Anti-Windows Catalog

We've secretly replaced this rant...

Written by Gordon Fecyk, 8/23/2008

SOMEONE SECRETLY REPLACED MY COUNTRY this summer. I went to bed in Canada in June, and woke up in the United States in July.

This is pretty scary for someone raised in the land of Peace, Order and Good Government... ok, for varying values of "good." I don't like privatized health care, privatized auto insurance, religious incursions into daily life, the war in Iraq, or the DMCA. Especially the DMCA.

After all that, it's not as bad as most Canadians make it out to be. Full auto insurance actually costs less and I get excellent coverage, hospitals practice good customer service, and I can tune out the religion along with the rest of it. Now, if I can just establish a new credit history here, I'd be set.

Bear with me, folks. This will lead to commentary on bad design.

MICROSOFT SECRETLY REPLACED a lack of advertising for Windows Vista with -- ta da! -- some actual advertising for Windows Vista. In August, the "Mojave Experiment" campaign challenged the pre-conceived notion -- conceived long before its actual release -- that Vista sucks. This is something I've tried to do since its release, with little success.

The stunt introduced users to "Windows Mojave" and invited them to compare it to Vista, only to show them they were really using Vista. When I finally saw one of the ads this week, the brand "Folgers Crystals" popped into my head. A Google search for "windows vista folgers crystals" tells a bigger story. Unfortunately, it also tells a story of a knee-jerk reaction from the usual mouthpieces. Only C|Net's analysis stood out as favourable among the first page of Google hits.

I imagine this campaign stung the Apple fan boy base, hence the strong backlash. Further, it's affected IT professionals who are not recommending the switch. A typical IT professional's response:

My clients, colleagues, friends, family, and neighbors turn to me first for my advice about computers, and I am steadfast in my assessment of XP as the best and most economical OS to get things done.

This kind of response usually provides no technical reason for sticking with XP. Yes, there are good reasons for sticking with XP, but, "I'm staying with XP, just because," implies a religious belief. It insults the intelligence of IT professionals, and lumps us together with the Apple fan boys and Linux religious fanatics.

AFTER TWO YEARS, at least some of these professionals still ask one important question:

One of the fundamental questions that Microsoft needs to address is this: "Why should I upgrade to Windows Vista?"

I gave a simple answer to that question months ago: Because Microsoft will end mainstream support for XP, and with it, end needed non-security updates. Anyone who recommended Windows 2000 over XP and Vista will remember what happened in March 2007, when Daylight Savings Time updates for Windows 2000 required an extended support contract. This happened, even though Windows 2000 is in Extended Support, just like XP is now. If there was ever a good reason to move to Vista, this would be it.

Maybe this campaign will send a clue to this stubborn IT staff once their bosses start asking questions.

As for why I moved to the United States? That, too, is very simple. Because my wife, Bridget, lives here. And some things are too important to ignore or fight because of religious, or patriotic, beliefs.

Related Links:

• Microsoft looks to 'Mojave' to revive Vista's image -- C|Net News
• Lifecycle Information for Windows Client Products -- Microsoft
• Two can play this game: An Analysis of Apple's Mac Vs. PC Ads -- Associated Content

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