Vista 7 Coverage a Mixed Bag on Release Date
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2009-10-22 17:04:59 UTC
- Modified: 2009-10-22 17:04:59 UTC
Summary: Headlines about Vista 7
●
Consumers Won't Pay $120 for Windows 7 Upgrade
Will home users pay that price? I'm betting they won't. True, some Microsoft diehards will line up on October 22 to grab the first copies of Win 7, but most consumers will spot the price tag and walk away.
●
Apple takes a few shots at Windows during WWDC09
During this year's WWDC, Apple took the time to talk up Snow Leopard, the successor to Mac OS X, but also made sure to talk about Windows. Apple's Bertrand Serlet made a point to say that the company loves and is proud of Leopard, so to show that the next version built upon the previous one, the company called the operating system Snow Leopard. Serlet called Windows 7 "just another version" of Windows Vista, noting that the user still has to deal with DLLs, the registry, disk defragmenter, and so on. He emphasized that Microsoft has dug quite a big hole with Vista and is trying to get out of it with Windows 7, at which point the screen showed the rather harsh quote: "Vista has failed to catch on with mainstream computer users, while businesses have shunned it outright." On top of that, he said that Windows 7 has "even more complexity" since it is "the same old tech as Vista" and is "just another version of Vista."
●
Microsoft's roadkill on the journey to Windows 7
Windows 7 starts out on the wrong foot
Although it's too early to fully measure the impact Windows 7 will have on the third-party market, it's already off to a bad start with its heavy-handed dismissal of third-party video codecs. Third-party codecs cooperate with video compression standards that Microsoft's own video applications, such as Media Player, were heretofore loathe to support.
But Windows 7 adds some new codecs to Microsoft's quiver, and where these collide with third-party products, you won't be surprised who comes out on top.
Windows 7 preempts third-party codecs in Microsoft's own applications, such as Media Player, by using its own embedded codecs whenever possible. This is a major change from XP and Vista operation, where users could override Microsoft codecs globally. Although users can circumvent Windows 7 codec usurpation with some effort, the process is not intuitive and decidedly less convenient than the old behavior.
●
The 7 deadly sins of Windows 7
Likewise, power users soon learn that their ability to hack Windows 7 to make it work the way they want is often limited by the closed, black-box nature of its proprietary code base. These users see how easy it is to custom-tailor Linux and even Mac OS X, and they feel that twinge of jealously. They want what these other platforms provide, and soon they find themselves coveting their neighbor's OS.
●
Cloud giants take shots at Windows 7
The latest round of comments could further indicate that following the troubles of Windows Vista, competitors may be sensing blood in the water with Redmond's latest efforts. The remarks from IBM and Salesforce.com come after Apple suggested that it would be gaining users following the release of Windows 7.
●
BBC Breakfast Talk Up Windows 7 Dismiss Rivals
A few points that came to mind:-
* I don’t recall such a review of OSX Snow Leopard when it came out, BBC biased towards Microsoft?
* Will there be a similar review of other OS releases this month/year such as Ubuntu and others?
* Why focus so much on the touch elements if most computers don’t have a touch screen and it’s a ‘gimmick’. Perhaps it just makes good telly, even if it’s somewhat misguided
* No mention of the pain users will have upgrading
* No mention of the cost
* No mention of the fact that OSX is cheaper, instead focussing on the cost of Apple hardware. Isn’t this an OS review, not a hardware review. I’d bet that Sony touch screen Rory used isn’t exactly cheap
* ‘little community’ building Free Software you say Rory? Dismissive and unnecessarily Patronising
* ‘don’t want to bother with that sort of stuff’. I find many users don’t want to ‘bother’ with viruses, malware and broken software, but they do, on Windows
* Ubuntu isn’t ‘out next week’. The latest version is. Ubuntu has been around for 5 years (this week). What we’re doing is no different to Microsoft shipping a new release of Windows, and Apple shipping a new OSX. It just so happens ours is free
Rory, please feel free to come along to the Ubuntu Release Party next Thursday 29th in London, and you can meet some of the great people who help put Ubuntu together.
●
Microsoft admits Windows 7 security ad isn't 'sincere'
Microsoft is set to launch an advertising campaign promoting the security€ of Windows 7 that even its own executives admitted was less than sincere.
During the Windows 7 launch event in Sydney this morning (see photo€ gallery top right), journalists were shown a number of advertisements€ that will feature in an upcoming television campaign - including one€ touting the operating system's security capabilities.
The advertisement in question features an elderly gentlemen with what€ looks to be his grandson. They are playing with a very grand toy castle€ and talking about IT security.
