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May 25, 2006
Do You REALLY Want to be a Microsoft Guinea Pig AGAIN? | Vista and Office 2007 Beta 2 "Might Suck Less" - But This Time I'll Be Letting Others Find Out First
Yesterday, I dutifully downloaded the Vista and Office 2007 Beta 2 releases from Microsoft.
Then I suddenly took pause. Here we go again.
Do I really really what to be guinea pig for Microsoft? Haven’t I bled enough for them already? Why would I even consider being a part of this?
We are all familiar with pharmaceutical industry “package inserts” that list all sorts of scary-sounding terrible consequences which might result from the use of their products — no matter how unlikely. Software is no different. And using beta software certainly does not disappoint those who thrive on needless risks. No news here. However, I found Microsoft’s warning somewhat amusing —
About Beta Software
- Registration is required for participation. [ OK — cgm]
- 2007 Microsoft Office system Beta 2 is for evaluation and planning purposes only. [ Hmmm — cgm]
- Beta software does not necessarily display the same high level of stability of shipped Microsoft products. [ sic — cgm]
- Beta testers may experience problems with 2007 Microsoft Office system Beta 2 products that could potentially result in loss, corruption, or destruction of existing data. [ As opposed to “shipped Microsoft products”? — cgm]
- This beta testing release is not appropriate for production use. [ As opposed to “shipped Microsoft products”? — cgm]
- It is strongly recommended that you back up your existing data before you install and run this software. [ As opposed to “shipped Microsoft products”? — cgm]
- Beta code is offered "as is," and does not include technical support. [ As opposed to “shipped Microsoft products”? — cgm]
- Many organizations have policies prohibiting unauthorized software installation on company-owned computers. Make sure you check with your IT department before downloading and installing 2007 Microsoft Office system Beta 2 on your computer at work. [ As opposed to “shipped Microsoft products”? — cgm]
It was point number three that got me laughing out loud. “… the same high level of stability of shipped Microsoft products.” Who is kidding whom? Has no one ever bothered to let Emperor Gates know that his Windows attire is a bit diaphanous? Having just gone through a long and painful process of rebuilding my XP box, the sting is still fresh in my mind. Not to mention the months of tweaking to try to get outlook and outlook exchange working properly (and in a “single user” environment, no less!). And then the constant monitoring and tweaking just to mitigate the relentless march toward Microsoft domination of ALL of my CPU processing and memory resources.
I’m just not sure I feel like being dragged down yet another relentless and irreversible Microsoft “Bait and Switch” road. Deja Vu — yet I never learning the lesson.
I know all too well the alluring power and slippery slope of —
“Gee Whiz! Maybe they finally fixed the growing list of nuisances that interrupt my daily work flow with this new release?”
Only to inevitably discover —
“Gee Whiz! Now I have a whole new batch of nuisances that interrupt my daily work flow.”
And then realize —
“Gee Whiz! Maybe the devil I know is really much better than the devil I don’t know?”
Only to find myself saying to myself —
“Gee Whiz! I wonder if there is a way back to the old devil?” (The answer is always NO.)
I don’t know about you, but I’m just not up for a repeat of this pernicious Microsoft Product Roll-out Ruse. It just never ceases to amaze me how a company can not only survive but even thrive when it’s major market driver is —
“Gee Whiz! I hope this version sucks less than the last one.”
Nothing like a company with a secure customer lock-in (or lock-up?).
So I’m going to wait this one. It’s about time I learn not to take the Microsoft “This One Might Suck Less” bait. And I’m sure I won’t be missed anytime soon as there seems to be no shortage of others willing to take the bait. ( Activation servers overloaded at Microsoft )
Okay. Maybe I will eventually test out Vista and Office 2007. But not until I have a “triple boot” (Linux, Apple OS X, and Windows) Dual-Core machine up and running. I just can’t afford the inevitable downtime that is part and parcel of living in the windows world of “chronic beta testing” .
That dual-core “triple booting” Apple - MacBook Pro is looking mighty good to me right about now.
The Safest Way to Preview Vista & Office Beta 2 – Thank You CNET!
- Images: Inside Windows Vista beta 2
- Images: Outlook 2007 beta 2 | CNET News.com
- Images: Word 2007 beta 2
- Images: Excel 2007 beta 2
- Images: PowerPoint 2007 beta 2
or at least until June 2006, when Microsoft is plans to release an Online Test Drive of Microsoft Office 2007 which allows you “to try out the next release of Microsoft Office products and doesn't require product installation or download.”
