“In early January, we posted a review of Vista, Microsoft’s new operating system. Written by senior editor Erika Jonietz, the piece first appeared in the January/February 2007 issue of our magazine. In the piece, Jonietz described her disappointment with the company’s new software–and confessed to having crossed that clearest of lines in the cultural sand: she went from being a Windows user to being a Mac user,” the editors of Technology Review report.
MacDailyNews Note: We covered Jonietz’s article here: Windows Vista disappointment drives longtime ‘Microsoft apologist’ to Apple’s Mac OS X – January 17, 2007
“The piece is the most widely read story we have ever posted on our site; it continues to be viewed by thousands of people every day. Clearly, it struck a chord with a lot of our readers. In response to that reception, we’re encouraging readers to share their thoughts with one another about the look and feel of Vista and Mac’s OS X,” Technology Review reports. “To help get a discussion started, we’ve asked our former Web editor Brad King to write a pro-Microsoft response to Erika’s review.”
MacDailyNews Note: Yes, the same Brad King we dismantled yesterday: Technology Review editor gets a lot wrong in his article about Apple CEO Jobs’ push to end DRM
Brad King writes, “After five years and $1 billion, Microsoft’s Vista operating system is here. Gates and his lieutenants hailed the release of the O/S as a world-changing event, hoping that everyone from the hardened reviewer to members of the general public would fall all over themselves with praise for the feature-rich, aesthetically pleasing, and user-friendly package.”
“That hasn’t exactly been the case,” King writes. “Most reviewers have treated Vista with, at best, a shrug; at worst, Microsoft and Gates have been skewered for creating a bulky, resource-hogging Apple knockoff.”
King writes, “Jonietz and the countless reviewers who warned users not to purchase any of the early versions of Vista are absolutely correct. Microsoft’s early software iterations are always glitchy… The company’s software–and Microsoft is a software company that exists in a hardware-agnostic world–must be developed in such a way that it can conform to the needs of all of its hardware partners. It must power hundreds of millions of computers around the world, some for personal use, some for networking and data security, some for servers, some for gaming, and some for digital entertainment.”
King writes, “The only way to create a product that can serve so many purposes is to build it ‘broken.’ In that imperfection–or, rather, incompleteness–there is room for customizing, tweaking, cajoling, and hacking, all of which ultimately make for a more personalized computing experience.”
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s “unbroken” Mac OS X allows for no less customizing for a more personalized computing experience than Windows. Windows does, however, own the “hacking” market. 
King continues, “…Apple sets the standard very high for operating systems. It would be pointless to argue that Microsoft does a better job at developing user-friendly interfaces and plug-and-play software. Clearly, this is Apple’s forte: Microsoft cherry-picks its design cues from Apple. Add to that fact Apple’s total control of the hardware and software environment upon which its software runs, and there is no way that Microsoft can compete against Apple in the development of an operating system that is truly integrated with its hardware.”
King writes, “But then we’re faced with this dilemma: if Apple’s product is truly superior to Microsoft’s, why do so many people still use inherently flawed software? There are several answers, none of which offers a complete view: Windows is such a part of people’s lives that they are unwilling to change systems; PCs are cheaper than Apple computers; computer games are designed for the PC; and IT professionals who oversee corporate networks are trained in the Microsoft environment.”
MacDailyNews Take: To clarify and add to King’s answers as to why people still use the inherently flawed Windows: Stockholm Syndrome and/or Cognitive Dissonance and/or ignorance.
King continues, “Countless Apple-lytes can explain to me how their computer’s environment [can be] optimized to [to make Macs work the way they want]. But that misses the point: computer code is meant to be broken because from that unjoined code comes personalization that no company can give me. And Microsoft understands better than Apple that broken is better than perfection.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This King guy is some piece of work. Enderlean, in fact. Microsoft’s “broken, incomplete, imperfect, glitchy, bulky, resource-hogging Apple knockoff” Windows Vista is a better option than Apple’s superior Mac OS X which sets a very high standard with which Microsoft cannot compete because Vista allows for a “more personalized computing experience” when it actually doesn’t? In which bizarro universe does that make any sense whatsoever? We hope that the editors of Technology Review had a good laugh before they published King’s “pro-Microsoft response.”
