Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Microsoft

Not A FanBoy, Just Pragmatic

By

On May 7, 2013

In Apple, General Cogitation, Linux, Microsoft, Technology

quillI’ve been trashing Microsoft quite a bit lately (some of it might be behavioral regression from my anti-Microsoft days). I think a lot of it has to do with how much I dislike Windows 8 and how easily people are blindly being lead to its use like sheep to the slaughter. I think Windows 8 is Microsoft’s worst design idea since adding that damn ribbon to the top of all their Office products.

There I go digressing again.

The truth is, I don’t hate everything Microsoft. In fact I love Windows 7. In my opinion its the best version of Windows. I often joke that it took Microsoft 7 versions to finally get it right. I also spend most of my career working in Microsoft technologies and I enjoy it. I’m pretty good with .NET, so clearly I’m not a hater, I just think that not everything Microsoft makes is gold. I like to remain pragmatic.

At home I not only run a machine with Windows 7 but I also have a Mac Mini and I’m currently building a Slackware (Linux) file server. So when it comes to operating systems, I’m not loyal to anyone. (Ask me about peripherals, however and Logitech will be the only one I recommend.) When I’m asked about phones or tablets, it isn’t a matter of which company is better because they all have their skeletons; I often tell people to try out the devices at the store and pick for yourself. If its an iPad, a Galaxy tablet or a Kindle Fire, it doesn’t matter to me, as long as it meets your needs.

The application of technology to your life shouldn’t be about what the latest gizmo or widget that Company X has created (and marketed with unnecessary gusto and fanfare). The decision to apply technology should be based on if it properly meets your need and if it has the potential for some longevity. The last thing you want to do is buy a device (like a Windows phone that will be obsolete in April 2014, per Microsoft), or implement a technological solution that you will have to replace in a year.

When I’m making a recommendation, to me, its more important to find the right solution that best meets the needs of the consumer or client. I won’t recommend something just because its the latest buzz by Microsoft or Google. It has to be the best option, above all other potential solutions because that’s what the customer ultimately wants.

/cheers

Alas, Poor Microsoft

By

On April 15, 2013

In General Cogitation, Microsoft, Technology

windows-crackI was reading this article over on ZDNet and, while its a pretty scathing article about Windows 8, the author does make a couple of valid points. It isn’t a secret that I am not the biggest fan of Windows 8. I do run a Windows box at home and I’m quite content with Windows 7. I also have a Mac and a Linux box so my allegiance belongs to nobody.

At any rate, here is the biggest point the author makes, which I believe is the reason Windows 8 is a total flop: “This isn’t a matter of judging a book by its cover; the user interface (UI) is everything for computer users. If the UI alienates users, you lose them. It’s as simple as that.” This is exactly what has happened to Microsoft with Windows 8. The “tiled” desktop is the cause of the out of control, downward spiral of the Windows 8 OS. I said that would be its downfall since the first time I tried it out. You can’t make a dramatic change to the UI and just expect the users to be OK with that. It’s as if Microsoft forgot what their target market was.

Perhaps Microsoft was trying to create some kind of cohesion between their tablets and the desktop, and I get that. However, you can’t take a tablet interface and slap it on a desktop and expect the experience to remain the same. These allegations that not enough touch-capable PCs exist is laughable. It shows that not only is Microsoft out of touch with its users, they are also out of touch with the industry. You have to coordinate a paradigm shift between hardware and software, you can’t brute force such a change.

I feel like Microsoft has become the proverbial unyielding, crotchety old man in the corner talking about how things use to be in the old days. Microsoft’s whole business strategy is archaic. If they want to survive in today’s constantly evolving technology they need to adopt a more collaborative strategy and focus less on brute force. They’re not the top dog anymore.

/cheers

Biggs On: Death of MSN Messenger

By

On February 21, 2013

In Biggs On, Microsoft, Technology

windows-crackMicrosoft, in their infinite wisdom, announced recently that by the end of tax season their legacy instant messenger system, MSN Messenger (now called Windows Live), will be shutdown permanently. Anyone with a Windows Live/MSN Messenger account will be automatically converted to a Skype account (and anyone with both, the accounts will be merged). The impending doom date is April 15th (originally set for early March).

In part, I’m not terribly surprised. Microsoft loves to force their products down everyone’s throats. I don’t have a Skype account, I’ve never been a big fan of it even before M$ bought it. I always found FaceTime to be a better product. The problem is, I don’t use the MSN client, I use a third party client that allows me to connect to multiple messenger clients. So far there are no indications that M$ will make Skype compatible with third party client apps. If this is the case then I will have to give up using that account. I have no need to use more than one client and instead of being forced to use their “crap-tastic” bastardization of an already inferior product, I’d rather just stop using it.

We are still a little more then six weeks away from the change so hopefully someone in their marketing department grows a brain and realizes they could be ostracizing a potentially large portion of their user base.

/cheers

Biggs On: More Microsoft Shennanigans

By

On April 1, 2011

In Apple, Microsoft, Technology

It’s really sad to see a grown monopoly pout. Microsoft has lost their innovative edge on the industry, they are grappling to keep up with all the new kids. The unfortunate thing about Microsoft is when someone beats them to the punch, they don’t take the high road and try to take the next innovative step, instead they sue you.

Microsoft hasn’t come up with something truly innovative in years; Apple, Google, even Barnes and Noble have been leading the industry with their innovative gadgets and tools. So instead of trying to think for themselves Microsoft decides they deserve a piece of everyone’s pie which can only be acquired with a lawsuit. Microsoft’s new paradigm is “if you can’t beat em, sue em!” First they start with Barnes and Noble who is being sued by Microsoft for patents violated with their nook e-reader. Barnes and Noble laid a golden egg with their nook (and the new nook Color) and since Microsoft didn’t make a successful e-reader they want a piece of the nook’s success – an e-reader from Microsoft probably would have sucked anyway! The part that disgusts me the most is that Microsoft will probably win their lawsuit, after all it worked with the iPod and now Microsoft receives a small royalty for every iPod sold.

The best is yet to come. Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against Google in the EU for anticompetitive search technology. It’s laughable that Microsoft is actually filing an antitrust suit and we all know they will win because the only thing Microsoft is good at anymore is antitrust law.

Microsoft should change their name to Dewey, Cheatum & Howe.

Its frustrating to be an IT professional, developing software using .Net when the manufacturer of your tools and technology is an embarrassment. When will we stop playing such petty games and get some real work done?

In closing, to add additional emphasis to the tone of my previous post, this post was completely written and published using the iPad 2! 🙂

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