Ron Schenone

Bad Vista Web Site Open For Business

Posted by on Dec 19, 2006 | 5 Comments

The Free Software Foundation has launched a Bad Vista Web site. It is going to keep us informed of the harms that Windows Vista will cause and also the alternative software available for our use.

But this statement is kind of disturbing:

Vista is an upsell masquerading as an upgrade. It is an overall regression when you look at the most important aspect of owning and using a computer: your control over what it does. Obviously MS Windows is already proprietary and very restrictive, and well worth rejecting. But the new ‘features’ in Vista are a Trojan Horse to smuggle in even more restrictions. We’ll be focusing attention on detailing how they work, how to resist them, and why people should care,” said FSF program administrator John Sullivan.

Now I believe all of us have a right to our opinions. But I am not sure how to take this site. When it labels Vista as a Trojan Horse that is waiting to impose more restrictions, it leaves one with the feeling that this site is more anti-Microsoft than informational. Why do people seem to believe that they have to attack something to get their opinion known? Just my two cents.

And I’m not sure if this site is satirical or dead serious in its quest.

I’ll leave that up to you. The site is located here.

Comments welcome.

[tags]vista, web site, bad,attack, satirical, serious[/tags]

  • http://http:fractalbeanstalk.blogspot.com/ Tim Hodkinson

    Maybe they are a little overzealous, but you have to remember that Microsoft is a profit-driven organization just like any other company and it’s naive to trust them to look out for anyone’s interests except their own. This is just the way it is with any commercial enterprise and not just Microsoft.

    I found an interesting link about “what’s wrong with Vista” here on a tech website blog. Like any other company in any other industry, Microsoft is always trying to stay competitive by improving their product and making things harder for their competitors. This is the essence of what I think the Free Software Foundation zealots would say is wrong with Microsoft Windows: It’s proprietary and therefore puts it’s own commercial interests above the interests of it’s users (which happens to be the majority of computer users worldwide).

    Windows has a monopoly on Windows-compatible software because it doesn’t run on anything else (with some exceptions, Wine, Java, etc…). That’s all they have going for themselves anymore. Unlike the early ’90s when no one else had a GUI operating system and MS Windows offered something unique and valuable, there’s now plenty of Linux alternatives, but they won’t connect you with Windows applications.

    If there was competition between MS and another operating system that could run windows applications, then MS wouldn’t be able to sell stuff like Vista.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Hi Tim,

    Thanks for the response. And good point. And I have tried many of the Linux alternatives, but keep coming back to Windows, because of the need for Windows apps.

  • http://fsm1000.googlepages.com Stephen

    You want info on restrictions? LOL ok here you go.
    My monitor won’t work on vista.
    http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/news/2005/08/03/chances-are-windows-vista-wont-like-your-monitor
    Also my high end audio won’t work properly on vista.
    http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?newsid=7675
    Basically if MS doesn’t aprove then you are up the creek. It is Bills way or no way.
    I don’t think they are anti MS, I do think that most people will one day wake up and realize they are being screwed and maybe try to learn linux or mac.
    One day, but with the new eye candy most will be fooled into buying yet one more time.

  • samir

    “If there was competition between MS and another operating system that could run windows applications, then MS wouldn’t be able to sell stuff like Vista.”

    It’s name is ReactOS. It’s still not ready, but it already runs some Windows software. It is to be noted that this project is heavely linked to Wine.

    See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactos

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Hello Samir,
    Thanks for your comments and link.