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The following is from:

http://uk.theinquirer.net/?article=39087

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Microsoft admits Vista failure

Actions speak louder than PR


By Charlie Demerjian in Beijing: Saturday 21 April 2007, 12:20

WITH TWO OVERLAPPING events, Microsoft admitted what we have been
saying all along, Vista, aka Windows Me Two (Me II), is a joke that no
one wants.
It did two unprecedented things this week that frankly stunned us.

Dell announced that it would be offering XP again on home PCs. The
second that Vista came out, Microsoft makes it very hard for you to sell
anything other than Me II. It can't do this on the business side because
it would be laughed out the door, but for the walking sheep class, well,
you take what you are shovelled.

This is classic abusive monopoly behavior, Microsoft wrote the modern
book on it. It pulled all the major OEMs in by twisting their arms with
the usual methods, and they again all fell into line. Never before has
anyone backpedalled on this, to do so would earn you the wrath of Microsoft.

But Dell just did. This means that Me II sales are at least as bad as we
think, the software and driver situation is just as miserable, and Dell
had no choice but to buck the trend. If anyone thinks this is an act of
atonement for foisting such a steaming pile on us, think again, it
doesn't care about the consumer.

What happened is the OEMs revolted in the background and forced
Microsoft's hand. This is a big neon sign above Me II saying 'FAILURE'.
Blink blink blink. OK, Me II won't fail, Microsoft has OEMs whipped and
threatened into a corner, it will sell, but you can almost hear the
defectors marching toward Linux. This is a watershed.

The other equally monumental Me II failure? Gates in China launching a
$3 version of bundled Me II. Why is this not altruism? Well, it goes
back to piracy and how it helped enforce the MS monopoly. If you can
easily pirate Windows, Linux has no price advantage, they both cost zero.

With Me II, Microsoft made it very hard to pirate. It is do-able, you
can use the BIOS hack and probably a host of others, but the point is,
it raised the bar enough so lots of people have to buy it. Want to bet
that in a country with $100 average monthly salary, people aren't going
to shell out $299 for Me II Broken Edition?

What did MS do? It dropped the price about 100x or so. I can't say this
is unprecedented, when it made Office 2003 hard to pirate it had to
backpedal with the student edition for about $150. This time though,
things are much more desperate.

If you fit Microsoft's somewhat convoluted definition of poor, it still
wants to lock you in, you might get rich enough to afford the
full-priced stuff someday. It is at a dangerous crossroads, if its
software bumps up the price of a computer by 100 per cent, people might
look to alternatives.

That means no Me II DRM infection lock in, no mass migration to the
newer Office obfuscated and patented file formats, and worse yet, people
might utter the W word. Yes, you guessed it, 'why'. People might ask why
it is sticking with the MS lock in, and at that point, it is in deep
trouble.

So, it did the unthinkable, and dropped the price. I won't bother to
hunt down all the exec quotes saying how people can't afford clean water
would be overjoyed to sell kidneys to upgrade to the new version of
Office, but they are out there. This was a sacred cow, and it is now
hamburger backed up against the wall.

These two actions by Microsoft are proof of what I suggested three years
ago. Microsoft has lost its ability to twist arms, and now it is going
to die. It can't compete on level ground, so is left with backpedalling
and discounts of almost 100 times.

What we are seeing is an unprecedented shift of power. It is also an
unprecedented admission of failure. And the funniest part about the
moves made? They are the wrong things to do. Microsoft is in deep trouble. µ

And what has this to do with 64bit Windows? Why don't you post to the
microsoft.public.windows.vista.general newsgroup along with the other
trolls?

