on MS’s laziness and their lack of innovation. They are like the big 3 US car makers in the 70’s…no reason to worry about quality our customers will continue to buy. The difference I see though is that MS (and the computer business by proxy) have a built in user base that is not comparing products. As we both have said Vista is rolling out / selling because it is installed on pre built boxes and the users are buying them. As long as that model continues MS is not under pressure.
I really think Web 2.0 apps (or web based apps in general) will eventually be the thing that pushes MS to move their butt, not OSX and Linux, as the end user will find service to perform their daily computing that are not MS based and that do not require them to spend money (i.e. Google Apps instead of Word .. Google Apps is not there yet but in time they will get stronger and users using the Gmail / Google model will move over).
In July 2005 I put up a post about how outragous MS’s OS cost vs performance return is - http://www.team-swap.com/wordpress/2005/07/22/microsoft-their-cost-developement-issues/. Though the numbers a bit dated now the core principle behind the post is still true. I think you will agree with most of what I have to say in that post.
Also look at my past posts on Linux’s move on Windows - http://www.team-swap.com/wordpress/2008/03/06/linuxs-gnu-gradual-attack-on-windows/ -, Apple acting like MS - http://www.team-swap.com/wordpress/2007/04/13/apple-developing-microsoft-habits/ - and the software service model - http://www.team-swap.com/wordpress/2008/02/08/software-services-is-not-a-good-model-now/ - if you want a better view of some of my views on those issues.
Bottomline, I think we both are right that MS will have to get their stuff tight and working soon or they will see their market dominance decrease. Like you I hope Win7 gets here soon and is TIGHT. I like the idea to move to a SMALLER OS and more kernels with less bulk. It is crazy that it has taken MS so long to figuire out what DEC and IBM knew 1980.
Comment by
Team Swap — 5/1/2008 @ 10:29 am