Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Microsoft FUD Watch 154

Posted by CmdrTaco from the something-to-read dept.
rs232 writes "Not a week goes by when Microsoft doesn't manufacture a little fear, uncertainty and doubt about something. Yesterday's financial analyst conference was full of it ... Our approach is simple: We look at who said what and why it's FUD. Lots of companies engage in FUD, and we only single out Microsoft because we're Microsoft Watch"
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Microsoft FUD Watch More

Microsoft FUD Watch

Comments Filter:

  • Microsoft aren't entirely truthful? (Score:5, Funny)

    by HappySmileMan ( 1088123 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:18AM (#20042301)
    I think I may have seen a story like that somewhere else on /.

    What we need is more stories comparing Linux and Windows, preferablt by someone getting paid by either Microsoft or a Linux vendor, that's another topic that's hardly ever covered here

  • FUD (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I'm sick of hearing of this acronym. Can't you just give it a rest? It's so very 90s to be complaining about "FUD". And a very shallow analysis.

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Just like politicians use words like 'racist' and 'sexist' to defeat arguments they know they cant win, without actually making any point or disproving them in any way, 'FUD' is a term that Slashbots like to use if they want to instantly discredit something they don't want to hear, without having to think up a real argument. Other words that fall into this category are 'fanboy', 'zealot' and 'shill', although there are many others.

      A sign of lazy thinking, or someone who daren't contemplate something that do

  • Oh wow what a worthless site (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Sciros ( 986030 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:18AM (#20042313) Journal
    Taking PR statements and criticizing them for being PR speak is #3 on the "10 dumbest ways to spend your time" list that I made a minute ago. Honestly, when I find a large company with a PR department that *doesn't* make exactly the same sort of statements Microsoft's does, I'm going to try really hard to make it back to this reality from the alternate one I somehow ended up in.

    Hi we are Microsoft Watch and we spread FUD about their FUD, please FUD our FUD by FUDDING some FUD, preferably via FUD.

    • Re: (Score:1, Redundant)

      by Aladrin ( 926209 )
      I'm guessing #1 on that list is 'making lists mere moments before posting to Slashdot just to be able to reference the list in the post.'

    • Re:Oh wow what a worthless site (Score:5, Insightful)

      by MontyApollo ( 849862 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:24AM (#20042395)
      Yeah, I agree.

      FUD has kinda of lost all meaning if you want to insist that generic PR statements are FUD. They even went into detail to explain why each statement was FUD, and that made them look even more pathetic and clueless.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by Wylfing ( 144940 )

        FUD has kinda of lost all meaning

        No "kinda" about it. Few people understand this term anymore. The term FUD originally indicated a specific marketing technique popularized by IBM in the 1970s and 1980s but now has been diluted to mean anything that is untrue or which has a disagreeable agenda. (I liken it to the use of "unique," which no longer means "one of a kind" but instead seems to mean "rare.")

      • They even went into detail to explain why each statement was FUD, and that made them look even more pathetic and clueless.
        But it apparently got you to click through and most likely allow them to deliver banner impressions.
         

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by jZnat ( 793348 ) *
          ...that he didn't click on and thus just wasted the site's bandwidth with no ad revenue gained.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Holmwood ( 899130 )
      I agree with the parent. This is FUD? That's just plain silly. It's PRspeak, and fairly dull PRspeak at that.

      Moreover, I actually think what they said about phones was sensible. From TFA:

      Some people want a phone where it's easy to dial. People want different sets of capabilities, and a bunch of people want a full QWERTY keyboard.

      By 'full' he presumably means physical. Like say, the Blackberry (not even a MS product).

      This is just such an unexceptional article, it's surprising that it was linked.

      • Re:Oh wow what a worthless site (Score:5, Insightful)

        by I'm Don Giovanni ( 598558 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @01:02PM (#20044595)
        "This is just such an unexceptional article, it's surprising that it was linked."

        Not surprising at all. The quality threshold slashdot editors use for any anti-Microsoft article is extremely low. I'm not surprised at all that they accepted this vacuous drivel. In fact, I would've been surpised had they rejected it. Remember, this site uses a borg icon for "Microsoft" topics and a broken window pane icon for "Windows" topics. All other topic category icons are "neutral", devoid of editorial spin. So slashdot doesn't even have any pretense of objectivity when it comes to Microsoft, they proclaim their anti-MS bias with each and every MS and Windows article by using those icons.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by shmlco ( 594907 )
        "Some people [sic] want a phone where it's easy to dial. People want different sets of capabilities, and a bunch of people [sic] want a full QWERTY keyboard."

