“The last thing I wanted to do upon returning from Alaska was rip Windows Vista ‘Ultimate’ a new one. I also don’t want to go through my list of Vista UI nitpicks, as several of them still have not been addressed – and likely never will be. Even after installing RC1, I find myself feeling… disappointed and dejected,” Chris Pirillo blogs.
MacDailyNews Note: Chris Pirillo is the founder of Lockergnome. He spent two years hosting the TechTV (now known as G4) television program Call for Help before parting ways from the company. He also hosted the first annual Call-for-Help-a-Thon on TechTV.
Pirillo writes, “Sadly, the first release candidate for Windows Vista feels more like an alpha to me (or early beta, at best). I’m not talking about performance issues, which will most likely be improved upon before this OS goes gold. No, it’s all about a cohesive user experience / user interface for me. Vista fails on most UI fronts. It doesn’t look or behave similarly across any part of the operating system. Even more sad? That’s by design, folks.”
“Vista is schizophrenic, and that disorder has been further enabled by the range of vigilante software development teams who are providing code to the core without cross-checking with other teams for UI consistency,” Pirillo writes. “If OS X had a decent desktop PIM, I think Vista would push me to switch.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “AWidgetIHaveNot” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: Chris, you’re not switching because of a PIM?! Two words: Stockholm Syndrome.
And, for Jobs sake, will someone please tell us which version of Microsoft Windows wasn’t “disappointing, schizophrenic, disordered, inconsistent, and sad?” Even Paul Thurrott, Windows fanboy extraordinaire, who’s lately been desperately looking for a way, any way, to get his “SuperSite for Windows” visitors excited about this lump of manure about to be excreted by Microsoft describes Windows Vista RC1 user interface examples as “stupid, stupid, stupid” and asks his patchers, “Does Microsoft want Apple to make it look silly again?”
Why the disappointment exactly? If you keep waiting for Microsoft to finally copy the Mac even remotely successfully, you’ll never, ever Get a Mac.
Macintosh. Because life’s too short.
Related articles:
$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
The Age: Switch to Apple Mac; just say no to Microsoft Windows – August 15, 2006
Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard is 64-bit done right, unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista kludge – August 14, 2006
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
PC World writer’s advice for Microsoft: ‘Stop making crap’ – July 27, 2006
Microsoft about to lose the software business just as IBM lost the PC business in ‘80s – July 26, 2006
Microsoft in decline – July 13, 2006
Computerworld: Microsoft Windows Vista a distant second-best to Apple Mac OS X – June 02, 2006
Pirillo critiques Windows Vista with long lists of mistakes – May 30, 2006
What’s the difference between Mac OS X and Vista? Microsoft employees are excited about Mac OS X – March 22, 2006
Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ ultimate goal: ‘to take back the computer business from Microsoft’ – June 16, 2005
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness – December 20, 2003
Get your Outlook info off your PC and onto your Mac – March 05, 2003
Desktop PIM?
Chris, are you looking for a PIM like daylite from MarketCircle?
http://www.marketcircle.com
Time to make that switch Chris.
What he said?
I really don’t understand something…
As a preface, let me just say that I am a Mac fan like the next guy on this site.
But I don’t understand how a huge company like Micro$oft, one of the largest tech. companies out there, can fall from grace as they have.
Don’t they have access to really smart people? Can’t they find some brilliant young techs to clean up their mess?
Look, I’m sure Micro$oft started out on the wrong track to begin with (and that’s why they are in the mess that they are), but is the problem SO bad that they cannot find quality people to clean it up? They certainly have enough money to throw at it, right?
I just see Apple learning from Micro$oft’s mistakes, and turning around and doing “it” right. Which is great for me. But I find it really hard to believe that the people at Micro$oft cannot fix their own problems.
They certainly have the resources to do so. What, does Apple hire all the smart and intuitive people…and Microsoft hire all the B students?
MDN, there was never a version of Windoze that wasn’t “disappointing, schizophrenic, disordered, inconsistent, and sad?”. I think you know that. It’s just that everyone on the Dark side was hoping their 5 years of waiting were not in vain.
Also, what’s wrong with MS Entourage. I run a rather robust business (on Wall Street nonetheless) and Entourage handles the job as good if not better than Outlook.
This guy should just Get A Mac right now.
Hmmm, Address Book, iCal and Mall.app and their seamless integration seem to work fine for me. Synchronize with my Sony Ericsson s710a, .mac etc. I wish for better Outlook integration, but I get that almost to what I need with GroupCal. What exists on Windows PIM that I am not able to get from my Mac? I do not ask that question sarcastically. Seriously, what is missing?
I told ya not to be stupid, ya moron!
Get a Mac.
My understanding of RC in relation to software is that it stands for Release Candidate. Based on the name I would assume that it is supposed to mean that should no further bugs or problems be found in final testing then the product is ready for release without further changes. Now I am of course aware that even apple will no doubt be continually working on stuff to tweak it, optimize it and on so on but I see absolutely no way that Vista (even by Microsoft’s standards) is ready without a lot more work.
By PIM he means Outlook, AKA Entourage for Office X. Why are people so “Stockholmed” by Outlook? Because every other office drone in the world uses this for 90% of all office drone work: email, tasks, appointments, etc. Entourage works just like Outlook. Not sure why he hasn’t switched already.