"A while back something just popped into my head: 'My PC should have more€ security'," said the grandfather. "Like 50-foot castle wall-type€ security. Next thing I know, whammo! There's Windows 7. Now it keeps all€ my personal info safer and I don't have to worry about bad stuff getting€ through. Victory is mine. How's that for secure?"
[...]
"Don't you worry that [the advert] might just be misleading a few people€ into not buying antivirus software?" Ross asked. "Because you're still€ going to have to, aren't you?"
Putt responded by saying consumers should get "more sincere guidance"€ from a third party.
●
Brand power can fix rogue AV issue: Microsoft
When asked if whitelisting legitimate security products - so rogue security applications would be automatically blocked - was a possibility, Strathdee explained that this would be "an enormous amount of work" and is made more difficult in countries that have a large number of relatively unknown security vendors.
Recent Techrights' Posts
- Gemini Links 16/07/2025: Tmux and OCC25 Working TLS
- Links for the day
- Reboots Should Never be Necessary
- "BUT WHAT ABOUT SECURITY!!"
- There's Still Hope for the World Wide Web
- Let's hope that the trajectory of the Web won't be leading us to over-reliance on Google, nor will it reward worthless slopfarms
-
- "We Might Save Somebody's Life"
- I follow the example of my father
- Why I am Suing the Serial Strangler From Microsoft, Alex Balabhadra Graveley, in the UK High Court This Week
- Out of respect to the process and to the Court, I shall not share any pertinent details about the case
- Links 16/07/2025: China’s Economy Grows Steadily, France Takes Action Regarding Harm to Children by GAFAM and Fentanylware (TikTok)
- Links for the day
- It is Not About Politics
- Beware the people who try to make this about politics
- Good Journalism Saves Lives
- a shocking number of women die or get seriously hurt every day due to violence from a partner
- Recognition of Women's Contributions to Free Software
- Being passive is not an option when bad things are happening
- Slopfarms Are Going to Perish Because Public Opinion is Changing
- Many slopfarms will simply go offline
- 19 Years of Standing Up for Justice, Equality, and Truth
- This week we shall take it up a notch
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 15, 2025
- IRC logs for Tuesday, July 15, 2025
- Links 15/07/2025: LLM Pollution and Pushback in Ukraine
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 15/07/2025: xkcd, New Cert, and Alhena Gemlog
- Links for the day
- Links 15/07/2025: Press Freedom at Risk and New Facebook Blunders
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 15/07/2025: Smolweb and Alhena 5.1.7
- Links for the day
- The Danes Want GNU/Linux
- David Heinemeier Hansson recently moved to GNU/Linux
- Cory Doctorow Explains Why Software Freedom Matters, Whereas "Open Source" Misses the Point and Helps Monopolies
- It's a very long article
- BillPR (EpsteinGate-Bribed NPR) is Turning Into a Partial Slopfarm that Promotes Slop
- "I went on a date with a chatbot!"
- Two Weeks Passed Since Latest Large Wave of Microsoft Layoffs, More Expected Next Month
- Blaming the debt on "AI" is just self-serving storytelling
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 14, 2025
- IRC logs for Monday, July 14, 2025
- Gemini Links 15/07/2025: Gemini "Style Sheets" and Switching From Microsoft GitHub to Codeberg
- Links for the day
- Coming Soon: Another OSI Scandal, This One Implicating Molly de Blanc
- OSI has been fairly quiet lately
- Outreachy & Debian pregnancy cluster, Meike Reichle evidence
- Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
- Again, "Lunduke is Actually Sending His Audience to Attack People"
- Microsoft Lunduke is not trying to "protect" Linux
- XBox is Rapidly Turned Into a Slopfarm by Microsoft
- Slop isn't about efficiency and saving money
- One of the Most Hilarious Things About the Microsoft SLAPPs
- It's so ridiculous
- Financial Support for the Free Software Foundation or the GNU Project
- The FSF has extended until Friday its fund-raising campaign
- Illegally Hiding (or Demanding Secrecy Around) Illegal Requests or Attempts at Extortion
- unlawful communications like threats
- Microsoft's Halloween Documents and systemd, Wayland, Etc.
- Maybe one day Wayland will be widespread. Or maybe not.
- Gemini Links 14/07/2025: BOFH Archive, Updating Old Palm PDAS, and Nginx vs Slop Bots
- Links for the day
- Ubuntu is Becoming GAFAM-Like
- What does that say about Canonical and Ubuntu?
- Slopfarms Which Take Real Articles About GNU/Linux and Turn Them Into Copycats Which Are False
- Even before the LLM hype those were quite common
- The Firm That Picks on Techrights is Accustomed to Working With Criminals
- Techrights never did anything illegal. So why is it being picked on by people who work with criminals?
