Windows Vista versus XP - Microsoft's Ballmer bitсh slaps Vista

[DNP]

Microsoft's Ballmer bitсh slaps Vista

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has admitted that Windows Vista is an incomplete product, even though the operating system has been on the market for more than a year.

Speaking at the firm's annual Most Valuable Professionals event in Seattle yesterday, Big Steve told the gathered crowd that the unloved OS was "a work in progress". According to reports, he also promised that Microsoft would learn from the mistakes it has made with Vista.

"It's a very important piece of work. We did a lot of things right and have a lot of things we need to learn from," said Ballmer. "Certainly, you never want to let five years go between releases."

He acknowledged that "Vista is bigger than XP", but he wasn't referring to the popularity of the product. Instead, he was pinpointing one of the major issues many customers saddled with the product have complained about: performance.

"We have to make sure it doesn't get bigger still and that the performance and the battery and the compatibility we're driving on the things that we need to drive hard to improve."

Yesterday's admission will be seen by many as poorly timed, coming just weeks after service pack one (SP1) for Vista arrived – well, at least for some customers – in a manual form.

In mid-March Microsoft issued a staggering number of reasons as to why plenty of people would not be able to get their mitts on the service pack. Issues included a number of security products that won't start up or run on updated desktops thanks to "compatibility problems".

Earlier this week Microsoft spat out Vista SP1 in the remaining 31 languages. Those versions arrived a full month after the service pack first landed for a select few across the globe.

Meanwhile, the automatic version of the download remains missing in action. Redmond had chalked mid-April as the date when SP1 would start downloading onto computers across the world. But it's reluctantly stepped away from that deadline because it "wants to ensure customers have the best possible experience".

Ballmer also accepted yesterday that customers are incredibly reluctant to shake off XP in favour of adopting its unruly little brother, Vista.

"We have a lot of customers that are choosing to stay with Windows XP, and as long as those are both important options, we will be sensitive, and we will listen, and we will hear that.

"I got a piece of mail from a customer the other day that talked about not being able to get XP anymore, and we responded: XP is still available. And I know we're going to continue to get feedback from people on how long XP should be available. We've got some opinions on that."

Windows XP was given something of a reprieve earlier this month for bargain basement PCs not equipped to run the memory-chugging Vista OS. ®

 

[DomainMagnate]

Never tried Vista yet, guess I won't have to now

 

[DN48]

Never tried Vista yet, guess I won't have to now

don't try it if you have less than 1GB of RAM

or you will be very dissapointed

 

[DNP]

You will be dissapointed even with 1GB

 

[DomainMagnate]

My previous experience suggests to wait at least two years after the release to install any new windows versions

 

[zenlogo]

VISTA - IS THIS ALL YOU CALLED ME FOR?

After running Vista for 3 months on my new Dell I am have to wonder what all the ballyhoo was about. I guess I was expecting someting more intuitive and 'applesque'. I have to scratch my head at some of the 'features'. I actually prefer XP's interface for navigation. I do miss some programs that just don't work on it. Most of all I miss good 'ol XP. Then there are the totally unexplainable bugs that crop up requiring restarts.

I welcome any sort of improvement they can come up with and I will be glad to wait patiently for it. No point rushing out another ill-prepared 'patch'. I think the Microsoft boys have had it too good and need a shake-up. On the bright side I can still use I.E.6 and am not forced to use that other disaster: I.E.7.

 

[Theo]

I've been using Vista Ultimate 64bit since last August. While I initially had trouble with some external hardware being recognized (Lacie drives) the problem was later solved and Vista has proven to be a very stable environment for me. If XP works for you, then keep using it, however XP support (updates, patches etc) ends very soon. If you're purchasing a new system your options are limited to Vista. Building your own box ensures compatibility and choice of hardware. I use 4 Gb of RAM on an ASUS P5K Deluxe motherboard, Pentium Core 2 CPU (E6850 / 3GHz clocked to 3.75GHz) and an NVidia GeForce 8800 GTS video card. 64bit drivers are very mature nowadays as well.

 

[Ian]

I bought a new PC with Windows Vista installed a few days ago and so far I am happy with it. But I prefer Office 2003 to Office 2007 which is really a waste of my time.

 

[Stian]

Vista is OK after you spend some time tweaking it, but I prefer XP over Vista anyday. If you want the Vista-"look" with XP then you can simply install WindowBlinds or some shell replacement. XP is still faster and more effective to work with IMO.

