Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on April 19, 2005 07:22 AM
Joe,
Thanks for putting this significant article together. You are right on target. Technology readers need to be put on notice: We've seen some really fishy stuff lately -- and this one takes the prize. Your article points out the exact reasons why.
In my mind, a close second is the Guardian Unlimited article (which made it all the way to Slashdot) about Novell being in a "race against time." You were at BrainShare. Did anyone there look particularly panicky? If anything, I saw a little bit of a swagger -- like "we've got our competitors backed against the wall and we're ready to pounce." The Microsoft propaganda in Salt Lake City made it look more to me like MS was the concerned party and in a race against time. ("Okay, how much longer can we ravage our customers' business interests to obscenely line our own pockets?") Yet, that's not how the Guardian spun the story.
For whatever reason, the FUD factor seems to have seriously escalated, of late. And, this is coming at a time when Microsoft is about to launch a "Massive XP ad campaign," as reported at BetaNews:
The way I see it, Microsoft is seriously worried that:
a. Viruses and spyware have made Windows virtually unusable (or at least a major inconvenience) for many people.
b. Customers are becoming acutely aware that Windows is rife with hidden costs. In additon to viruses and spyware, enterprises have to expend resources to meticulously track licenses -- a process Microsoft seems decidedly insensitive to. Licensing can even be a major hassle for home users. See how "user friendly" Windows is if your restore disks get lost or scratched.
c. People are taking alternative desktops much more seriously. I personally know of a few people who have switched to Mac because of Windows being such "high maintenance."
d. Open Source desktops have matured to the point where they are at least "good enough" (and if any company understands the power of "just good enough," it's Microsoft). Now, we have Nat Friedman claiming that the next version of Novell Linux will SURPASS Windows in key areas of functionality. And, anyone who's see Xandros Linux, lately... well, you can understand the hand-wringing in Redmond, can't you?
e. Microsoft doesn't have a new product ready in time to stem the tide. As an organization that is highly focused toward marketing product, this is a very serious problem.
Given these circumstances and the recent changes in the technology reporting environment, I would really like to see a FUD-busting series on NewsForge (or any other tech site, for that matter).
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Great Article!
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on April 19, 2005 07:22 AMThanks for putting this significant article together. You are right on target. Technology readers need to be put on notice: We've seen some really fishy stuff lately -- and this one takes the prize. Your article points out the exact reasons why.
In my mind, a close second is the Guardian Unlimited article (which made it all the way to Slashdot) about Novell being in a "race against time." You were at BrainShare. Did anyone there look particularly panicky? If anything, I saw a little bit of a swagger -- like "we've got our competitors backed against the wall and we're ready to pounce." The Microsoft propaganda in Salt Lake City made it look more to me like MS was the concerned party and in a race against time. ("Okay, how much longer can we ravage our customers' business interests to obscenely line our own pockets?") Yet, that's not how the Guardian spun the story.
For whatever reason, the FUD factor seems to have seriously escalated, of late. And, this is coming at a time when Microsoft is about to launch a "Massive XP ad campaign," as reported at BetaNews:
http://www.betanews.com/article/MS_Kicks_Off_Mass<nobr>i<wbr></nobr> ve_XP_Ad_Campaign/1113837462
The way I see it, Microsoft is seriously worried that:
a. Viruses and spyware have made Windows virtually unusable (or at least a major inconvenience) for many people.
b. Customers are becoming acutely aware that Windows is rife with hidden costs. In additon to viruses and spyware, enterprises have to expend resources to meticulously track licenses -- a process Microsoft seems decidedly insensitive to. Licensing can even be a major hassle for home users. See how "user friendly" Windows is if your restore disks get lost or scratched.
c. People are taking alternative desktops much more seriously. I personally know of a few people who have switched to Mac because of Windows being such "high maintenance."
d. Open Source desktops have matured to the point where they are at least "good enough" (and if any company understands the power of "just good enough," it's Microsoft). Now, we have Nat Friedman claiming that the next version of Novell Linux will SURPASS Windows in key areas of functionality. And, anyone who's see Xandros Linux, lately... well, you can understand the hand-wringing in Redmond, can't you?
e. Microsoft doesn't have a new product ready in time to stem the tide. As an organization that is highly focused toward marketing product, this is a very serious problem.
Given these circumstances and the recent changes in the technology reporting environment, I would really like to see a FUD-busting series on NewsForge (or any other tech site, for that matter).
CDH
Here's the Guardian article for reference:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,144<nobr>8<wbr></nobr> 108,00.html
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