        "Some" and "a bunch". Good quantitative analysis there. Nice how you can make up nearly any statement you want using those words and have it be darn near irrefutable.

        Although apparently a bunch of people (e.g. over a quarter of a million) seem to like the iPhone's virtual keypad, as Apple sold 1/6th as many iPhones in two days as Microsoft sold in an e

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Thwomp ( 773873 ) *
      Some of the comments gave me a good laugh though:

      Microsoft would prefer not to have DRM but because the Entertainment industries have such control over the content and how it is distributed, they must respect their wishes. Unless Linux which steals and distributes content without the authors permission - that is the type of society you live in Chips, being a thief! Which programs are broken in Vista Chips??? You are the same person who said you don't use Windows - stop telling lies hypocrite or stop mistaking the garbage that is Linux for the best desktop OS on the market (Windows). If you are referring to third party applications that do not work, have the common sense to check the manufacturers website for updates. 2000 applications are fully certified for Windows Vista, 2.1 million devices are fully certified for Vista.

      Even applications on Linux tend to break when you upgrade to a new version of the OS. There is no support in hardware and commercial software industry for Linux compared to Windows. Who wants to use a stupid OS like Linux that requires that you compile every mouse click you make on it, whether its to import pictures, write a document, browse the web, installing it is like wasting your time. All my devices are supported out of the box Vista, plug my digi cam in boom, they pop right up in Photo Gallery. Play a DVD, pop it in boom, it opens in Media Player. No need to be using illegal codecs like Linux, I can play CD without feeling guilty. Connect to a wireless network, boom, no compiling, no headache, no Linux! I want to surf the internet, not be a computer scientist - that is Linux mantra, have PHD to use a PC! Lame!

      I would post more but then I'd need to move my mouse and I can't be arsed with the recompile.

    • The link is just spin on spin, which I find totally worthless. There's very few definitive statements being discussed here, more like "Microsoft is great, rah rah rah!". What can be said if that other than "Microsoft isn't great, rah rah rah!"

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by suv4x4 ( 956391 )
      Taking PR statements and criticizing them for being PR speak is #3 on the "10 dumbest ways to spend your time" list that I made a minute ago.

      Possibly. It just goes to show, however how people can adapt to accept absolutely everything as normal, as long as there's lots of it everywhere around us.

      We're shaping the reality around us. You can't judge things based on simply how prevalent they are. Judge them based on what you'd prefer they would.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Zenaku ( 821866 )
        people can adapt to accept absolutely everything as normal, as long as there's lots of it everywhere around us.

        Isn't that the definition of normal?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by suv4x4 ( 956391 )
          people can adapt to accept absolutely everything as normal, as long as there's lots of it everywhere around us.

          Isn't that the definition of normal?

          It's a very poor passive definition of normal. During WWII the entire environment suggested it's ok to kill torture and abuse jewish people, so most germans considered it "normal".

          Let's not fall pray to such poor definitions. I better definition would be "serving to establish a standard". We don't want PR speak being worthless and misleading to be the standard, s

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Zenaku ( 821866 )
            I get where you're coming from, and we're on the same side in this debate, but "normal" just isn't the word you want. It is properly defined to denote what is commonplace. You want to use it as a word for the way things should be, as a synonym for rightness. . . and that just isn't the world, amigo.

            To invoke a slashdot cliche, I don't think it means what you think it means.

            If you want "normal" to mean the same as "the right thing," don't accomplish it by changing the definition of the word -- let's focus
    • They aren't criticizing. They are advertising. It's nothing more than lame parody, probably by Microsoft itself. At the very least paid for by them. And doubleclick keeps marking up the hits. Genius!

      Remember folks,

      127.0.0.1 ad.doubleclick.net

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mwvdlee ( 775178 )
      The way I understood it is that for something to be FUD, it needs to create some degree fear, a bit of uncertainty and perhaps even cast doubt about a competitor's product. This is just marketese "we are the best" talk, not "our competitor's product will kill you" FUD.
    • Let me guess.. #1 is Making a list of the 10 Dumbest Ways to Spend Your Time.

