People Don't Like Microsoft
from the in-case-you-hadn't-noticed dept
Not that this ought to come as a surprise to… well… anyone, but respondents to an Internet Week “Readers Question” pretty clearly say that they’re not happy with Microsoft products and are interested in switching to something better. Now, you always have to wonder about the validity of any sort of online poll, and it’s not a huge surprise that people would say they don’t like Microsoft – many people say that. The thing that I found interesting is the willingness many people expressed in switching to something different. It suggests that there really is a market for alternative products to what Microsoft supplies – at a reasonable price. While many people will come along and say that there are plenty of “viable alternatives” (some of which are free – which certainly seems like the right price) there is still a lot of fear that goes into making the “big switch” off of Microsoft. People are afraid that old documents won’t be accessible or that you won’t be able to communicate properly. If anyone is going to offer a Microsoft alternative that catches on, it’s going to have to address the “big switch” fears.
Comments on “People Don't Like Microsoft”
No Subject Given
In other news, the sun is hot. Film at 11.
Of course no one likes Microsoft products; the very fact doesn’t deserve even this much of a mention. Sadly, there’s nothing else that doesn’t require either a healthy new hardware purchase (Mac) or dealing with Earth’s least likable demographic for “support” when NOTHING works without immense hassle (linux). As a student, I can’t afford a Mac and, while my sanity is worth much less, I still can’t afford to waste my time with linux.
Tell me if you’ve heard this all before.
This has got to be the Internet’s least valuable and least interesting ongoing debate, followed closely by US politics. Sadly, interest and value never stopped the constant discussion of either.
Re: No Subject Given
I know that this story shows up from time to time, but what I thought was most interesting about that article was the fact that, for the first time, people admitted they were actively looking for alternatives. In the past, people seemed to assume there were no alternatives.
That’s noteworthy to me.
Re: Re: No Subject Given
I agree. I’ve been a non-Microsoft user for many, many years, but in the past that always surprised people – they really were not aware they had a choice.
Now, people are interested: “Should I use (Linux, Mac)? “. Unfortunately, most of the time I have to say no, either because they can’t afford it (Mac) or because they are too hopelessly computer challenged to use Linux. Once in a while I get to say, “Yeah, you can and you should”, which is a great feeling.
But there is still tremendous ignorance and misunderstanding. Many, many people think they have to use Microsoft. It’s funny sometimes when people think Microsoft created the internet, or email, or whatever: they have no idea that the rest of us were doing these things back before Microsoft even liked TCP/IP.
Good to see change in that direction. Losing their customers: couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch 🙂
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…because they are too hopelessly computer challenged to use Linux…
It is funny any time I see this. Yes, I consider myself a computer nerd, and am not computer challenged, so my network has mostly Unix boxen. However, running Linux really doesn’t need a technically competent person, at least not now. Yes, there is a lot a person can do behind the scenes, but for those who send email and write documents, Mozilla and OpenOffice work fine, as well as Evolution and half a dozen other products.
My younger brother lives at my house, and he is about as computer challenged as you get (he is a custodian, and spends no time at work on a computer.) Yet, he seems to have no problem using Linux at home to send and receive email or write documents. I have yet to be asked for help from him, it took a few minutes to show him how to use things. He even uses a scanner and digital camera along with gimp to modify pictures. Now Gimp isn’t all that easy to use, but he figured it out with very little experience.
What it shows to me is that given no Windows boxes, even the most challenged computer user can manage to use Linux. The bonus to this is that I don’t have to pay $200 a year for bug fixes (“new Windows releases”,) and I really don’t hate Microsoft much any more (except their lawyers…)
Re: No Subject Given
It’s unfortunate, but true. Linux has had such a wonderful opportunity to for the last 7 years to take the desktop, but they seem so wrapped up in their own geek fights that they fail to see the potential, or at least have done little to take advantage of it. Now that newer versions of Windows are approaching some definition of stability, I have a feeling that particular door is not going to be as easy to open in the future.
As for Apple, I would have bought one or two of their notebooks by now if they were just priced competitively. They clearly seem to have the better offering.
No Subject Given
I think Windows XP Pro is pretty good. I have two licenses, one bought at Costco, another one came with the laptop as OEM. But that’s probably the only product that I think is worth paying for. Office licenses are ridiculous, especially with OpenOffice/StarOffice options out there.
monopoly staying power
One reason most people won’t switch, despite what they may say, is that they’ve been conditioned by the press to believe that there is only one “real” operating system — Windows — and therefore any other system is “broken” to the extent that it differs from Windows. Couple this with many people’s expectation that the computer can (or should be able to) read their minds and figure out what they want to do; the result is they will quickly tire of anything new and unfamiliar.
nearly all software sucks
I loathe Microsoft more than most, but generally speaking, it all sucks. I get sooo tired of spending hours sorting out stuff that should have worked but doesn’t. Why won’t my copy of Quark export pdfs that include text? Why am I greeted by a post script error 20% of the time when I am converting a vector file to raster? Why does OS 9 boot when I download a pdf when acrobat is installed on OS X? Why can’t I just copy my Mac files directly onto the the goddamned W2K server? Why does media player puke on 50% of the avi I attempt to view? Why doesn’t my digital camera work with the USB port on the W2K machine and why is there no notice to use imaging instead of the software that came with the camera?
I use a mix of machines and OSs and all of them are frustration generators. I must spend an hour or more a day making thing that should work in theory work in the real world. My newer boxen (both Mac and PC) are fast enough for nearly everything I do. Go focus on general usability and cross platform/cross application compatiblity for a while.