Related articles:
Windows sufferer spends six hours trying to ‘upgrade’ to Vista, says: ‘I should’ve bought a Mac’ – February 07, 2007
Windows Vista woes push BBC News editor to regret never having ‘defected’ to Apple Mac – February 06, 2007
Bill Gates unhinged with Apple envy; Microsoft on path to become high profile casualty – February 06, 2007
Apple takes dead aim at Microsoft’s Windows Vista in latest ‘Get a Mac’ ad (with video) – February 06, 2007
Digit: Don’t buy Vista; Microsoft may be driving millions to stick with XP or move to Apple Mac – February 05, 2007
Bill Gates has lost his mind: calls Apple liars, copiers; slams Mac OS X security vs. Windows – February 02, 2007
TIME Magazine: Microsoft’s Windows Vista ‘an embarassment to the good name of American innovation’ – February 02, 2007
Microsoft’s Windows Vista: Five years for a chrome-plated turd – January 30, 2007
Those unfamiliar with Apple’s Mac OS X may be impressed with Windows Vista – January 29, 2007
Digit: ‘Microsoft’s Windows Vista may be the best reason yet to buy an Apple Mac’ – January 29, 2007
Pioneer Press: Windows Vista shows ‘Apple is an innovation engine; Microsoft, not so much’ – January 29, 2007
Windows Vista disappoints, so get a Mac – January 29, 2007
Microsoft emails reveal serious Mac OS X Tiger envy – January 26, 2007
Analyst: Microsoft’s Windows Vista could be an opportunity for Apple – January 26, 2007
CNET Reviews Windows Vista: Is that all? Clunky and not very intuitive vs. Mac OS X; warmed-over XP – January 24, 2007
Mossberg: Microsoft’s Windows Vista offers lesser imitations of Apple’s Mac OS X features – January 18, 2007
Windows Vista disappointment drives longtime ‘Microsoft apologist’ to Apple’s Mac OS X – January 17, 2007
InformationWeek Review: Apple’s Mac OS X shines in comparison with Microsoft’s Windows Vista – January 06, 2007
NY Times’ Pogue reviews Microsoft’s Windows Vista: ‘Looks, Locks, Lacks’ – December 14, 2006
Unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista, Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard will create no new jobs – December 12, 2006
15-year Windows vet tries Apple Mac: ‘My God! This is amazing!’ – December 04, 2006
Dave Winer: ‘Microsoft isn’t an innovator, and never was – they are always playing catch-up’ – December 01, 2006
Harvard Medical School CIO picks Mac OS X over Linux and Windows – November 30, 2006
Apple Macs can run more software than Windows PCs – October 30, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Vista is basically Microsoft’s version of Mac OS 9.3 – October 11, 2006
Top Windows developer dumps Microsoft’s ‘pile of crap’ for Apple’s Mac OS X – September 12, 2006
$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard is 64-bit done right, unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista kludge – August 14, 2006
Microsoft Windows Vista: If you can’t innovate… try to impersonate Apple’s Mac OS X – August 10, 2006
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
Microsoft botches another copy job: Windows Vista Flip3D vs. Apple Mac OS X Exposé – June 26, 2006
Windows Vista rips-off Mac OS X at great hardware cost (and Apple gains in the end) – June 13, 2006
Computerworld: Microsoft Windows Vista a distant second-best to Apple Mac OS X – June 02, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness – December 20, 2003
“Enderlean”…love it!
To them it’s simple: a Ford Escort is better than a BMW because they THINK that you can fix the Ford with hardware store parts.
It’s not true, but they think it.
What the….?
There are more stupid people than I thought.
Wow, anyone who believes “broken” software is the way to nirvana needs to be put in a straitjacket and locked away without a key.
$1 billion operating system? Ballmer himself said he has no idea how much it cost, but most estimates are in the $10 billion plus range and for what? yes, a P.O.S.
