Vista released: PC sales drop? Dealers blamed!

[MicroFox]

http://www.****theinter.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1948


Vista released: PC sales drop? Dealers blamed!

Posted by: EViLOPTiC on Saturday, November 18, 2006 - 06:05 PM 33 Reads
"I'm not buying a new PC, not yet," said the angry NewsWireless reader. "I
need a new computer, and I found one online - but it comes with Windows
Vista! I don't want that!"

Sadly, it seem that in their enthusiasm to be seen to be as far up on
Microsoft's beautiful unique marketing as possible, several online PC stores
have been advertising "With Windows Vista!" for their computers.

This is, to put it gently, an exaggeration.

Yes, Vista is available (well, it has been released to manufacture) and yes,
MSDN subscribers are jamming its servers in an attempt to download a copy.
And yes, corporate subscribers are allowed to get early access. But no, you
can't go into a store and buy one, despite what it says on the adverts.

"Consumers," said Robert Epstein, in charge of Vista marketing in the UK,
"won't get it till January 30. That's flat."

What these PC dealers are actually offering, he told NewsWireless, is an
Express Upgrade "which is a disc which will be sent to the purchaser in
February when it is released, with which they can upgrade their PC from
Windows XP to Windows Vista."

Epstein says he really, really wants customers who see adverts which don't
make this clear reported to him. We can help there: report it to
NewsWireless, and we'll pass it on to someone senior, not just a clerk who
will click the counter.

And what if you don't want Vista? Suppose you buy a computer in March next
year, and still aren't impressed?

"We'll be selling Windows XP as a royalty option for at least several months
after Vista ships," Epstein assured us. "I don't know for sure whether that
means for the whole of 2007, but I'll find out."

So you can rush out and buy your new PC, safe in the assurance that you
don't have to learn how to cope with the new Microsoft operating system. If
you know how to change your display wallpaper, you won't have to re-learn.
If you know how to refresh a Web page, that knowledge will stay valuable. If
you've spent hours customising XP so it does what you want, you can carry
on.

And if you run a PC store selling Vista with new PCs, now would be a great
time to go and change the shop window display from "With Vista!" to "Vista
upgrade included in price when available" - or Mr Epstein will be letting
you know of his displeasure.

 

[Alias]

http://www.****theinter.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1948


Vista released: PC sales drop? Dealers blamed!

Posted by: EViLOPTiC on Saturday, November 18, 2006 - 06:05 PM 33 Reads
"I'm not buying a new PC, not yet," said the angry NewsWireless reader. "I
need a new computer, and I found one online - but it comes with Windows
Vista! I don't want that!"

Sadly, it seem that in their enthusiasm to be seen to be as far up on
Microsoft's beautiful unique marketing as possible, several online PC stores
have been advertising "With Windows Vista!" for their computers.

This is, to put it gently, an exaggeration.

Yes, Vista is available (well, it has been released to manufacture) and yes,
MSDN subscribers are jamming its servers in an attempt to download a copy.
And yes, corporate subscribers are allowed to get early access. But no, you
can't go into a store and buy one, despite what it says on the adverts.

"Consumers," said Robert Epstein, in charge of Vista marketing in the UK,
"won't get it till January 30. That's flat."

What these PC dealers are actually offering, he told NewsWireless, is an
Express Upgrade "which is a disc which will be sent to the purchaser in
February when it is released, with which they can upgrade their PC from
Windows XP to Windows Vista."

Epstein says he really, really wants customers who see adverts which don't
make this clear reported to him. We can help there: report it to
NewsWireless, and we'll pass it on to someone senior, not just a clerk who
will click the counter.

And what if you don't want Vista? Suppose you buy a computer in March next
year, and still aren't impressed?

"We'll be selling Windows XP as a royalty option for at least several months
after Vista ships," Epstein assured us. "I don't know for sure whether that
means for the whole of 2007, but I'll find out."