  • way to go (Score:5, Funny)

    by flynt ( 248848 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:18AM (#20042319)
    Pointing out MS FUD is like taking home the drunkest, ugliest girl in the bar. Yah, you did it, but no one is impressed.

    • Re:way to go (Score:4, Funny)

      by Himring ( 646324 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:26AM (#20042425) Homepage Journal
      Did you see her again or was it just a one nighter?

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by WED Fan ( 911325 )

      But, dude, did you have to marry her? Even after you found out she was your sister?

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Dystopian Rebel ( 714995 )

      Pointing out MS FUD is like taking home the drunkest, ugliest girl in the bar. Yah, you did it, but no one is impressed.
      But if she forces you to move out of the basement, your parents will be thrilled.

    • Re: (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      This being slashdot, what is this "girl" you refer to?

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Pointing out FUD is important to help prepare the IT professional to address the issues when management gets taken in by them. Having clear reasons why it is FUD is critical!

  • Fixed that for ya!! (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    "Not a day goes by when Slashdot doesn't manufacture a little fear, uncertainty and doubt about something.


    There, fixed that for ya! Wouldn't want people to get the impression that Slashdot is "fair and balanced". When you are the #1 source of anti-MS FUD, ya'll gotta represent!!

    Keep it real, yo!!
    • if ms didnt have a legacy of providing fud or pulling out unbelievable stunts on its customers or partners, there wouldnt be that much anti-ms fear and its fud spreading on /.

      note that /. is mainly an IT people's place, and there are many people, who were customers of microsoft or worked in microsoft partners who were screwed by microsoft at one point.

      hence the antipathy and fear and annoyance.

  • FUD? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by apodyopsis ( 1048476 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:22AM (#20042363)
    I don't know abour FUD watch, but many of their press releases are so obfiscated, long winded, badly phrased and rambling I find it difficult to follow. Its like Sir Humphrey Appleby from "Yes Minister", it takes a moment to actually understand what the hell they are talking about.

    Is it just me or do these guys find it impossible to speak english in a plain and simple fashion?

    Actually, I think there is a proper word for this - but for the like of me I cannot remember what it is. :-(

    • darn! hit submit not preview. just to head off the /. pedants thats "obfuscated" and "for the life of me".

      I know how picker the regulars can be so I thought I'd beat them to it and correct myself first. Ah the humiliation....

    • Re:FUD? (Score:5, Funny)

      by MontyApollo ( 849862 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:26AM (#20042433)
      Apparently "FUD" has become the new word for "spin"

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Opportunist ( 166417 )
        Where's the difference? Both serve only one purpose: To make potential customers and investors think you have something worth stuffing money into when there is essentially nothing to see and they'd move along.
        • In general, FUD actually requires Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, whereas saying "My product does x and x" doesn't really inspire fear in anybody, even if it's a lie.

          Unless you're scared of features, in which case you have problems that even 'Microsoft-Watch' just can't cure.

        • Where's the difference? Both serve only one purpose: To make potential customers and investors think you have something worth stuffing money into when there is essentially nothing to see and they'd move along.
          Such as "Linux is ready for the desktop" [yahoo.com] or something like that? :)
           

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by rbanffy ( 584143 )
        FUD is a specific case of spin.

        "Spin" is when you deliberately obfuscate or selectively reveal information in order to mislead and change the overall perceived picture. It's like "fossil-fuel consumption is good for the economy", that disregards the long-term effects of climate change on the said economy.

        "FUD" is more targeted in that it aims to create doubts about your competitors and to misrepresent your ability to deal with said competition - and to manipulate the market into delaying investiments becaus
        • Yes but there was NO FUD in the examples given, JUST spin.

          So if plain old fasioned Spin is now called FUD, as the article was trying to do, then the OPs comment was spot on.

