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Microsoft's New Mantra - It Just Works

Posted by Zonk on from the we'll-see-when-we-see dept.

bonch writes "Fortune has a story about Microsoft's new philosophy--'It just works.' Jim Allchin details various planned Longhorn features to meet this goal, such as auto-defragmenting in the background, the ability to have files in more than one folder simultaneously, and the new ad campaign Microsoft is running to get people excited about Windows. Mentions are also made of the competition from Linux, OS X Tiger, and Google."

27 of 985 comments (clear)

  1. Unbelievable by BWJones · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Wow. Cannot Microsoft even come up with their own mantras rather than copy others? Come on now guys, this is pathetic, but I guess nothing is new under the sun. Seriously though, even now, I still own a bit of stock in Microsoft and I've been to the campus a number of times, so from the annual reports I get, along with friends who work there, I know Microsoft can/should be able to do better than this. (Or can they?)

    There are absolutely some capable folks there, so what is the problem? Why must you (almost) always use Apple as a source for inspiration? There is a reason that I moved my investments in Microsoft stock to Apple stock three years ago, and you are doing nothing to make me want to reinvest in Microsoft. Is marketing that out of control up there? Jim, come on now, I've met you and you are one smart guy. Finding the above link to Apple took me all of two seconds in Google and this statement from the article: "Jim Allchin, Microsoft's group vice president for platforms, looked at my Apple PowerBook and smugly pointed out that the number of copies of Windows sold this year will be more than all the Macintosh computers used worldwide." really worries me. It shows an arrogance that is not going to serve you or Microsoft well.

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    1. Re:Unbelievable by Tim+Browse · · Score: 3, Interesting
      spotting the truly great garage innovations worth buying (for example, the decision to hire the SoundJam programmer to build iTunes for them)

      People's fluid definitions of 'innovation' (which change depending on which company they're talking about) annoy me at the best of times, but are you really saying that a me-too mp3 player is really a 'truly great innovation'?

    2. Re:Unbelievable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting


      I've seen some of the questions they ask new hires in the interview. They love to throw MENSA-type logic puzzles at candidates to really separate the wheat from the chaff and get top-notch problem solvers on board.

      This is somewhat of a myth. I went through the MSFT interview process a number of years ago. (I ended turning the position down because when it came right down to it, I didn't want to move to Redmond ... but I digress)

      In any case, the only person who through a logic puzzle at me was this really junior guy who was obviously just learning to interview. The morning interviews were all cake, but after lunch they switched me to the serious interview track.

      No mensa logic puzzles there. Just: Here's a pen, there's the whiteboard, Here's a problem, start pseudocoding. OK, now, I feed your pseudocode this kind of bad input, what does it do?

      It was the most gloves-off, code-or-die interview I've ever had.

    3. Re:Unbelievable by katorga · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Arrogance or fact, the numbers are important and the numbers represent why Mac's always seem to be used by "lone wolves", folks whose jobs don't require massive integration with thousands of other folks at an application and data level. The numbers are why Apple has less market share than Linux and is rapidly shifting to a consumer electronics business plan.

      Its sad too, because no other PC manufacturer designs better looking, more ergonomic hardware or has a better operating system. All of which is destined to remain in "niche-ness".

      My powerbook is my favorite system. But I have to FIND things to do with it because no matter what I have to test my code on windows, linux, and solaris. I have to game on windows or linux. Its really nothing more than a very cool computer with a great OS running email, playing songs, and surfing the web....something a $50 appliance can do. My x86 systems are my work horses.

      FWIW, Enlightenment 17 + X11 looks like more of what I want out of a modern GUI than either Longhorn or OSX.

    4. Re:Unbelievable by pangel83 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      We continuousely see people complaining that linux apps copy windows-land GUI features (look at OpenOffice, and firefox that has copied almost all the innovative features introduced by Opera).

      But the attitude in Slashdot is that if it's Open Source, we accept it in the name of attracting more users. On the contrary, when Microsoft does it, we always have 600-comment discussions of people whining!

      Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely no Microsoft zealot. But I am getting fed up with the same story repeated here. Additionally, the Gates-Borg image reminds me that Simpsons episode with the Fox News spoof and the devil horns on the democrat candidate.

