Bonum Certa Men Certa

Users of Microsoft Office 2010 Hate It, OpenOffice.org is Loved, Vista 7 is a 'Meh'

The Meh starts now



Summary: Amazon review averages show just why Microsoft is suffering, still unable to offer anything substantially new (we refute the hype by quoting from USENET too)

OVER at USENET (comp.os.linux.advocacy), someone who goes by the name of Megabyte posts information about the hyped-up products which are Microsoft's very few cash cows. From last night's message about the AstroTurfed-for [1, 2] Office 2010:

...I decided I would take a look at how Office 2010 Professional is fairing in terms of reviews on Amazon.com - rated at 2 stars!

Here are a few comments:

"I've been an office "professional" user for years and years and have faithfully upgraded each time. I've researched this product extensively in an attempt to understand why I should pay nearly $500 to, essentially, change the background color and add a ribbon to the top of the page. "

"What a contrast MS and Apple are. Apple seems it can do no wrong - everything it does seems carefully calculated and well planned. The Customer Experience always of paramount importance. Then there is MS who seem to look for ways to screw themselves. Granted Windows 7 was a big improvement, however overall expectations after years of disappointment we're truthfully not that high - just getting an Windows OS that worked fairly reliable had focus happy. But then to follow a little success with the decision to NOT offer upgrade pricing on Office 2010 was as bone-headed as decisions come. I am sick of MS price gouging mentality."

"With no upgrade pricing, Microsoft has taken a serious swipe at their loyal customers. The return on an "upgrade" has to be so much higher now, yet the new features (vs 2007) are generally frivolous toys, not serious features. Until Microsoft can come up with really differentiated new versions, why go to the next version?"


Watch this page. 2 out of 5, on average.

Compare that to the most major competition (not Google, which is a decoy Microsoft tries emphasising). The real competition is Free software. And by contrast, perfect score was attained by OpenOffice.org 3.1.x. 5 out of 5.

On we move to reviews of Vista 7, which also left many users unimpressed. Megabyte quotes the following review headlines:

"Over-hyped"

"Big Improvement Over Vista Once Tweaked, Still An Annoying OS"

"Windows 7 - Snobby in the extreme"

"Not Ready for Prime Time"

"Mediocre and pointless computing at its finest"

"OK, unless you have ever used another OS"

"Pig in a Dress"

"Will be glad when Bill gates fixes the issues with this program"

"Not a fan"

"Save Your Money"

"MASSIVE invasion of privacy"


Rex Ballard from the same newsgroup writes the post titled "Windows 8 Vaporware -- Highlights Windows 7 failings". It's about Vista 8 and it goes like this:

It seems that Microsoft accidentally leaked goals for Windows 8. Obviously Microsoft is hoping it can use the vaporware gambit to somehow retain the loyalty of OEMs to an "All Microsoft" solution for their laptops and desktops.

From http://msftkitchen.com/2010/06/windows-8-plans-leaked-numerous-details-revealed.html <quote> Included in these presentations is a rather telling (but obvious) slide which shows that Microsoft is clearly paying attention to Apple while planning Windows 8. Titled, “How Apple does it: A virtuous cycle,” Microsoft has broken down Apple’s UX/Brand Loyalty cycle and cited its value. Though it’s fairly obvious, the takeaway here is that Microsoft is aiming to give Windows the very same “it just works” status that Apple’s products are known for </quote>

It looks like they will be trying to but Dragon Strictly Speaking and ViaVoice out of business - They are promising "voice control" - but it's unclear whether or not this will include fully functional 100% accurate real-time speech-to-text or not.€ € Thus far Dragon has come close, but even they can only transcribe 1 voice, and has to be trained by that voice, and you have to be in a very quiet room.€ € The holy grail of voice recognition would be the ability to connect it to the television and get a "script" that not only told you what was being said, but also who was saying it.€ € Such a system could also take accurate transcripts of conference calls and even sit-down meetings.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/29/windows_8_goals_leaked/ Other key features seem to include mandatory touch-creen, 17 inch minimum display, up to 5 concurrent contact points, and full HD (1900x1200) display.€ € Getting the "True Windows 8" experience will difinitely require a new computer.€ € Microsoft is also promoting an all- in-one configuration with the computer tightly coupled to the display.

Perhaps they don't like the fact that Linux is now being used to drive the display electronics for most external monitors and HDTV systems.

I'm sure it was a mistake, but the timeline slide shows that Windows 7 support will be ending far sooner than the even the beta releases of Windows 8.

http://msftkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Windows-8-Product-Cycle.png

As for the facial recognition, I've got that on my thinkpad.