    • Re:FUD? (Score:5, Funny)

      by kebes ( 861706 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:32AM (#20042501) Journal

      Is it just me or do these guys find it impossible to speak english in a plain and simple fashion?
      As part of the marketing department for a major corporation on the cutting-edge of deploying Web 2.0 applications, allow me to explain how best to interpret press releases. First, it is important to realize that the press release is not trying to merely inform you about upcoming product releases, it is trying to enlighten you about how you can best capitalize on your financial holdings by investing them in efficient products that deliver value-added productivity to your workforce. Essentially, it is a dialog between the customers and the product engineers. By encouraging this kind of customer engagement, the marketing team is able to create a synergistic expenditure of resources, where the customer needs are balanced against the fiduciary responsibilities of the product-developing company. This allows the company to recoup fixed costs while helping the customer achieve their full potential in a vital, thriving ecosystem of commercial activities.

      I hope that clears things up!
      • You see it has bits of capitalize, productivity, synergistic, and fiduciary in it. That's how you know it's good.

    • Re:FUD? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by st0nes ( 1120305 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:52AM (#20042755) Homepage

      many of their press releases are so obfiscated, long winded, badly phrased and rambling I find it difficult to follow.
      I couldn't agree more. Their manuals are no better; here's an example from the C# programming manual:-

      The ButtonProperty value is a string that represents the property name used by the installer to retrieve the value of the button group. This property can be referenced by custom launch conditions to make decisions concerning application installation. For example, if the ButtonProperty is set to Buttons, you create a launch condition that examines the value of the Buttons property. If the first radio button is selected, Buttons takes the value contained in the Button1Value property. Likewise, if the second radio button is selected, Buttons takes the value contained in the Button2Value property. Many of the customizable dialog boxes have similarly configurable properties, which allow you to create a rich and complex installation experience for your users.
      • *makes a dechiffering attempt*

        So does that mean that if I set ButtonProperty to Buttons (ButtonProperty=Buttons ?) and then later reference the value of Buttons I'm supposed to get the button the user pressed which I can use to decide what function to call?

        • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

          by st0nes ( 1120305 )
          I suspect that you are correct. If so, you should immediately apply to MS for a technical authoring job at an astronomical salary -- you managed to explain it more clearly in about a quarter of the words. Incidentally, we now know that when Windows installation breaks, it isn't a bug, it's a "...a rich and complex installation experience."

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by wvmarle ( 1070040 )

        [..], which allow you to create a rich and complex installation experience for your users.

        Euhm... am I really the only one that likes my installation experiences to be SIMPLE?

        That said, I'm quite experienced in installing Linux. And that is not always easy. And no, I don't enjoy doing it.

    • Try reading anything from IBM. I used to have to deal with them, simply finding a driver on their website involved reading paragraph after paragraph of vague business-ese and following links that went everywhere *except* the driver. It was enough to drive you mad.
      • "Try reading anything from IBM".

        Well, hell, try reading anything from FSF, like GPL3!!

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by jZnat ( 793348 ) *
          Try to read legalese without a law degree and see how far that gets you. Same goes for any programming language without actually being a programmer or having any concept of computer science.

  • FUD? (Score:2, Funny)

    by warmgun ( 669556 )
    Wow, I'm a noob. All this time I thought FUD stood for fucked up data. I need to study this list [wikipedia.org]!

  • RayOzzie == "more of the same" (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:50AM (#20042721)
    Ray Ozzie got his job because he worked alongside Dave Cutler at Digital, and he pretty much worships the Microsoft Way. Don't expect change from Ray Ozzie. Ray Ozzie made a career out of re-implementing VAX Notes. Twice so far, and neither successfully. He is overrated, and his image is overhyped. Heck, Bill Gates has better taste and better instincts for what makes good software. Microosft will continue down a path of FUDing and bullying based on their financial and market strength.

    This isn't just how it inevitably is at big companies. Some are different. For example, Jonathan Schwartz got his job because he won't do things the Sun Way. No leader is perfect, and I know lots of people who don't like Schwartz. But Schwartz has backed up his promises by embracing GPL3 and hiring Ian Murdock to change the way Solaris is delivered.

    You can reasonably expect Sun's performance to improve. You can reasonably expect Microsoft to continue to miss the point when trying to compete against Open Source software, and to grow worse, in fact, in the way they use PR, lobbyists, FUD, and financial bully tactics as they fail to find a way to stop alternative business models from chipping away at their lead.