    5. Re:Unbelievable by ColMustard · · Score: 2, Interesting
      The numbers are why Apple has less market share than Linux and is...
      You sound like a troll, but oh well.

      Linux may have bigger marketshare on servers, but I very much doubt it has even close to the marketshare that Apple does for desktop use, which is where Apple focuses most of their marketing. Pretty impressive considering:
      • Linux is usually "free" (as in beer) or cheaper than Mac OS X.
      • Linux can be compiled to run on a lot more hardware than Mac OS X is built for.
      What this means is that desktop linux must be in pretty bad shape (it was when I tried it a year ago). I don't think the old standby excuse that people just don't know about Linux yet applies any more. I know that many people believe that Windows is all there is (because I know many of them), but anyone who is informed enough to know about the Macintosh platform also at least knows about Linux, and they just aren't switching to Linux.

      As for gaming on Linux. All I can say is "haha whatever." But hey, I'm really glad that you use and apparently like Linux. Just put your marketshare numbers into perspective.
      --
      Moof.
    6. Re:Unbelievable by el+cisne · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Here's a place you might like:

      Microsoft Hall of Innovation

      And here's a catalog of what they've bought, influenced, cannibalized and what products they later became. The (Nearly) Whole Microsoft Catalog. So much of what they sell was done by others and engulfed. Freedom to innovate, my ass -- it's obscene when they say the word.

  2. Nothing new really by Synli · · Score: 3, Interesting

    such as auto-defragmenting in the background

    Windows XP auto-defragment as well (if enabled).

    --
    "Two things inspire me to awe -- the starry heavens above and the moral universe within." - Albert Einstein
  3. It Just Works by grahamlee · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Or, It Already Works For Someone Else So We'll Pinch It:

    auto-defragmenting in the background HFS+

    ability to have files in more than one folder simultaneously symlinks, Smart Folders

    the new ad campaign Microsoft is running to get people excited about Windows Maybe that does indeed Just Work. No-one ever got fired for choosing a Microsoft (although there are places where that's beginning to change).

  4. an astute comment from reader of TFA by yagu · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For those who don't read beyond the end of TFA... a great quote (with attribution): First, from TFA a quote from Allchin re the current state of affairs in XP vs. what Longhorn "will" deliver: Allchin: Microsoft's research shows that the average corporate employee spends about 20% of her time on the PC simply looking for items. Then, the comment from a reader: Rod Shuffler 04/22 10:55 An interesting article. Does that 20% non-productivity figure that Allchin quotes get factored into TCO arguments?

  5. What about... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So they realized the just couldn't pull off the security thing, and have decided to move in another direction?

  6. defragging in the background??? by advocate_one · · Score: 4, Interesting

    how about having a filesystem that doesn't suffer from fragmentation in the first place so you don't have to waste processor cycles defragging it!!!!!!!

    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  7. Re:Just works.... they way they tell you it should by prefect42 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think the OS *should* support hard linking though. If I really want to organise my files that way, so be it. Same way I'd rather windows defaulted to symbolic linking rather than shortcuts.

    --

    jh

  8. Re:Rephrasing by TCM · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Longhorn doesn't just show you an icon for a document, for example, but rather an itsy-bitsy picture of the first page.

    Is it just me or does anyone else see a whole new can of worms (heh) open up here? So by default all files are processed by some code even if you just want to see what files are there? Great.

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  9. Great Job Advertising by geomon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For Apple.

    They have done more to market for Apple in the last few weeks than they realize (or maybe they do realized).

    Every comparison of features is with something already released under the current OS X, or is a feature that will be in the next release of OS X (slated soon?).

    I guess I don't get what Microsoft's strategy is for this campaign. Is this the Microsoft "Me Too" campaign?

    I would love to see the sales numbers for the next OS X release. We could see some increase in sales due to Microsoft owners realizing that there is another OS in the market that works at least as well, if not better, than XP.

    Maybe Gates owns a bunch of Apple stock and is hedging his bets.

    --
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  10. This is a 'Good Thing' by RobRancho · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In reality, as cute as it may be to point out the 'imitation' going on here, it might be better to look at the renewed (finally!) competition taking place. For years, Microsoft has been relatively reluctant to do any serious innovation in OS development, instead focusing on the issues that were generating the most complaints. Think about it, from Windows 95 through Windows XP, what major innovations have been introduced?

