… is Microsoft’s best stab at a web browser since IE 4.
Feb 102009
Feb 042009
So, just like they did with Vista, Microsoft is planning to release multiple versions of Windows 7. In an interesting post on TechCrunch, Devin Coldewey clinically takes apart this strategy. The section I loved the most was:
Can you imagine a Microsoft hot dog stand where they use the same wiener and bun in every hot dog, but if you want relish, or Sriracha sauce, you have to call it something completely different, and the menu has every configuration of hot dog included, with price? They could just have “Hot dog, $2″ on the menu, and then “relish, 40¢ extra” and “Sriracha, 50¢ extra” on there. Yes, there’s a reason every hot dog stand does it like that. Because if they set it up like Microsoft does, people would get confused and go get something simple, like an apple (which could represent the obvious).
Jan 072009
Steve Ballmer announced today that “techies” could download and test the beta version of Windows 7, the latest OS from Microsoft, starting Friday. I don’t have a spare computer to try that. But even if I did, I won’t have the guts to do so. Having endured Vista over the past couple of years, I am not going to trust Microsoft any more. I don’t think I must waste my time pleading with you not to; yes, I know that would be superfluous.
While on the topic, you might want to check out some “cool” videos the Windows 7 folks have made. The videos focus on how the new OS delivers a fabulous user experience. Cool new features include dragging your favorite icon onto the taskbar!
But we must not forget that it has been stated publicly (by Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer) that Windows 7 is only an incremental upgrade. To what? Shitty Windows Vista? (It does seem though to be a bit better than putting lipstick on a pig. ZDNet, in comparing a leaked version of the OS, reported that it is better than both XP and Vista in terms of performance.)
What better it may be, I don’t see corporate consumers, the guys with the big bucks (or formerly), queuing up to upgrade their OS. Not in this kind of an economy, and not after having burnt money on Vista. And if Microsoft follows the same pricing strategy as they did for Vista, I don’t see why cheapskates like me would want to switch.
Nov 132008
Image via CrunchBase
A couple of months ago, when I first downloaded Google Chrome, I was skeptical about whether I would use it at all. I’m (was) a Firefox junkie, and have a number of addons installed, and I love the Firefox experience. I was of the opinion that with its vibrant developer community, Firefox had the “network effect” to withstand an onslaught from Mountain View.
From a personal standpoint, I was wrong.
Nowadays, Chrome is my first choice browser. And what I had considered a plus for Firefox has actually turned out to be the reason to wean me away from it. Addons, while providing tremendous value to the browsing experience, also consume resources. If you’re the type of user that has an average of 20 tabs open (and I know a lot of people who would think that is a small number), you’re already pushing the software; plugins make the deal worse.
Chrome counters this by dumbing down the idea of browsing. All you see is a set of tabs on top and an address bar. No status bar, no menu bar. I know you can configure Firefox this way; but Chrome provides this right out of the box, which is a plus. Additionally, the fact that each tab is a separate process is a boon. In my experience, Chrome crashes much more infrequently compared to Firefox. This is not because Firefox is inferior; a malfunction in any tab can crash Firefox; in Chrome, you lose just that tab. Throw in a faster JavaScript engine and a more useful 404 page into the mix, and you have a winner.
This comparison reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend who works for Microsoft. Addressing my criticism that Microsoft was slow with product releases, especially Windows, he said that one of the major time-sinks for the Windows team is to make the new OS compatible with every major and not-so-major piece of software around. This includes everything from industrial strength enterprise systems to obscure games. Any incompatibility can blamed on the OS, and it becomes a PR problem for Microsoft.
Conventional thinking is that the reason behind Windows’ success is the network Microsoft has managed to spawn around the core product. Yet, this might be true across the board and in all situations. In an industry characterized by flux, the core player might be bogged down by the existing network relationships. Networks might ensure that the entrenched product is successful, but breaking free of the entrenchment becomes really tough for the company that owns the core.
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