So you can rush out and buy your new PC, safe in the assurance that you
don't have to learn how to cope with the new Microsoft operating system. If
you know how to change your display wallpaper, you won't have to re-learn.
If you know how to refresh a Web page, that knowledge will stay valuable. If
you've spent hours customising XP so it does what you want, you can carry
on.

And if you run a PC store selling Vista with new PCs, now would be a great
time to go and change the shop window display from "With Vista!" to "Vista
upgrade included in price when available" - or Mr Epstein will be letting
you know of his displeasure.

Or a savvy user can buy a computer, set the BIOS to load the CDROM first
and stick Ubuntu in there and wipe Vista off the drive. Or, better yet,
buy a white box with no OS and install Ubuntu without worrying about
viruses, malware, WGA, WPA, IPP and whatever nonsense MS dreams up to
disenfranchise their users.

Alias

 

[MicroFox]

mandrake2007 is 100 times better than ubuntu...

Or a savvy user can buy a computer, set the BIOS to load the CDROM first
and stick Ubuntu in there and wipe Vista off the drive. Or, better yet,
buy a white box with no OS and install Ubuntu without worrying about
viruses, malware, WGA, WPA, IPP and whatever nonsense MS dreams up to
disenfranchise their users.

Alias

 

[Alias]

mandrake2007 is 100 times better than ubuntu...

It's free?

Alias

 

[Mark Rae]

mandrake2007 is 100 times better than ubuntu...

You could always wait for Microsoft SuSE and, er, get the best of both
worlds...

I'll get me coat...

 

[Kerry Brown]

I notice you're not taking your own advice

 

[Quanta]

Or a savvy user can buy a computer, set the BIOS to load the CDROM first
and stick Ubuntu in there and wipe Vista off the drive. Or, better yet,
buy a white box with no OS and install Ubuntu without worrying about
viruses, malware, WGA, WPA, IPP and whatever nonsense MS dreams up to
disenfranchise their users.

Alias

Ubuntu is crap. Why start folklore about a good OS?

 

[Mike Hall - MS MVP Windows Shell/User]

If Mandrake 2007 is 100 times better than Ubuntu, the fact that Microfox is
using OE6 (and XP presumably) to post messages here, suggests that Microfox
considers OE and XP to be better than Mandrake 2007.. not looking good for
Ubuntu at all, is it..

 

[Guess Who]

I'd LOVE to try it, but I have SATA 2 drives, and it will not install.

 

[Alias]

I notice you're not taking your own advice

I'm not in the market for a new computer and I haven't fully
transitioned to Ubuntu yet. I'm not retired with time on my hands. I
have a business to run and I am still using Windows to do it until I
learn the ins and outs of Linux. Next week I have an operation. December
is a very slow time for my business and I'll be able to learn Ubuntu
while I am recuperating.

Alias

 

[Alias]

Ubuntu is crap.

I like it so far.

Why start folklore about a good OS?

What "folklore"?

Alias

 

[Jane C]

Alias, I hope all goes well with the forthcoming operation and a speedy
recovery ensues

 

[Alias]

Alias, I hope all goes well with the forthcoming operation and a speedy
recovery ensues

Thank you.

Alias

 

[MicroFox]

Sorry I ment to say Mandriva 2007

there is mandriva 2007 free ( not a trial its true free software)
See here http://www.mandriva.com/en/download/free

There is also a paid version that has proprietary drivers and software that
cannot go into the free edition and includes some bonusus as support etc.

If you know a bit about installing drivers and software on linux you can
make the free version into the same thing as the paid one... if you need it
that is.

For example the free edition does not include the real player, because
real.com has not
opened up the source code to the public... although they do give it free,
if its not open they cant put it into the free version for legal matters.
But of course you can install it yourself!

 

[MicroFox]

I use a multitude of operating systems and computers and programs.
Most of the time in combination. I love computers, not one particular OS.
I am versitile and have an open mind, and I am ready to
ditch my old ways if I find new information. I suggest you do the same.

