Microsoft goes live with Mojave videos
One of the Mojave participants talks about her Vista experience on the Mojave Experiment Web site, which went live on Tuesday.
(Credit: CNET News)So I told you about Microsoft's Mojave Experiment last week. Now it is your chance to weigh in on just how compelling the footage is.
After a few days with a teaser site, Microsoft has gone live with dozens of videos from its project, in which Vista skeptics were shown a new Microsoft operating system, code-named Mojave. After giving their take (almost all positive), the participants were told that it was actually Vista they were being shown.
In the initial video, Microsoft shows a collection of reactions from participants who were asked about their Vista impressions.
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"I wouldn't touch the thing," one said.
"It's horrible," another says.
"It always crashes," a third says.
Then, they are shown a new version of Windows, code-named Mojave.
"Wow," one said.
"The speed is incredible," another said.
Then, as you know, they are told it's actually Vista and are all surprised.
"It's totally different than what I had heard," one participant said.
The software maker did put up some aggregate statistics, saying that of 140 participants, 94 percent rated Vista higher after seeing it, with none actually reducing their score. The participants' average pre-Mojave rating for Vista was 4.4, with the average rating after seeing Vista as Mojave was 8.5.
Microsoft has put up dozens of the videos, including, to their credit, at least one of a person who remained skeptical. For what it's worth, the Microsoft people I spoke with said they were actually looking for more negative stuff and just didn't have the footage.
Now, as I and others have pointed out, there is a huge difference between seeing what amounts to a short demo of an operating system and actually having to install new software, work with existing devices, and do the kinds of everyday computing tasks we all do. In addition, the videos are edited, so one has to believe Microsoft when it says it wasn't cherry-picking the clips it included.
That said, it seems to me that Microsoft is still better off using voices of people it has convinced, as opposed to its default tactic, which is to try to tell everyone that they are wrong.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.
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The challenge comes when customers have been persuaded that "Vista is not all bad" (after all it's not)... the customers make the leap and encounter the real-world stuff, as above, installing software, problems with cards and peripherals that worked under XP, etc.
The continued popularity of XP, the interest in "downgrades" ... a trend favoring alternatives not so encumbered with broken features... netbooks... these things should be a wakeup call to Microsoft and to those excellent folks preparing Microsoft's messages.
It's nice to be perceived well, but Microsoft needs to execute well, get ahead of the quality situation and not just react to it. Basically, just not let its customers down.
I still remember the the stockphoto model with the testimonial of switching from mac to windows, the so-called 'user experience' came from a PR rep working for a company retained by Microsoft.
I rather believe people that actually use it than people that were able to attend a demo given my MS themselves. If MS can't convince these people by let them try it themselves shows how bad MS thinks Vista is to be.
Can be used for demo but not used by real people.
They did:
We used an HP Pavilion DV2500. It had 2GB of RAM and was running an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T7500 @ 2.20GHz. The OS was a 32 bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate.
Oh and on the website is said no one gave it a lower ranking, so don't know where Fried got that info.
This is what MSFT has to overcome. I wish 'em luck, because Vista as it is now won't let them.
So, perception definitely is one of the issues because people seldom hear from the folks that are running it well. Point is, Microsoft needs to push Intel to get their graphics chips up to spec such that Aero works right.
Assuming that you are correct and that the video drivers are the cause of the problems, what is the user expected to do about it to resolve the issue? You may be entirely correct that the problem is Intel rather than Microsoft's fault, but for the end-user nothing is going to change unless either Intel releases better drivers or they replace their computer with one that is more "Vista Ready". It's going to be hard not to knock Vista if it doesn't perform on a computer that it should do. The customer certainly shouldn't have to worry about drivers and the blame game doesn't help.
@ sanenazok
Let's hope your theory is the correct one.
This 'experiment' seems to be very tightly controlled. A lot of talk about Vista to set up the punch line. What would the experiment have been like if they had shown the interviewees OS X, Vista, and Ubuntu Linux?
The average person?
OS X: what do you mean (insert favorite software here) isn't compatible?
Vista: well, we know what they said
Ubuntu: How the hell do I.... (insert anything here)
XP: Oh ya, I remember this from the past 8 years.
Hey, I love Linux, but it's not for joe six-pack and sally soccer-mom.
And that's another thing; as soon as I'm looking at an edited video, I make assumptions about what has been cut out. Why? Because I'm a video editor, and I know what kind of decisions I would make to make a product that the client is happy with.
Even if there are no cuts, the camera operator is still making edit decisions with the record button.
Basically my point is, that the "live testimonials from actual people" approach doesn't work for me, and I'm more than happy to discuss at length why and try to convince you, but I'll spare you.