The biggest problem for Microsoft is that they keep adding locks and keys to the front door, but the back door, the "doggie door" they use to monitor end-user activity, is easily unlocked by hackers with even the most rudimentary skills.€ € But Microsoft refuses to give up that back door.€ € If Microsoft can get into you computer without you knowing it, so can most hackers, even the "script kiddies".

Other interesting items of note.

It seems that the classic "Tower" and "Mini" platforms, such as the ASUS Revo, will not be in Microsoft's plans for Windows 8.€ € Microsoft will also be taking a more "aggressive" control of the entire configuration.€ € Unfortunately, this is likely to mean that PC manufacturers are likely to lose even more money on each sale, since they will now have to invest heavily on additional hardware - which will crash to commodity prices even more quickly, since all of the machines will be virtually identical - and Acer and ASUS will probably start dropping prices very quickly.

Bad news for Retailers and 3rd party software developers

It seems that Microsoft also wants a LOT more control over applications.€ € It seems that they will be the sole source for obtaining new applications for Windows 8.

It's pretty obvious that Microsoft never intended to let this information be made public when it was, but now everybody, including PC makers, software vendors, and competitors, can see how Microsoft intends to tighten it's grip on the market, and how they intend to get even tougher on Linux.

Ironically, it's also pretty clear that Microsoft is also trying to steal even more tricks from their competitors, including Chromium, Linux, and OS/X.


This just repeats what we already knew. Vista 7 is succeeding as much as Vista succeeded (i.e. not so much once the artificial hype gets cancelled out). Vista 8 vapourware is just the next hype cycle and a repetition of what Microsoft did when Vista was visibly failing (start talking about future versions and produce fake 'leaks' only to under-deliver at the end).

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

The Same People Who Attacked Richard Stallman (RMS) Are Attacking Daniel Pocock to Discourage People From Listening to His Information
Pocock is being demonised for the same reasons and by the same people who attack RMS
We Are Safe in a Modern "Tech" Society, Right?
People are safer if they control their own computing
The Way Things Are Going, They May Soon Stop Saying "Web Address" and Instead Say "Chrome Address"
The Web isn't built or based around open Web standards anymore. It's centered around user-agent.
Microsoft as a Golden Cage
"I was laid off by Microsoft and can't find a job. I'm weeks away from giving up my apartment and moving across the country to live with family."
Weekend Discussion About How IBM's Bluewashing of Red Hat Will Cause "Enshittification" for Users
"I worked at a software company that was acquired by IBM so I knew it was game over for RedHat the day they were acquired"
Brett Wilson LLP Getting Sued by Its Very Own Clients, a Legal Story That Has Made the Mainstream News (Law360)
Law360 or Law.com are about as mainstream as one can get in that "sector" (litigation 'industry')
 