MDN word: WORK- what I am not doing right now.
The paradigm for people using M$ OS is that it is supposed to be difficult, it is supposed to take a lot of time to update virus software, all these things are the nature of the beast and they have become accustomed to it.
There is no alternative for them because the M$ world as they know it is the only world that exists for them. They are drooling just waiting for the release of Wispa. They will accept it as is, with all the glitches and headaches because they have been told over and over again, for the past 25 years that computers are not easy and this shit just happens!
Many of us on this site have said it before that the average joe out there knows nothing but M$ Windoze. Nothing else, finish, stop.
It will take a lot of publicity and money to change that paradigm.
Good luck because that will be one of the biggest changes in the history of mankind to achieve. It would be easier to go to the Moon by yourself or get a responsible answer on Psychiatry from Tom!
Leo
I think better integration with outlook offices would be a good thing, at least make it easier/more obvious how to set up and run a Mac to work in this invironment…. that being said, this seems to be an obvious solution…
“This isn’t a virtual machine a la Parallels or VMware for Mac, this is the real deal: CodeWeavers released the beta of CrossOver Mac, a WINE environment port to OS X that allows you to run Windows apps without actually running Windows. “
I believe Outlook and the assiated apps all work with CrossOver Mac! =)
Go AAPL!!! Windows is going to burn baby burrrn!!
Apple and Mac OS X will take over the world, woohoo GO AAPL GO!
There was once a time, say ’89 to ’92 when the customer was important to Microsoft.
But since then and all that mattered to it was itself. Too wealthy. Too smug. Too arrogant. Too self centred.
And it’s just too late to change that now. It’s history has been written.
So, look forward to seeing a slow agonising death with Windows fanboy rats up against the wall, spitting venom.
Yaaaahhoooooooooooooo!!!!!
Did everyone catch that great graphic at the top of Thurrott’s page?
Even a blind pig finds a truffle now and then!
PIM- Personal Information Manager. I agree what part of your personal information management would prevent you using a Mac? Lazyness perhaps.
Hmm, I’m not sure what is holding him back either. If he doesn’t like the combo of Apple’s Address Book, iCal and Mail, he could always use Microsoft Entourage 2004. And failing that, there is always Parallels Desktop and Boot Camp available if he has Windows software that he just can’t bring himself to part with. There is really no excuse to not own a Mac anymore, unless you only play games and do nothing else with a PC.
Apple does have a really great PIM – It’s called a Palm
Ok so the company sold it a few years ago – it’s still a really great PIM
So when does Pirillo switch I want to be there to watch?
buy 10,000 apple shares right now at 71.02 and sell it at $72.15 TODAY.
buy 10,000 apple shares right now at 71.02 and sell it at $72.15 TODAY.
I think Microsoft’s fundamental problem is derived from the top decision makers being either über-geeks or sales-vultures. There doesn’t seem to be anyone with authority that truly cares about the end-user and their experience with the software.
With so much time, money and programming talent being seemingly wasted at Microsoft, there must be some tremendous force at the top making seriously bad decisions. Just like the current US administration, you know that some over-riding power of a minute few are imposing their own preferences, however contrary to both popular and logical conclusions, refusing to utilize ANY of their vast available human resources, and imposing their own selfish goals with no regard for the millions of people their decisions affect.
To change things in the American society would require the people to have the collective balls to regain control of their own government, but that is as likely to happen as the corporate-controlled government is to crucify one of their own.
The USA and Microsoft BOTH need to be torn down to their original roots and reconstructed from scratch.
What’s that quote…”Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” …?
As long as we keep using and buying the same software, or using the same electoral/polital party system, we will continue with the same results. Don’t whine unless you are willing to change your OS and your government!
Release Candidate? Nope. Raging Crapstorm. Your umbrellas are useless.
This just in. A sneak peak at Ballmer’s INNOVATIONS! list:
He’s been holed up in his office squatting on a pile of chair shards for months working on this list for the future of technology. Michael Dell got very excited.
Da Vinci…
You are right on the money. My experience with PC drones is that….they don’t KNOW any better. This is the slop they are used to, this is what they expect. Cripes, many have no idea that Office even exists on the Mac. I was treally stunned the other day when someone was surprised to hear that iPod was made by Apple. Given all the print and TV ads, I was too stunned to even comment.
Money….lots and lots of money is needed to overcome this level of ignorance. The TV commercials have to change. I like the current ads from a humor point of view but they are useless. They wiill not be doing much to convert people. Get more serious. Show the damn interface Steve.
I think there must be a reason why the UI us so backward, with everything in the wrong place, and similar options and preferences in totally different places.
Maybe if MS copy OS X too much they will get sued over the UI? So they choose to make it so “schizophrenic”
Yes, Palm.
I have also used NOW UP TO DATE AND CONTACT.
Back in the day, my favorite PIM was Rae for Assist.
It came on my Performa, and was actually more than decent.
One of the first object-oriented.
ical, currently, SUCKS (lack of integration w/ Mail and address book).
Clunky, too. I think the guy has a point. I understand where he’s coming from.