- Microsoft Said the Mass Layoffs Were for "Investment" in "AI", But It's Also Laying Off the "AI" and "Copilot" Staff
- Months ago we showed many so-called "AI" people were getting the boot and this time it's the same
- DryDeadFish is Dead, Long Live DryDeadFish
- We kept checking, hoping it can recover from some temporary technical issue
- For Quite Some Time Already Microsoft Attracts Crackpots, Scams, and More
- Occasionally we talk about the situation at IBM as there are many parallels
- Links 14/07/2025: Chatbots Broken Again, McHire LLM Shows Limits of the Hype
- Links for the day
- Changing One's Name Won't Change One's Past
- People who have earned a bad reputation are not magically "entitled" to reset
- People Who Assault Women Are Not Victims of "Distress"
- It seems like an American tradition. In a country with almost 50 presidents, not even one was a female.
- Slashdot Media Turned Linux Journal Into a Slopfarm and Now Slashdot Actively Promotes Anti-Linux Slopfarms
- Yes, "no-nonsense" apparently means actual nonsense
- Adoption of Gemini Protocol Still Growing
- Gemini Protocol is being obscured by the media - it doesn't help that Google 'hijacked' the word "Gemini" - but people still manage to find out about it, download a client, and use it
- Links 14/07/2025: Arresting Photographers, Threats to Revoke US Citizenship Over Criticism
- Links for the day
- More EPO Leaks on the Way
- We hope that Mr. Rowan will actually try to refute what we say and show, not merely point the finger at the messengers
- Decommodification is a Corporate Strategy Against Communities
- systemd is led by Microsoft and hosted by Microsoft
- copyleft.org 'Hijacked' by the People Who Attack the Person Who Created Copyleft
- So far there's nothing "tasteless" in copyleft.org, but that can change at any time in the future
- Asking People to Take Down Articles and Videos Only Makes These More Popular and "Viral"
- If you do something bad, one of the worst things you can possibly do it try to silence those who speak about it
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 13, 2025
- IRC logs for Sunday, July 13, 2025
- Two-Thirds Towards FSF Goal, Richard Stallman to Give Talks in Europe
- There are 67 left before reaching the target
- Brett Wilson LLP "Takes it Personal" (Character Assassination, Not Professionalism). Everybody Can See That.
- On behalf of violent men
- Gemini Links 14/07/2025: Politicised Tech and "Leaving GitHub"
- Links for the day
Comments
Dennis Murczak
2009-10-22 23:26:19
First ad is about a "Windows phone" ("carry your Windows around with you"). It's full of happy-looking people in a park doing uninteresting, unrelated stuff, and a girl on a bench calling someone from her "Windows phone".
The second ad is about Windows 7 and unintentionally very ridiculous. It's about a girl on the train with her laptop, talking about how "it" doesn't crash (a word was used with the primary meaning of "airplane crash", so I supposed she was very afraid of flying). After I noticed it was rather about her laptop, I got a glance at KDE with two Dolphin windows and an mplayer-ish window showing two romantic baboons at night. And all the talk about how the laptop will never crash again :-) Finally a solid Linux ad I thought, could need slightly better acting though. Suddenly I heard her say something about "Windows 7", at which point I was honestly surprised. The following (and final) line from her "I'm a PC and created this myself" made me burst into laughter.
End user marketing: botched. Badly.
Roy Schestowitz
2009-10-22 23:39:03
Dennis Murczak
2009-10-23 00:37:12
Besides of the ads, there was a short interview on another channel with a few fanboys that told me nothing new about Windows culture (buy it for the "kicks", even if it's just a service pack).
Roy Schestowitz
2009-10-23 00:46:11
Yuhong Bao
2009-10-23 02:12:51
Dennis Murczak
2009-10-23 01:13:30
As for the selling points, it seems everyone here is at least rudimentarily informed about Windows/Vista 7's nature as a paid for service pack, but hey it's new, so everyone has to get it.
Yuhong Bao
2009-10-23 02:22:04
Dennis Murczak
2009-10-23 14:09:28
Yes, the ads are misleading in that they overstate their case. I expect at least as much backlash from this than from Vista, because a lot of buyers will be really disappointed, especially in terms of software/driver compatibility and a security model that can still be exploited by automated attacks.
Roy Schestowitz
2009-10-23 15:10:20
Yuhong Bao
2009-10-23 15:26:34
Yuhong Bao
2009-10-24 19:14:35
Roy Schestowitz
2009-10-24 20:42:35
Yuhong Bao
2009-10-25 00:05:22
Roy Schestowitz
2009-10-25 00:23:48