 

[petrosc]

I bought a new laptop 6 months ago with Vista and had to upgrade from 1GB RAM to 2 GB RAM because it was eating it up. But after increasing my RAM I really can't complain about anything, I love Vista, I have had absolutely no problems and at least from my experience they offer a stable enviroment for my everyday work

 

[katherine]

...Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has admitted that Windows Vista is an incomplete product, even though the operating system has been on the market for more than a year
....

micro$oft software has always been incomplete period :yes:

 

[DNP]

Ballmer: Vista a 'work in progress'


By TODD BISHOPP-I REPORTER

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer called Windows Vista "a work in progress" on Thursday, but he stopped short of committing to extend the life of its predecessor, Windows XP.

"I think we did a lot of things right, and I think we have a lot of things we need to learn from," Ballmer told a crowd of independent technology experts attending the company's Most Valuable Professionals Summit in Seattle.

Ballmer's comments come at a pivotal time in Windows Vista's life, as the company tries to get more businesses and consumers to upgrade. The PC operating system was released in stores in January 2007, and the company last month issued Vista's first big "service pack" update -- a large bundle of fixes and updates meant to address many of the problems experienced in its first year on the market.

In the modern era of regular online updates, most pieces of software are effectively works in progress, even after their release. But Ballmer's use of the phrase is surprising, because to most people it would tend to connote "something unfinished," said Michael Gartenberg, a Jupiter Research analyst.

"It's hard to imagine that a comment like that is the type of thing that is going to instill greater confidence" about Windows Vista in the minds of companies and individual PC users, he said.

Ballmer made the comments as part of a lively and wide-ranging address at the MVP Summit, an annual conference for independent technology gurus who specialize in specific Microsoft product lines. The deep expertise of the MVPs can lead to frank and detailed exchanges with Microsoft representatives.

At the outset, Ballmer called it his "favorite speech every year."
Attendees cheered Ballmer and presented him with articles of clothing as gifts, including a Canadian hockey jersey and a "Simpsons" necktie -- both of which he promptly donned. In a question-and-answer period, they quizzed him on such esoteric topics as the overlap between Microsoft's Sharepoint and Groove collaboration programs.

On the subject of Windows Vista, Ballmer cited the need for further improvements in system performance, compatibility and battery life. He also acknowledged complaints about the operating system's size. Vista takes up more space on a computer than Windows XP does and requires more advanced hardware.

The size issue is an area where "we can't just set the dial back, but I think people wish we could," Ballmer said. "Vista is bigger than XP.
It's going to stay bigger than XP. We have to make sure it doesn't get bigger still."

Microsoft has said it plans to end its retail and PC sales of Windows XP at the end of June except in some specific situations, such as a special category of low-cost computers. Ballmer acknowledged efforts to get Microsoft to change its mind, but gave no clear indication that it would.

"I know we're going to continue to get feedback from people on how long XP should be available," he said. "We've got some opinions on that, we've expressed our views." At the same time, he told the crowd, "I'm always interested in hearing from you on these and other issues."

Ballmer also reiterated that Microsoft won't again take five years to come out with a new operating system, as was the case with Windows Vista. "Can we just sort of kiss that stone and move on?" he said.
"Because it turns out many things become problematic when you have those long release cycles. ... We can't ever let that happen again."

The company has said Windows Vista's successor, known by the internal code name "Windows 7," will be released in 2010.

For some, Ballmer's Vista mea culpa wasn't necessary. "I'm surprised, because I never have any problems," said Andy Dunn, a Microsoft MVP from Kirkland. "Maybe I'm the only guy, but Vista works for me."

One key, he acknowledged, was that he bought a new computer that was well-suited for handing the operating system.

But the MVPs made it clear that they're not blindly loyal to Microsoft's products. At one point, Ballmer asked for a show of hands to see which search engines attendees used by default. The overwhelming favorite was Google, followed by Microsoft's Live Search. But only a few hands went in the air for Yahoo.

"Wow, we offered 31 bucks a share," Ballmer said, somewhat facetiously, referring to the original value of Microsoft's pending offer to acquire Yahoo, the No. 2 player in the U.S. search market.

Microsoft said about 1,800 people came to this year's MVP Summit from countries around the world. They also heard Thursday from Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect.


SEATTLEPI.COM

To read an extended excerpt from Steve Ballmer's comments on Windows Vista, see goto.seattlepi.com/r1362.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/136739.asp


P-I reporter Todd Bishop can be reached at 206-448-8221 or [email protected]. Read his Microsoft blog at blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft.

 

[muris]

Instead of making it simpler they are adding some graphic firework-bullshit and I'm forced to reserve 1GB minimum just for that.

...I forgot it's "64" so now it'll be nice and smooth transition from "32".

Thank you MS.