--
Colin Barnhorst
MVP Virtual Machine
"Dakota" <> wrote in message
news:462bb95e$0$24736$...
> The following is from:
>
> http://uk.theinquirer.net/?article=39087
>
> Enjoy
>
>
>
> Microsoft admits Vista failure
>
> Actions speak louder than PR
>
>
> By Charlie Demerjian in Beijing: Saturday 21 April 2007, 12:20
>
> WITH TWO OVERLAPPING events, Microsoft admitted what we have been saying
> all along, Vista, aka Windows Me Two (Me II), is a joke that no one wants.
> It did two unprecedented things this week that frankly stunned us.
>
> Dell announced that it would be offering XP again on home PCs. The second
> that Vista came out, Microsoft makes it very hard for you to sell anything
> other than Me II. It can't do this on the business side because it would
> be laughed out the door, but for the walking sheep class, well, you take
> what you are shovelled.
>
> This is classic abusive monopoly behavior, Microsoft wrote the modern book
> on it. It pulled all the major OEMs in by twisting their arms with the
> usual methods, and they again all fell into line. Never before has anyone
> backpedalled on this, to do so would earn you the wrath of Microsoft.
>
> But Dell just did. This means that Me II sales are at least as bad as we
> think, the software and driver situation is just as miserable, and Dell
> had no choice but to buck the trend. If anyone thinks this is an act of
> atonement for foisting such a steaming pile on us, think again, it doesn't
> care about the consumer.
>
> What happened is the OEMs revolted in the background and forced
> Microsoft's hand. This is a big neon sign above Me II saying 'FAILURE'.
> Blink blink blink. OK, Me II won't fail, Microsoft has OEMs whipped and
> threatened into a corner, it will sell, but you can almost hear the
> defectors marching toward Linux. This is a watershed.
>
> The other equally monumental Me II failure? Gates in China launching a $3
> version of bundled Me II. Why is this not altruism? Well, it goes back to
> piracy and how it helped enforce the MS monopoly. If you can easily pirate
> Windows, Linux has no price advantage, they both cost zero.
>
> With Me II, Microsoft made it very hard to pirate. It is do-able, you can
> use the BIOS hack and probably a host of others, but the point is, it
> raised the bar enough so lots of people have to buy it. Want to bet that
> in a country with $100 average monthly salary, people aren't going to
> shell out $299 for Me II Broken Edition?
>
> What did MS do? It dropped the price about 100x or so. I can't say this is
> unprecedented, when it made Office 2003 hard to pirate it had to backpedal
> with the student edition for about $150. This time though, things are much
> more desperate.
>
> If you fit Microsoft's somewhat convoluted definition of poor, it still
> wants to lock you in, you might get rich enough to afford the full-priced
> stuff someday. It is at a dangerous crossroads, if its software bumps up
> the price of a computer by 100 per cent, people might look to
> alternatives.
>
> That means no Me II DRM infection lock in, no mass migration to the newer
> Office obfuscated and patented file formats, and worse yet, people might
> utter the W word. Yes, you guessed it, 'why'. People might ask why it is
> sticking with the MS lock in, and at that point, it is in deep trouble.
>
> So, it did the unthinkable, and dropped the price. I won't bother to hunt
> down all the exec quotes saying how people can't afford clean water would
> be overjoyed to sell kidneys to upgrade to the new version of Office, but
> they are out there. This was a sacred cow, and it is now hamburger backed
> up against the wall.
>
> These two actions by Microsoft are proof of what I suggested three years
> ago. Microsoft has lost its ability to twist arms, and now it is going to
> die. It can't compete on level ground, so is left with backpedalling and
> discounts of almost 100 times.
>
> What we are seeing is an unprecedented shift of power. It is also an
> unprecedented admission of failure. And the funniest part about the moves
> made? They are the wrong things to do. Microsoft is in deep trouble. µ
>

Dakota <> wrote:

> The following is from:
>
> http://uk.theinquirer.net/?article=39087

Nothing from that source is credible, sorry.

XS11E wrote:
> Dakota <> wrote:
>
>> The following is from:
>>
>> http://uk.theinquirer.net/?article=39087
>
> Nothing from that source is credible, sorry.

Well, it pretty much depends on how informed you are. If you are you'd
see the point, if you're not, well, you need to get informed

Colin Barnhorst wrote:
> And what has this to do with 64bit Windows? Why don't you post to the
> microsoft.public.windows.vista.general newsgroup along with the other
> trolls?
>
Lots. I currently use XP 64 and wanted to switch to Vista 64 Ultimate.
I can still remember the Windows Me flop, so I thought I'd share with
you what I, and others think of Vista.If you don't like it, don't bite.

Oh, one more thing Barns... After using XP 64 for quite some time now, I
come to realize its limited functionality (no 64 bit drivers, much less
64 bit applications), I am merging back to XP 32. Ya think I am still a
troll, bozo?

