11.30.08
Gemini version available ♊︎On Lipstick, Pigs, and Windows
“LH [Longhorn/Vista] is a pig and I don’t see any solution to this problem. If we are to rise to the challenge of Linux…”
–Jim Allchin, Microsoft
The idiom “lipstick on a pig” was probably made more popular during the 2008 US elections because of a certain “phony” argument. But either way, we have written quite extensively about Windows Mobile and predictions of its doom, e.g. here. As rumours about a Microsoft phone started to swirl (Microsoft seems to be denying it, labeling this mythical phone “phony”), GigaOM, the site owned by a temporary Microsoft Munchkin, once again took a shot at it, saying it would be like “lipstick on a pig.”
When I read an Inquirer piece about Microsoft launching its own branded phone with a Tegra chipset by Nvidia, it struck me that this would truly be putting lipstick on a pig.
Better known for its porky attributes is actually Windows Vista, whose early incarnation was called “a pig” by the manager of the project (a quote is prepended above to serve as proof). It’s looking worse and worse for Vista, based on Glyn Moody’s report.
As someone who has been following Microsoft for over 25 years, I remain staggered by the completeness of the Vista fiasco. Microsoft’s constant backtracking on the phasing out of Windows XP is perhaps the most evident proof of the fact that people do not want to be forced to “upgrade” to something that has been memorably described as DRM masquerading as an operating system.
Microsoft remains with just lies and vapourware at the moment. Even the crown jewel known as “Windows” has become frail in a much more competitive market that favours UNIX/Linux. █
“Every time you use Google, you’re using a machine running the Linux kernel.”
ᶃ Gemini Space
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