  • Good Idea (Score:5, Interesting)

    by RAMMS+EIN ( 578166 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:55AM (#20042803) Homepage Journal
    Well, since the overall reaction so far has been very negative, I'll chime in and say that I think this is a very good idea.

    FUD is a Bad Thing. It causes people to take decisions based on the wrong information. Short of getting really draconic, we can't very much prevent FUD from being spread. In that light, I feel the best we can do is make sure that the truth is also out there. That way, we can at least hope that people stumble accros the truth, or we can point them at it when we find they have been misled.

    All this has nothing to do with Microsoft, apart from the fact that Microsoft spreads FUD. It would be a good idea to do the same for people and organizations that aren't Microsoft.

    What's also a good idea is to back up any claims you make with references. And spend some time on the visual aspects of our writings. In order to beat the FUD, we not only need to spread the truth, we also need to make it clear that it _is_ the truth. We could do worse than looking trustworthy.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mwvdlee ( 775178 )
      The reaction's been negative because this simply isn't FUD. If you're going to call every single bit of marketese "FUD", pretty soon the term will be meaningless. If you're going to be hatin' Microsoft, then atleast try to remain honest and truthful yourself.

      • The reaction's been negative because this simply isn't FUD. If you're going to call every single bit of marketese "FUD", pretty soon the term will be meaningless. If you're going to be hatin' Microsoft, then at least try to remain honest and truthful yourself.

        Ah, so sorry, the FUD moniker became a meaningless term about 50 seconds after it was coined.

        For a term to have meaning, it must have a scope and we must agree on the scope for it to be useful. I believe FUD has failed in both cases. The term developed scope creep (thus it had an ever widening scope) and it developed marketing spin (thus having no set meaning, and frequently wagged the dog, as it were) from the onset of popular usage.

        I still try to use it on occasion. My preference is to either c

    • You're right. FUD everywhere is bad.

      I just turned off adblock for a second to see the ads that Slashdot trys to show me. The one main ad at the top of the page is creating Fear in me by indicating that integrating Tomcat, Axis, and other things may be too complicated for me to "get stuff done". FUD is a geek phrase. It means nothing. FUD = marketing. Yawn.

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Did you even read the article?

      Yes, FUD is bad, but if you're going to complain about FUD it should at least meet that definition.
      If the definition, as you say, 'has nothing to do with Microsoft', then I don't see how on earth were they flagged as FUD by the author.

      Where is the unwarranted Fear, the Uncertainty, or the Doubt?
      Were these statements directed at consumers considering competing products? (per the article itself, no).

      3 of 4 statements are obviously non-FUD, since they're just positive statements a

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tknd ( 979052 )

      So what happens when the fud watchers spew out fud? Do they then watch their own fud and create an infinite loop?

      This is a terrible idea because it's like fighting fire with fire.

  • Unresponsiveness and inaction on /.'s part... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by djpretzel ( 891427 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @10:58AM (#20042833) Homepage
    I'm seeing more people respond negatively lately to what has gradually degenerated into a Microsoft hate-fest in terms of FUD accusations, etc. Rational *nix and Microsoft folk alike seem to acknowledge hypocrisy and finger-pointing, in this case manifesting itself in yet another utterly banal piece of journalistic blood from a stone, a Microsoft Watch "news item". Who-watches-the-watchers comments aside, are /. staff ever going to take steps to reduce this type of flotsam? I'm looking at the upper left corner of my screen right now, and right next to the /. logo is the purported mantra: "News for nerds. Stuff that matters." I consider myself a nerd of sorts, I suppose, but I fail to see how Microsoft issuing generic press releases that would compare equitably to any other company, software or otherwise, "news for me." I also have a hard time grasping how it could possibly "matter", given the frequency and quantity at which it occurs. It's certainly "stuff", no argument there... Bottom line, this seems to be a never-ending cycle that only /. staff can break. If they don't attempt to deliver on the site's motto, I don't know who's going to.

    • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

      by plague3106 ( 71849 )
      You're right, and thanks for pointing this out. The linux zealots here have taken over and you rarely hear any reasonable arguements. Its most of the reason I don't subscribe; why pay to have pointless arguements with zealots?
      • Have you been reading this discussion at all? Everyone's been pretty consistent:
        • These PR statements are not FUD, just typical PR-speak.
        • "Microsoft Watch" column is lame.
        • Please move along.
        • Nothing to see here.
        So, what were you complaining about again?
        • The commenters are calling this article out for the drivel that it is, but that doesn't excuse the slashdot editors accepting this article in the first place.
        • I dunno, try reading just about any other thread on /. Sometimes it doesn't even have to be about computers at all for the MS bashing to begin.

