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PC Magazine Editor Throws in the Towel on Vista

MacNN caught this incredible defection and loss of faith by a former Vista booster, PC Magazine editor-in-chief Jim Louderback, as he steps down from his position. "I've been a big proponent of the new OS over the past few months, even going so far as loading it onto most of my computers and spending hours tweaking and optimizing it. So why, nine months after launch, am I so frustrated? The litany of what doesn't work and what still frustrates me stretches on endlessly. The upshot is that even after nine months, Vista just ain't cutting it. I definitely gave Microsoft too much of a free pass on this operating system: I expected it to get the kinks worked out more quickly. Boy, was I fooled! If Microsoft can't get Vista working, I might just do the unthinkable: I might move to Linux."

11 of 816 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Just a skin by mikelieman · · Score: 4, Funny

    The marketing department *lied* to us?

    Shocked! I'm Shocked!

    --
    Technology -- No Place For Wimps! Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Chatroom -- http://www.wemissjerry.org
  2. Common mistake. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 5, Funny

    "I expected it to get the kinks worked out more quickly. Boy, was I fooled!"

    Lots of people make the mistake of thinking that Microsoft is a software company. That's wrong. Microsoft is an abuse company that uses software as a method of delivering abuse.

    My opinion. Maybe even partly a joke, maybe not.

    1. Re:Common mistake. by couchslug · · Score: 4, Funny

      I prefer to save money with Free Software and self-abuse.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  3. Re:Move to Linux? by Tony · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wait for SP2 before wasting your time.

    Yes. After SP2, you can waste your time much more efficiently.

    --
    Microsoft is to software what Budweiser is to beer.
  4. Re:If he's such an MS whore by Locutus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Networking is not that important or useful these days so what the heck is the author crying about?
    There obviously is little incentive for Microsoft to spend much time and effort in this area over the last 5 years of developing this "new" operating system. ;-/

    LoB

    --
    "Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
  5. Louderback on Linux by jayhawk88 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You know we like to joke about signs of the apocalypse, but wow. I would almost look forward to that. Can you just imagine the Louderback articles we'd get with him on Linux?

    vi v. emacs: The exciting new controversy
    How to protect your children from The Gimp
    Why won't anyone explain what GNU stands for?

  6. Re:Just a skin by realdodgeman · · Score: 3, Funny

    I maintain my position that Vista is just a new XP skin. I've heard a lot of talk about how parts were rewritten from the ground up - networking especially.
    It seems that they have indeed done some work with the networking. Now it works even less than before.
  7. Re:Doing the unthinkable by Wabin · · Score: 3, Funny
    Turn blue and die? Why does that sound familiar?


    Too easy, I know...

    --
    Most exciting phrase in science: not "Eureka!" but "Hmm... That's funny..." -Asimov (abridged for \. limits)
  8. Re:Just a skin by WiseWeasel · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wouldn't it be the author who was knocked out? The magazine headline would be "Triumphant Vista Defeats Editor"... : P

    --
    "I like systems, their application excepted", George Sand (French)
  9. Vista - The Abusive Relationship by shdowhawk · · Score: 4, Funny
    I swear people are stupid...

    Vista is the abusive one to the world. Always causing trouble and hurting the people around them...

    And what about us *nix and osx people? We're the "friends" .. the person you go to when you have troubles or just need to talk. Will we ever be "relationship" material? Will we ever just be USED by the abused one? (oh.. just to be used even once... we could show them how amazing we really are). God forbid they get seen using a mac or a linux box though! OMFGBBQLOLZWTF! What a horrible thought, what would the general society think?!!

    But ... they always go back to the abusive one... *sighs*

  10. Re:Unthinkable? - Why? by sakusha · · Score: 4, Funny

    All I can say, he deserves what he got.

    Yeah right. He deserves the millions of bucks he earned, shilling for Microsoft?

    Let me tell you a little Louderbeck anecdote, I still remember this incident vividly. A few years back, a cable tech channel (ZNet TV? I forget) carried the Macworld Conference Keynote with Steve Jobs live on their channel. A Stevenote is compelling enough a performance on its own to hold the audience, but for some incomprehensible reason, ZNet decided to have Louderbeck do commentary DURING the keynote. I don't even remember what products Jobs was announcing, all I remember is how the audio kept switching to Louderbeck's "commentary," he was continually bitching about how the new product sucked, and how it lacked important features. At one point, he was whining about one missing feature at the very moment that Jobs was describing that exact feature. Louderbeck looked like a complete and utter asshole.
    I note that since that day, Apple has never allowed any TV channel to broadcast their Keynotes and announcements.