Office 2007 Office 2007 Beta Office 2007 Beta 2 Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 Microsoft Office Beta 2 Outlook 2007 outlook beta Vista Longhorn Windows Vista Microsoft Vista Beta Windows Microsoft dual core macbook
Related Links
Vista And Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 Download Pages — if you dare
Early Reports By Those Much Braver Than I
Installing Vista Beta 2 was one of the worst operating system experiences that I’ve ever encountered.
It took me days to install a working version on a new Lenovo ThinkPad X60 laptop with 2GB of memory and all sorts of built-in wireless networking. I tried installing it as an update to the laptop’s Windows XP — but after four hours of churning away the laptop shut down and wouldn’t reboot.
I tried again on the ThinkPad as a clean install, which meant wiping out everything on the hard drive and starting from scratch. That took about an hour to complete. It also removed every device driver that I needed to run the laptop.
Downloading the drivers from the Lenovo Web site took a long time, but after a while I had downloaded and installed the package. Unfortunately, not everything I downloaded is Vista-ready so rebooting had to occur after every 10 minutes of computer use.
[Sound familiar? — cgm]
If the right people see it, this may very well be the Outlook version to beat. They’ve fixed a handful of bugs, but… not nearly enough to convince me that this is any better than O2k.
[Sounds promising. — cgm]
I don't hate Windows Vista, and I certainly don't hate Microsoft for disappointing me and countless other customers with a product that doesn't even come close to meeting its original promises … you'd have to be special kind of stupid to look at Windows Vista and see it as the be-all, end-all of operating systems. In some ways, Windows Vista actually will exceed Mac OS X and Linux, but not to the depth we were promised. Instead, Windows Vista will do what so many other Windows releases have done, and simply offer consumers and business users a few major changes and many subtle or minor updates. That's not horrible. It's just not what was promised.
[Is anyone surprized at this? — cgm]
Despite arguments from analysts, Office users, and, yes, yours truly that there simply isn't much more you can do to improve such well-worn application types as word processors and spreadsheets, Microsoft has come up with an excellent answer to the critics. It is simply changing the rules to the game. Instead of creating yet another Office version with a slightly modified user interface and slightly improved features, Microsoft has gone back to the drawing boards. And say what you will about the software giant's ability to innovate, because Office 2007--the next version of Microsoft Office that is expected to ship to customers in January 2007--is nothing but innovative. It's a breath of fresh air in a market that, frankly, hasn't ever seen changes this exciting or disruptive.
The company has completely rethought the productivity application user interface. Gone are the menus and toolbars from every previous Office version, replaced with what Microsoft calls a "results-oriented" user interface. … It is, if I might be so bold, the most innovative user interface work that Microsoft has ever unleashed.
[Thanks to Apple’s OS X. — cgm]
- » Office 2007 - A Gentle Ribbin by Kingsley 2.0
- Hawk Wings » Blog Archive » Outlook 2007 beta 2: screenshots, commentary
- Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 review by PC Magazine *
Microsoft seems to have focused on two main areas in preparing beta 2: the user interface and SharePoint collaboration services.
[Perhaps not where you or I might have focused. — cgm]
The interface remains an uneasy mix of svelte new toolbars and boring old dialog boxes. … The new Office has more extensive updates to its interface and sharing features than did any previous version—and users and organizations will need to think hard before taking the plunge.
[Have I missed something? When did UI become a Microsoft strength? — cgm]
a bit more stable than the previous build and the install process is way more informative.
[That’s comforting. — cgm]
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer did introduce a seed of doubt in the mind of some company watchers this week, when he said that there was still a chance that Microsoft might push back the Vista launch, if feedback from Windows Vista Beta 2 indicates the product needs more work than expected.
[Anyone taking bets on this? — cgm]
Dual-Core Processors
Apple Dual-Core Machines
-
Apple - MacBook Pro *****
Improving Windows Performance & Functionality Without “Upgrading” (or switching to Linux or OSX)
Pepping Up Windows | Tom's Hardware *****
an incomplete but useful list of functional and perfomance enhancements
Posted by cmayaud at 05:19 PM | Permalink| Comments (0)
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| Posted to BAD IDEA OF THE WEEK | PRODUCTS that Really Work | SOFTWARE IT
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