I was comparing ubuntu and mandrake (now mandriva). Indeed,
Mandriva is far better in my opinion at this time, because
it has been around for very long and has solved most of the problems,
and is far more user friendly than Ubuntu. This does not mean that
ubuntu will not surpass mandriva... or even windows...
If enough users start working with it, it will get better and better.

I just stated that, because some people who try out linux,
see the rank on distowatch that has ubuntu always as number one,
and do not try out mandriva...

As for Vista, I am seriously thinking about alternatives.... since I do not
aggree with
many things they are trying to do... XP was ok... even though it had this
"activation". But for the OS
(vista) to send in pings with various information to MS at unknown
intervals... is scary!
Big Brother tactics? And how many people will read the Eula and understand
the implications?
If one aggrees to the new vista EULA then this big brother tactic applies...

I dont know about you, but I am a supporter of freedom. Microchips embeded
in the skin, and frequent random information sending is a small step to give
up freedom. In XP the activation was done once.. or even through the phone.
But now on vista.. it will check without you knowing.
Once you start saying this or that is ok, its not a big deal.. well you know
the saying..
you give a hand, they take an arm!

MS logic> There is piracy... ok lets big brother them and because we didnt
make an os for the last 5 years lets make Vista expensive to
make up for the lost time.. and blame piracy for the increasing prices!

No, you dont want piracy? Make vista cheaper than XP, and find other
solutions to make money. The world is abundant and wealth can be obtained
easily
from Microsoft if they innovate. But it seems innovation for them is harder
than being dumb. The best they can do is follow the leader with Zune (ipod)
and
Xbox (PS2). They are trying to compete, not make a new market. Bad
strategy...

I also dont like the UI design of vista, and its performance is slow. In my
opinion it does not have anything to offer more than XP, and I think it will
be rejected
by the masses and will not sell even a fraction of what MS was hoping for.
You will see that I am totally correct.

 

[MicroFox]

Kerry, migration of masses takes some time...

You will see to your surprise in a few years that things have changed.
Unless MS wizens up and changes their tactics...

If they do I will support them 100%
because I do like windows.. but I don't like vista.. although I may be
forced to use it for
customer support. I am trying to like it.. but man it stinks!

It seems to me that things have changed a lot since their efforts to make
XP...
or perhaps their dark side is showing more now?

Vista reminds me of Windows Me. Same low quality....

They still have a chance. They should change, and plan for the next OS,
to be what XP was after Me*. They will lose a lot of money with vista,
but they will survive for 2 more years until a new better os is created.
If the next one is also bad.. you can say bye bye to Microsoft.

* There is a significant difference here. Microsoft was saved by basing XP
on windows 2000 that
was very good. However there is no other product that they can base a better
windows on...
So they will have to get their act together if they want to survive in the
2007- 2012 era.

 

[xfile]

Me*??

I still have two unopened CDs from Dell. 100% new and keep them for memory.

Don't mention Me** or I will skip Vista for the rest of life.

 

[Alias]

Me*??

I still have two unopened CDs from Dell. 100% new and keep them for memory.

Don't mention Me** or I will skip Vista for the rest of life.

NT = Win95
W2K = Win 98
XP = Win 98SE
Vista = Win Me

Alias

 

[Kerry Brown]

I was having a bit of fun

I hope your operation goes well and you have a speedy recovery. You will be
missed here, but hopefully not for long. While I don't always agree with
your point of view I appreciate your integrity.

 

[Kerry Brown]

I agree that the only constant in the computer industry is that things
change. In the past there have been massive changes seemingly almost
overnight. Visicalc was one, Windows 3.1 was another. I disagree with your
views on Vista. I think it is the best OS Microsoft has released yet. The
improved security will vastly improve the Internet, even for people not
running Windows. Only time will prove which of us is right.