In a word, yes.

--
Colin Barnhorst
MVP Virtual Machine
"Dakota" <> wrote in message
news:462be045$0$9893$...
> Colin Barnhorst wrote:
>> And what has this to do with 64bit Windows? Why don't you post to the
>> microsoft.public.windows.vista.general newsgroup along with the other
>> trolls?
>>
> Lots. I currently use XP 64 and wanted to switch to Vista 64 Ultimate. I
> can still remember the Windows Me flop, so I thought I'd share with you
> what I, and others think of Vista.If you don't like it, don't bite.
>
> Oh, one more thing Barns... After using XP 64 for quite some time now, I
> come to realize its limited functionality (no 64 bit drivers, much less 64
> bit applications), I am merging back to XP 32. Ya think I am still a
> troll, bozo?

Dakota:
Being informed has nothing to with that article. Dell is looking at
offering Linux also, so the meaning to them offering XP also is that they're
trying to offer anything that will keep the revenue coming in. You indicate
that you've had nothing but problems with x64 and Vista x64, for that I feel
sorry. I haven't had your problems, I've been running x64 for three years,
full time for 2 years since RTM without problems. I've been running Vista
x64 since December without problems. Drivers have been an issue at times but
research and time has cured all driver issues that I've had. If you're
looking to talk down on any operating system that is an easy task. To learn
and build on an operating system can be a rewarding challenge. Have a great
day.

--
Dennis Pack
XP x64, Vista Enterprise x64
Office Prof. Plus 2007
"Dakota" <> wrote in message
news:462bddf9$0$9912$...
> XS11E wrote:
>> Dakota <> wrote:
>>
>>> The following is from:
>>>
>>> http://uk.theinquirer.net/?article=39087
>>
>> Nothing from that source is credible, sorry.
>
> Well, it pretty much depends on how informed you are. If you are you'd see
> the point, if you're not, well, you need to get informed

Dakota <> wrote:

> XS11E wrote:
>> Dakota <> wrote:
>>
>>> The following is from:
>>>
>>> http://uk.theinquirer.net/?article=39087
>>
>> Nothing from that source is credible, sorry.
>
> Well, it pretty much depends on how informed you are. If you are
> you'd see the point, if you're not, well, you need to get informed
>

The Register is a source of FUD, not information. If you'd care to
post an article from a reputable source, rather than one that's been
discredited multiple times, people might be inclined to pay attention
to you.

XS11E <> wrote:

> Dakota <> wrote:
>
>> XS11E wrote:
>>> Dakota <> wrote:
>>>
>>>> The following is from:
>>>>
>>>> http://uk.theinquirer.net/?article=39087
>>>
>>> Nothing from that source is credible, sorry.
>>
>> Well, it pretty much depends on how informed you are. If you are
>> you'd see the point, if you're not, well, you need to get
>> informed
>>
>
> The Register is a source of FUD, not information. If you'd care
> to post an article from a reputable source, rather than one that's
> been discredited multiple times, people might be inclined to pay
> attention to you.

Ooops, the above should have read "The Inquirer and Register, et. al".
Fingers don't move as well as they should these days, sorry.

Home run, Colin


"Colin Barnhorst" <colinbarharst(remove)@msn.com> wrote in message
news:%...
> In a word, yes.
>
> --
> Colin Barnhorst
> MVP Virtual Machine
> "Dakota" <> wrote in message
> news:462be045$0$9893$...
>> Colin Barnhorst wrote:
>>> And what has this to do with 64bit Windows? Why don't you post to the
>>> microsoft.public.windows.vista.general newsgroup along with the other
>>> trolls?
>>>
>> Lots. I currently use XP 64 and wanted to switch to Vista 64 Ultimate. I
>> can still remember the Windows Me flop, so I thought I'd share with you
>> what I, and others think of Vista.If you don't like it, don't bite.
>>
>> Oh, one more thing Barns... After using XP 64 for quite some time now, I
>> come to realize its limited functionality (no 64 bit drivers, much less
>> 64 bit applications), I am merging back to XP 32. Ya think I am still a
>> troll, bozo?
>
>