          I also wonder what this thread will become in the next few hours.
    • I wouldnt call it a hate-fest by any means. Many of those complaining here on slashdot are *GASP* actually not Linux users. You see the same amount of complaining on almost all over the internet. Calling it a hate-fest is just a way of closing your eyes and holding your ears. I cant imagine where you have been if you dont know atleast some reasons why much of Microsofts conduct can annoy people.

      From my point of view Microsoft is attacking Linux and people get pissed when they havent done anything that shoul
  • Preaching to the anti-Microsoft choir; it's not just for Slashdot karma anymore!
  • These people have way too much time..
  • We look at who said what and why it's FUD.

    And that's your first mistake. Never heard of confirmation bias?

  • Dissapointing and misleading article title... (Score:3, Funny)

    by iBod ( 534920 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @11:40AM (#20043365)
    I thought for a minute that MS had released a new product: "The Microsoft FUD Watch". i.e. Something you could strap to your wrist and monitor the amount of FUD present in any particular technology sector at that very instant - as well as being able to tell the time, set alarms etc.
  • Well, business is a cold war and FUD is the propaganda and disinformation it is waged with.
  • "...Our approach is simple: We look at who said what and why it's FUD. Lots of companies engage in FUD, and we only single out Microsoft because we're Microsoft Watch"

    Isn't this the first item?
  • The IE6 on my desktop at home was reporting errors when I closed it (probably some spyware gripping tightly to the dying browser), so I finally decided to install IE7 and they asked me if I would fill out a survey about my satisfaction with Microsoft products and services...gave them a piece of my mind about the "patent infringements" they won't detail and their FUD campaign against open source technology.

    I'm so glad that Microsoft has abandoned enforcement of their "patents" against companies like RedHat

  • Old models don't work (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dwarfking ( 95773 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @12:21PM (#20043983) Homepage

    While I agree with those that think a Microsoft FUD watch page is a bit of a waste of time, I'm still amused by the fact someone is posting it.

    Let us not forget that Microsoft was the master of the FUD campaign. Consider how it used to be. A small, unknown company (Small Software Company) launches a software product that has great potential, but would result in users being semi-locked into that company. Microsoft sees the potential and announces they have their own version about ready to release, knowing full well they don't.

    Average user thinks "Well, I'll just wait for the Microsoft product because I really don't know Small Software Company and whether they'll be around.", which gives Microsoft enough time to throw tons of money on a project to whip up a Version 1.0 to compete.

    This model worked well for Microsoft for a number of years. But now, it isn't Small Software Company that Microsoft is chasing, it's Google and Apple, to name two. These are also well known to Mr. and Mrs. Average User.

    So now, Apple or Google announces a new product, the Average User family starts using it. Microsoft announces their plan to release a competitor and the Average User thinks "a little late to the party".

    The point is, people are getting more choice from companies they trust. So the FUD campaigns are not going to be as effective.

    It is fun to watch, though.

  • FUD about Microsoft. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Animats ( 122034 ) on Monday July 30, 2007 @12:25PM (#20044051) Homepage

    If you want to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt about Microsoft products, point out that Dell went back to shipping Windows XP instead of Vista. Mention the problems with Vista activation. With the "tilt bit" that can kill your system. With Vista phoning home. (Do you want a system that regularly and secretly contacts Microsoft in your business?)

    Wouldn't it make sense to wait and see about Vista? Wouldn't that be the safe thing to do? Do you want to take the risk of using a defective operating system in your business?

  • Is that anything like the Microsoft SPOT Watch [windowsfordevices.com]?
  • Rethoric training - $200
    Write up a nice FUD script - $300
    Get assigned as speaker - $5000 ... tagging this story "wheredoyouwanttofudtoday" - priceless!

Slashdot Top Deals

Our OS who art in CPU, UNIX be thy name. Thy programs run, thy syscalls done, In kernel as it is in user!

Close