It's Not Justice When One Side Denies the Other Side the Ability to Even Speak
At this stage, Brett Wilson LLP is in my humble opinion acting in contempt of the Court
Links 13/10/2025: Australian Catholic University Uses Slop to Libel Students, Canada Threatens to Kill Beluga Whales
Links for the day
How Not to Silence Tux Machines (It'll Only Backfire, Badly)
defending Microsoft while attacking this site
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT and Google News
It seems abundantly clear that Google News and Google in general participates in the slop epidemic
Vincent Danjean (not INTERPOL), Claire Bardel & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Christmas lynchings: Martin Krafft (madduck), Penny Leach (mjollnir) & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 13/10/2025: Birthdays and "Committee Unable to Contact Nobel Prize Winner"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, October 12, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, October 12, 2025
Your Typical Anti-Richard Stallman (RMS) Cancellist
"About the RMS cancellation"
Richard Stallman (RMS) Has Announced His Talk in Rome Less Than 20 Hours in Advance (and on a Sunday)
Why did he wait until the night before?
GNU Tools Cauldron Event in Portugal: Videos Now Available via Invidious
Go have a look
Slopwatch: GNU/Linux Sites That Became Slopfarms and Spamfarms
The Web is a mess and "Linux" or "Ubuntu" sites became part of the problem
Richard Stallman's Talk 25 Hours Away, Aula Magna Palazzo del Rettorato (CU001), Sapienza Università di Roma (Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5)
The talk is 25 hours away and we see some QR code for it
Gemini Links 12/10/2025: Watches, the Depression of 2026, Gamboling with Odds
Links for the day
Links 12/10/2025: 'False' DMCA Claims and Slop Facing Perils Again (the Hype Wears Off)
Links for the day
Microsoft Has Just Lost Privacy Case in Austria and Its Latest Moves Make a Complete Ban Seem Imperative
Microsoft is not a software company, it's a spying agency that uses software to collect data
The Register MS: Microsoft is the Security Expert, Not the Prime Culprit, So Buy More Microsoft
This front page feature is devoid of any actual substance, it's just Microsoft copypasta
Paris 'Love Nest' & Debian Outreachy: from Lycée Lakanal to ENS Cachan, Cr@ns, nepotism
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Stefano Zacchiroli (Zack) & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Lucas Nussbaum & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 12/10/2025: "Palm Computering", Further Exploration of Slide Rules, and Key Takeaways from The Well-Grounded Rubyist
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, October 11, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, October 11, 2025
Tomorrow: Founder of the Free Software Foundation and of GNU/Linux, Richard Stallman, Speaks in Roma (Rome), Italy at 4PM
GNU/Linux is more important than ever in this dystopian world
Microsoft and Apple Are Rare Topics in Geminispace
in Geminispace it's rather safe to assume everyone is into BSD, GNU/Linux, and sometimes retro
Qualcomm and Manchester United Appear to Have Dumped Microsoft (Qualcomm Now Invests More in Linux, Apparently)
It's a relief to no longer see Microsoft logos and brands on a local football club's gear (I'm not a Manchester United fan, but not a foe either)
As Guest of Honour in Rome, Founder of the Free Software Foundation to Speak ("Distinguished Lecture") After Introduction by Leonardo Querzoni
Happy hacking...
All Things Open is Proprietary
The OSI has become a front group of proprietary software openwashers, led and sponsored by proprietary giants
When Microsoft Lays Off Lots of Workers They Say It "Invests in AI" (a Lie), Now It's "Reshuffles" or "Microsoft Tightens"
Microsoft "news" by bots
"I saw Richard Stallman give a talk in the mid 80s, which began my fear and loathing of software patents" and "Richard Stallman was always right."
"By betraying the legacy of our ancestors, we’ve set ourselves on a path toward self-destruction — moral, intellectual, economic, and ultimately biological."
There Were Several Waves of Microsoft Shanghai Layoffs in 2025, Western Media Continues to Turn a Blind Eye to Chinese Layoffs of an Epic Scale
Sometimes select Taiwanese news sites (published in English) or automated translations are all we have
Brett Wilson LLP Spreads Trumpism to the United Kingdom, Looking to Profit From 'Legal Colonialism' (Overriding Sovereignty)
There's growing recognition of this conundrum worldwide
The Demise of Shopping in Person
In a world like this, how valued is the customer?
This Past Friday, "Nearly 700 People Came to Listen to RMS!" (Richard Stallman)
"Nearly 700 people came to listen to RMS!"
Distinguished Lecture by Richard Stallman This Coming Monday in Rome
After "Free software, Crucial for Freedom in a Digital World"
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT Churning Out Plagiarism and the Slopfarm LinuxSecurity Turns to Pseudonyms
Our hunch is, UbuntuPIT will sooner or later realise that this toxic approach is just harming UbuntuPIT and tainting the reputation of past articles
The Lawsuit by Clients of Brett Wilson LLP Against Brett Wilson LLP is Officially On, It is Progressing, The 'Experts' Pick Outside Law Firms (RPC and Mills & Reeve) to Spare Them From Litigants in Person
So it is probably quite potent
Gemini Links 11/10/2025: Nyctography, Gerrymandering, and Lurking
Links for the day
The 'Culture Wars' in Free Software Have Gone Out of Control
Social control media amplifies such utterly infantile discourse
Teaser: To Compensate for the Fact Our Clients Are Terrible Human Beings Who Strangle Women (While on Microsoft's Payroll) and We Get Paid by Mystery Parties We Bombard You and Your Wife With Almost 10 Kilograms of Legal Papers
If you can't win an argument, then drown the other side with papers?
Links 11/10/2025: World Mental Health Day 2025, Another European Legal Defeat for Microsoft 360
Links for the day
MIT Technology Review is Part-Time SPAMfarm of Billionaires and Mega-Corporations
Does MIT operate its own "b2b" SPAMfarm?
Open Source Initiative Executive Director Leaves, Replacement Sought by Monopolists, Not the Community or OSI Members
Serves to show who runs this show...
Links 11/10/2025: China-US Tensions Grow Again, "Hey Hi" More Widely Recognised as Bubble Made of Capital That Doesn't Exist
Links for the day
Now Confirmed in Western Media: Microsoft Azure Layoffs This Month
Affirmed by more sources moments ago
Peter O'Callaghan QC represented grandparents, Westernport Hotel, at Liquor Royal Commission
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Either The Register MS Divests From FOSS Coverage or Liam Proven is on Long Holiday
Publishers perish when their audience loses trust in them
Microsoft Cancelling Another Datacentre is a Sign of Financial Trouble and Lack of Growth
The debt continues to grow
Gemini Links 11/10/2025: An Evening at the Fair and Fast Fourier Friday
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, October 10, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, October 10, 2025