. Average joe, just web surfs, types papers and checks email, they don't want or need(probably wouldn't want to handle complicaitions.)
I'm not whatcha' call an average computer user. I built first desktop when it was more affordable to do that opossed to buying a canned machine. I don't want or need complciaitions either. Vista looks pretty, but unless the machine it's in has the higher RAM, NAVIA VId card and race horse processor to accomidate it, it'll only chock in other older machines. I haven't found out what it's barest requirments are. If those cna be found and taikor a version to work at that starting point it'll be more palletable. maybe.:-0
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I think the problem is Vista 'needs' too much to work with it's curent encarnation. Have differant 'flavors" of the OS to suit various pc systems. Start there. Talior to those types of PCs .
Have a program that'll inspect the machine's system and help the user to tailor a Vista version(which would be there) to work to it's full potential on that machine without sacrificing quality or the machine's lifespan.:-)
Let wait till this people buy a Vista machine and start using it for just 1 week. I've been a Vista user since October and it really sucks. I haven't downgraded 'cause I like the challenge, but this time it's gonna take until Service Pack 3, for this thing to really work.
BTW, it even has some spelling mistakes (in Spanish) when it goes into Hibernation. Whose gonna believe that they delved into the good stuff if they can't correct the easy ones.
As to the Mac and Linux folks, you can be a child and dismiss every word they say because they're just "fanboys", but the fact is that most Mac and Linux users are dual citizens. They might choose Mac or Linux for home, or use it part-time at work, but if there is a Mac or Linux user out there who does not have sufficient working experience with Windows XP to be able to competently discuss Windows XP, then I'd be really surprised. Probably less so with Vista, but honestly, I just don't see all the anti-Vista comments from Mac and Linux users that you're referring to. There are some, but a minority. The rest are from XP and Vista users.
*The previous thread:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-9998336-56.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
Kinda like most of the bashers of Macs. They've never user OS X yet because it's an Apple product they diss it.
Omg did something just give SPECIFICATIONS to their system? And two of those are XP machines *gasp*
How ironic is it that Microsoft's Vista web campaign takes forever to load on a PC running Windows XP and IE 6?
The reason for this is that IE7 is a baby step towards open standards (not a big enough step, but a step nonetheless), and therefore it caused a lot of compatibility issues with certain MS and third party enterprise apps that were tied up in Microsoft's proprietary IE6 web standards. So some companies are holding the line at IE6 to avoid problems.
I'm sure MS will say that is because "Te servers are overloaded" or something because this ad campaign is so popular.
I'm not an MS basher, and I don't use Vista. Still very ok with XP Pro SP2. But this non working flash site just ads to al the bad things I've already heard.
You need to see what the experience is like to install non-native Vista apps, install drivers, etc. then a TRUE rating can be given.
I am not a Vista hater- its an OK system. But what makes me irked is, I WANT to like it but cant. The big features we waited for in Vista? IE7, WMP11, Instant Search, Media Center, Photo Gallery, Live Mail are NON exclusive to Vista. IE and WMP are widely available on XP. Instant Search and Media Center functionality can be installed through other apps or through MCE + Microsoft Live Desktop.
Give me features that are only available on Vista, a reason to go "Premium" besides an interface that only has translucent EDGES of windows and a version of DX I could care less about then we might be able to talk about how you can part me from a couple hundred bucks. Until then, it's merely "OK".
http://www.stardock.com/ They have been letting windows do this for years before Vista, so now you have no reason to "upgrade"
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by cary1
July 29, 2008 10:39 AM PDT
- "What would the experiment have been like if they had shown the interviewees OS X, Vista, and Ubuntu Linux?"
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by tdreher
July 29, 2008 10:44 AM PDT
- What Blows about Ubuntu? The price, the speed, or the reliability?
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by brickman5721
July 30, 2008 10:59 AM PDT
- Just curious, would you care to elaborate on why Ubuntu "blows"? Was it not free enough for you? Do you have an El Cheapo Dell with the world's worst possible components? Did you honestly think you could install your WINDOWS apps on it? I don't particularly like when people make broad, overgeneralized statements about something as complicated as an OS. I run Vista next to Ubuntu on my laptop and I will be the first to admit that there's things you can't do in Ubuntu that you can do in Vista. But I still spend the vast majority of my time in Ubuntu when it is feasible to do so. Why? Because I personally find it more enjoyable to work with and I firmly believe that given the chance, others would too. Statements like "Vista blows" or "Ubuntu blows" don't help anyone.
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See all 100 Comments >>I don't know about OS X, but Ubuntu blows. I used it for 8 months on my home desktop before I replaced it with XP.
I know you can not use all the programs you want, well you can with wine, but most new users wont, but still when you compare what you pay for with Ubuntu vs Vista, it blows it out of the water.