    Now, however, that Mac OS has been making big strides and an ever increasing number of people have started to look at it as a viable alternative (even in my small-business workplace!), Microsoft has seemingly started to take the competition seriously. This is a Good Thing!

    Competition always benefits the consumer, and prior to the last couple years, there *was no competition* in the desktop OS category.

  11. Re:Well I gotta say by jaydonnell · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I agree. It just depends on which community you find yourself in. Ubuntu has a very friendly community at http://ubuntuforums.org/

  12. Re:Just works.... they way they tell you it should by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Exactly. The difference between Microsoft and Apple's interface philosophy (I think):

    1. Apple makes it easy for the user to do complicated things.

    2. Microsoft tries to automatically do complicated things for the user.

    Approach #1 might be somewhat restrictive but gives the user some credit.

    Approach #2 is rife with problems, notably ActiveX, email attachments that run themselves, autoscanning HDDs, and myriad other annoyances/outright hazards.

    I'll take approach #1. It just works.

  13. Re:It just won't work by blargosity · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does that mean that opening folders will take much longer than ever before since it will be busy creating icon previews for everything in the folder?

  14. Re:It just won't work by TCM · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "Shortcuts" are in no way similar to symlinks. Shortcuts are a disgutingly ugly hack. Ever tried to look how shortcuts are implemented? Yep, they are _files_ themselves with a .lnk extension that you never see in Explorer. Ever tried handling a shortcut in a script?

    I feel insulted by "microsoft has symlinks already, they are just called shortcuts".

    --
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  15. Re:What does "It just works" mean to Microsoft? by blargosity · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Does it mean that, when someone unthinkingly plugs their new device into the USB port before they've installed the software, it won't require a registry rollback or hunting down cached .inf files to get Windows to work with said device?

    When does Windows ever require this? I've personally ignored the instructions of some devices, even when they say install the driver first before plugging it in, and have had no problems installing the driver after I plugged the device in.

  16. Note to MS: No more slogans ending in -ks. by Shag · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Two reasons:

    1. Catchy slogans ending in -ks strangely tend to already be in use by other people. And no, I'm not talking about Apple here. How about Autodesk?

    2. Words ending in -ks can easily be altered on billboards. "It just sucks" is going to be just as easy as this one was...

    Apparently Microsoft is suppressing its memory of these past events.

    --
    Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
  17. Re:It just won't work by timeOday · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Longhorn doesn't just show you an icon for a document, for example, but rather an itsy-bitsy picture of the first page.
    This is closely related to an XP bug that drives me nuts. I'm generating video files tens of gigabytes large, and when I open a directory containing such a file with the Windows Explorer, it crashes after a few moments, I believe because it's generating an iconic image of the first frame. At some point I managed to turn the preview off and all was well, but now it has reappeared.
  18. Re:You mean like Windows ME? by IGnatius+T+Foobar · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Ok, here it is, I found it:

    http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9904/14/winhec.i dg/

    Back in 1999, Microsoft and Intel were using the "It Just Works" slogan to promote something they called the "Easy PC" initiative. And of course, it was more appropriate then, as it is now, to simply say "It just broke. Again."

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  19. Re:Well... by bahamat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    That was actually said to an associate of mine by someone from Novel. Somewhere around NetWare 5 there was a way for a regular user who had supervisor access to a subsection of the directory structure to remove all access from the real Supervisor (read root) to those files. He reported it as a bug, they claimed it was a feature.

  20. Re:In MS's defense. by bani · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I am a Linux and Mac fan. I also think LongHorn is playing catch up to apple as far as UI goes."

    You obviously don't have a mac.

    I have one, and OSX/Aqua is no end of illogical ui frustrations. Apple completely abandoned most of their original macos UI design guidelines in favor of eye candy.

  21. Re:wow. progress. by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I'm not really surprised this got modded up, but let me explain why this IS progress.

    The MS demographic does NOT use linux and solaris. This is new for them, and it is an improvement. Nobody said it was innovative, but it most certainly is progress. I'm really sick of people harping on MS for actually improving their OS. Yeah, they're stealing a lot of ideas from all over the place, but not only does that make a LOT of business sense for their company (a lot less risk, and proven results), it improves the product for their customers and raises the standards for the OS with the biggest marketshare out there.

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