Ahhh, and I always thought ‘PC’ stood for Personal Computer, now – thanks to Mr King – I realise my mistake. It stands for Broken Computer. I think I’ll stick with my MAC (My Arse-kicking Computer).
I’m sure few will see how this is Pro-Microsoft! Anyone normal person reading this would immediately get a Mac. Is this is the best they can do for a Pro-MS position, the Windows world has definitely, finally come to a new understanding of where computer excellence is found:
…with the Mac.
So his conclusion is that you should use Windows because Microsoft creates such crappy broken software that it actually ends up being good because it has so many holes in it?!? WTF kind of argument is that?
An anonymous reader writes
“Mac users wanting to run Vista on their Macintosh will have to buy an expensive version of Vista if they want to legally install it on their systems. The end-user license agreement for the cheaper versions of Vista (Home Basic and Home Premium) explicitly forbids the use of those versions on virtual machines (ie Macs pretending to be PCs).”
“….computer code is meant to be broken because from that unjoined code comes personalization that no company can give me”.
Sure, along with 114,000 known virus’, spyware and malware – you’re welcome to it!
It is a poor imitation of Mac OS X.
What do you expect..
King makes a good point. People should buy Vista because it’s broken, and therefore much better!
I think the editors think he is brilliant if he still works for them.
Idiots.
Magic word: horse…as in Brad King is full of Horsesh*t!
Another case of too much recreatioinal Zuning.
This is King’s brain. This is King’s brain on Zune.
Here we go again.
Eric Willard = moron
Bill Gates = moron
MS Programmers = possibly great programmers, but no concept of human-computer interaction at all, thus rendering them useless, despite their knowledge
the Ford Taurus was the “best selling car” in America for several consecutive years in the mid-90’s, but that included very large fleet sales. that put the otherwise very popular cars like Camry and Accord at a disadvantage for this “title” (though they eventually won)
kinda like how PC market share is so big because corporations buy (and replace) so many each year. but given the choice, which computer would individual consumers buy today? I think the share would be higher than the approx ~5% would indicate…
“must be developed in such a way that it can conform to the needs of all of its hardware partners”
Apple make a seamless OS across entirely different chip-sets. How is this less difficult than programming for ATI/NVidia or Intel/AMD? I would say it is much harder, yet I cannot tell an iMac G5 from an iMac Intel when using the OS (apart from speed and lack of Classic). And neither of them crash.
I used to think that when Mac users insulted PCs by calling them ‘POS’ they were denoting them as only useful as ‘Point-of-Sale’ devices. Now I know differently. You would never use something so unreliable as a Windows PC on so important a task!
Brad is just finding that it’s becoming harder and harder to be a Microsoft shill.
“Gates and his lieutenants hailed the release of the O/S as a world-changing event”
Oh, my God! Thanks for the great laugh!
Whooooh, I needed that!
“It must power hundreds of millions of computers around the world, some for personal use, some for networking and data security, some for servers”
Heaven help us. Winblows is “protecting” our data.
“computer code is meant to be broken because from that unjoined code comes personalization that no company can give me. And Microsoft understands better than Apple that broken is better than perfection.”
Uhhhhh, OK. Is this guy for real? Are we supposed to believe this or laugh at it?
“Countless Apple-lytes can explain to me how their computer’s environment [can be] optimized to [to make Macs work the way they want]. But that misses the point: computer code is meant to be broken because from that unjoined code comes personalization that no company can give me. And Microsoft understands better than Apple that broken is better than perfection.”
That is officially the stupidest thing I have ever read. And I’ve even read some of Dianetics.
Way to go, King.
-c
Talk about having to work hard to produce a pro-Vista piece!
I prefer my unbroken software code to keep working, not crash, and keep viruses and malware off of my Mac.
Vista Personalization – so personalized, you won’t (can’t) leave your computer for 6 hours while you install it.
That has to be the most asinine comment I have ever heard a commentator make – right up there with the football commentator who said, “He is not very fast, but he is deceptively quick”. Right!
Its not a bug, its a feature.
That explains Windows; its designed to be broken – that’s one of the features. Its all so clear to me now.
But I still don’t want a broken OS.
MDN word: trouble
I think Microsoft is in trouble.