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Microsoft Causes Internal Family Strife
techmuse writes "Fresh from its ad featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld eating churros and discussing shoes, Microsoft has introduced a new advertisement in which the aging former CEO and comedian take up residence with a family, causing infighting and malicious plots by the family members. Although the ad does not mention Microsoft's operating system directly, it does mirror the real world experience of the company's products — appearing where not wanted, hard to remove, causing administration headaches, and finally being forced out in hopes of getting one's living space back."
holy flamebait summary, batman!
the united states is a nation of laws; badly written and randomly enforced -- frank zappa
Microsoft's operating system - appearing where not wanted, hard to remove, causing administration headaches, and finally being forced out in hopes of getting one's living space back.
Well you know you could just avoid giving Microsoft all this publicity if you feel so strongly about the quality of their products.
As for the advert, I thought it was quite funny. It didn't mention any specific products, but that's not really the point: the very personification of Microsoft (good ol' Bill) is given a soft, friendly image that will inevitably reflect onto the company and its products. It's got a kind of quirkiness that works really well - this will no doubt help improve sales of more personal product line (such as the Zune) that aren't really compatible with the hygienic, corporate image of Windows and Office.
Amnesty International
So the first ad was a disaster. I get that Jerry and Bill are stars in the IT world, but is the posting of each in the series of ads intended to document something about Microsoft? Perhaps rubbernecking at the demise of MS, how low and stupid they are going to go in their quest to become relevant again?
This post brought to you by your friendly neighborhood MBA.
Is this Seinfeld essentially trying to beat Larry David at his own game, while selling out in the process?
I am un-impressed.
Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
How would the scammers tie your MAC address to your email?
I'd rather see him have to admin an MS shop myself.
I don't care why you're posting AC
All I want to know is if you can eat it yet?
Try figuring out an enterprise solution for Mac's... Windows Administration is second to none
When I see/hear of things like the above or placing the 'wrong' picture behind someone or calling your new communication system "skynet", I take comfort in thinking that people who hate their jobs have opted for monkey-wrenching things VS thinking the world is full of clueless gits.
Dear Bill and Jerry: It's not enough to bumble around and admit you made mistakes, especially in such a high profile campaign. The *only* way that this ad series could turn things around is if they get to the end and reveal that MS has been working on a rock-solid replacement, and that it's available immediately. That, of course, is an impossibility. At best, we'll get vague promises that something better is coming soon (either that, or Seinfeld will sport a Tux t-shirt in the final sequence).
Microsoft is certainly spending a fortune in an attempt to reverse user opinion on Vista. I manage ad buys for a major tech site, and they dramatically outbid everyone - including Apple's back-to-school campaign - to make sure that their Mojave Project video ads anchored the site for almost a month. Interestingly, the campaign had a pretty strong response rate throughout its run - people really wanted to see what MS was up to. It surprised me that a bunch of hardcore geeks would care, actually.
A possible way to make this video funny would have been to have the family demand their monthly rent: $1,000,000.00 - each. Upon which, Gates and Seinfeld open their wallets and pay in cash or open their wallets and have nothing and just say we're broke can we pay next month.
And the point?
I'd like to see them visit a family with a nerdy kid who uses a MythTV box.
"Yeah, I used to use Windows, but it wouldn't record all the shows I told it to -- something about a "broadcast flag content protection error". Ever since I replaced it with Myth, I've had no more problems.".
...or does anyone get a "Napoleon Dynamite" vibe from these ads? If that is what they are shooting for, no wonder they are so boring.
It's got everyone talking about MS - yet again right? Whether in a good light or bad... well we all tend to have a more negative perspective on MS.
But then again, look at the weird ad(s) that Seinfeld has done in the past - American Express with Superman?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofLH2ZzLtvU
If any of these ads are supposed mean something, it's probably going to come up sometime later once the series is half-done.
