Comments on: Vista new user experience not for the faint of heart http://www.salas.com/2008/04/21/vista-new-user-experience-not-for-the-faint-of-heart-2/ Some stuff I just figured out Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:53:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Jered http://www.salas.com/2008/04/21/vista-new-user-experience-not-for-the-faint-of-heart-2/#comment-29299 Jered Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:03:52 +0000 http://www.salas.com/?p=2037#comment-29299 Oh; the reason for a lot of the desktop crap is because HP gets a few dollars from AOL, eBay, Vonage, etc for each machine that ships with the icons on the desktop. This allows them to sell you the machine for a few dollars less. Sony recently started offering a "fresh start" install as an option -- they initially made it a $50 add-on option. After the backlash to that it's now free, but that's probably a good estimate of how much you save in exchange for the shovelware. Oh; the reason for a lot of the desktop crap is because HP gets a few dollars from AOL, eBay, Vonage, etc for each machine that ships with the icons on the desktop. This allows them to sell you the machine for a few dollars less. Sony recently started offering a “fresh start” install as an option — they initially made it a $50 add-on option. After the backlash to that it’s now free, but that’s probably a good estimate of how much you save in exchange for the shovelware.

]]> By: Jered http://www.salas.com/2008/04/21/vista-new-user-experience-not-for-the-faint-of-heart-2/#comment-29297 Jered Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:01:37 +0000 http://www.salas.com/?p=2037#comment-29297 This is just one of the reasons why I will only support family members using Macs -- simpler new user experience, fewer ways for them to fundamentally break things, far fewer malware instances, and better built-in remote-support tools. (When Windows ships from the factor with sshd and VNC, I'll reconsider that last one.) I agree with you that at a 60,000 foot level they're roughly equivalent, but the close-up view matters. Every time I help a Windows user in our office, it's an experience like when you have a small pebble stuck in your shoe. It doesn't prevent you from walking, but it's distracting and annoying. This is just one of the reasons why I will only support family members using Macs — simpler new user experience, fewer ways for them to fundamentally break things, far fewer malware instances, and better built-in remote-support tools. (When Windows ships from the factor with sshd and VNC, I’ll reconsider that last one.)

I agree with you that at a 60,000 foot level they’re roughly equivalent, but the close-up view matters. Every time I help a Windows user in our office, it’s an experience like when you have a small pebble stuck in your shoe. It doesn’t prevent you from walking, but it’s distracting and annoying.

]]> By: Andrew http://www.salas.com/2008/04/21/vista-new-user-experience-not-for-the-faint-of-heart-2/#comment-29296 Andrew Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:51:34 +0000 http://www.salas.com/?p=2037#comment-29296 It's all an outgrowth of the "PC Magazine effect," which convinced people that more was better, feature wise. It didn't matter how easy something was to use -- did it support 200 obscure file formats? Were there 500 options for doing something, or only a mere 450? (Transitions in video-editing software is a great example; you only need two or three, but software makers tout the dozens they offer.) So HP and others have loaded all sorts of crap to make it look like it's offering a lot. Oh, and not to mention the money it's getting from those companies to feature their products on the initial desktop. That's why, if you search for pirated versions of Windows operating systems, you'll find "streamlined" or "performance" versions are incredibly popular. People take the time to strip out the junk (how many desktop backgrounds do you really need?) and deliver a much more usable OS. It’s all an outgrowth of the “PC Magazine effect,” which convinced people that more was better, feature wise.

It didn’t matter how easy something was to use — did it support 200 obscure file formats? Were there 500 options for doing something, or only a mere 450? (Transitions in video-editing software is a great example; you only need two or three, but software makers tout the dozens they offer.)

So HP and others have loaded all sorts of crap to make it look like it’s offering a lot. Oh, and not to mention the money it’s getting from those companies to feature their products on the initial desktop.

That’s why, if you search for pirated versions of Windows operating systems, you’ll find “streamlined” or “performance” versions are incredibly popular. People take the time to strip out the junk (how many desktop backgrounds do you really need?) and deliver a much more usable OS.

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