Dvorak Gives Windows 7 A Last Minute Assessment

Everyone’s favorite curmudgeon, John C. Dvorak, has an article on PC Magazine (I almost used website, which would be stupid and redundant, since there is no paper magazine anymore!) giving his final pre-release views about Microsoft’s latest baby.

In the beginning of the article, he states that it has been four years since he received anything that was personal from anyone at Microsoft. Now anyone not familiar with Dvorak, or his history would simply think he was feeling sorry for himself, but that is not his way. He is trying to let the reader know that all manner of personal contact has gone from the important press, to the press that can be ‘persuaded’ to give a good review to Microsoft. I happen to think this includes many of his colleagues at ZDNet, for there seems to be an almost complete pass on any screw ups that company makes, and glowing reviews of garbage released for public consumption. Of course, there has to be an occasional criticism, for good measure, but nothing like the scathing comments when there was a more vibrant computer press, and many more voices being heard.

I haven’t received a single personal note from a Microsoft PR person for roughly four years. Instead, the company has taken to sending out very lengthy and somewhat boring cheerleader-type consumer newsletters to the media in an attempt to keep us informed. It’s essentially spam with lots of links and no real compelling content, which seems to be the work of someone who has recently finished taking English as a Second Language courses.

Somewhere along the line, Microsoft apparently decided that it only wants to deal with those amenable suckers who will give it a pass on everything—or perhaps the company has just given up any hopes of getting favorable press. Whatever the case may be, the Microsoft of 15 years ago did a much better job managing the media than it does today. The shift signals more than a simple annoyance—Microsoft’s carelessness with the media seems to represent an overall careless that permeates throughout the entire company.

The one thing I think John is forgetting is that many of the people he used to get personalized messages from have moved on – either retiring on their well-padded stock portfolios, or to another company, where their opinions once again mean something. As for the notes, I’m sure that John could get one if he would deign to putting up a puff piece about the finer qualities of Vista just once.., you know, the kind of tripe that Ed Bott puts out, as regularly as the chimes of Big Ben in London.

Next Mr. Dvorak sets about crushing the idea that the latest marketing efforts are the brilliant pieces of art that their authors would have you believe. He asks, “Where is the wow?”

I believe that the wow, much like Elvis, has left the building. Mr. Ballmer is clear that he is not pushing the self-congratulatory stuff this year. This is as good for him as us, as I believe we are all tiring of the effort, and he is tiring of putting out stuff that strains credulity. A more frightening thing to ponder, is that the wow is gone forever, because the people are willing to use old and tired ideas to re-tread Windows, like a bad tire from Tijuana. (concepts that are deemed without merit don’t get put down, never to return, but instead get put to the back of the drawer, so they can be resurrected when good ideas become scarce)

John makes his assessment as a likening to too many nights of little work and cheap vodka, but I simply believe that Microsoft has become what it once feared most of all…IBM, a dinosaur that could not get out of its own way, due to inertia and ennui.

Windows 7 will be a success, though not the blockbuster that Windows 95 or Windows XP were. It will be a success in the terms of Windows 3.1; something that everyone was waiting for, and after we got used to its sheer ugly and awkward appearance, we became users, mainly because it was the path of least resistance.

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Quote of the day:

The world is governed more by appearances than realities, so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know something as to know it.

- Daniel Webster

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