The underlying message is that Microsoft (via Bill Gates -- as the symbolic head of Microsoft) is spending time understanding its customers. It's an astonishing mea culpa -- an admittance of past sins and guilt. Few other corporate entities would be as prepared to admit their past failings.
This campaign may well run until 2010, when the next Windows is due -- that's only just over a year away, depending on launch month. It might be very advanced publicity for that version, rather than Vista.
It's very sad trying to be funny and not succeeding. The first ad hinted that a ridiculously stupid campaign was looming. This second ad has confirmed it.
That summary is one of the lamest most flameyest summaries I've ever seen on here. How about you grow up and understand that not everyone wants to spend hours upon hours learning a new operating system.
Especially one as convoluted as Linux. I'm able to do whatever I need to do on windows just fine. It isn't difficult to not be infected with viruses, spyware or to not have your machine crash on you (Can't remember the last time that happened, I know it was at least years ago).
Sorry linux fanboy, until windows isn't able to do something I need it to do I'll keep using it. Windows is just a tool and it doesn't bother me one bit.
Anyone else confused about the 4 1/2 minute length?! For a single ad? They must have to buy complete commercial blocks to run this thing in.
No room for anyone but MS with that length. But I guess that's been their philosophy since the 80's.
Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
Microsoft did not connect billions. They did not create TCP/IP, SMTP, the Web, or much of anything else.
They have ridden the wave with mediocre email apps and web browsers, but that's not much to crow about.
( And you would not have to crawl under a car to diagnose a blown head gasket, so there )
Not laugh out loud funny, but at least it had its moments.
I'm still clueless where the humor was meant to be in the first one.
I'll say, this one is definitely much better than the last. I still find Bill Gates to be way too wooden. I'm not asking for him to be really loose, but he barely moves. He looks like someone who just froze when a camera got pointed at him.
That said, like the last one, I don't like the ending. Those little bits "if blah blah blah then do X" bits just don't work for me. I'd much prefer the commercials if they just left that bit out.
Still, much improved. Let's see what the next one is.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
It's good to know that I can come to slashdot anytime for fair and balanced news.
Oh wait, there's nothing fair or balanced about this. It's not even news.
What I got from the first commercial was:
Jerry represents a brainless Microsoft customer who is destined to take first place in the Darwin Awards. His head is so full of idiotic ideas that when Bill Gates wants to sell him a "sweet and chewy" PC, he's first in line to break his teeth.
The second commercial seemed well summed up by this article. A cost/benefit analysis of a Seinfeld/Gates stay is like my experience installing XP: You can explicitly tell them twice to stay off the internet and use an assigned address, but they have no respect for social mores. They will fill your resources with their aging disfunctional bloat.
He's a cool guy, but I wonder where this is going.
Gates using Emacs,
RMS using Word,
see which head splodes first.
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
There are a lot of possessions that don't construct intelligence!
Regards
Martha
The family having a son who's into emo music, dresses in women's jeans, is bicurious and self-obsessed in a flood of his own drama should do nicely.
Anti-Globalism, Traditionalism, and FreeBSD.
The first rule of entertainment is "Give them what they want."
That's a pretty misleading headline, kid.
Slashdot would currently be having a big ol' circle-jerk.
*facepalm*
How about W.C. Fields for the next one?
We can work all the way back to Aristophanes if need be. Never let anyone say Microsoft's "out of touch" with the "hipsters."
http://rocknerd.co.uk
This is another version, slightly longer than the one posted.
I thought this line during the bedtime story ("the fact that a design uses inheritence and polymorphism does not make it a good design") was actually pretty funny. But, also, I have 2 kids and I have read about 10,000 bedtime stories to them over their 4 years of life, so my sense of humor might just be a little twisted. The ads could be pretty good if the acting, timing of lines and editing was just a little bit better.
What's wrong with Microsoft making stupid commercials? I'm tagging this "bias".
The government can't save you.
...the ad's still funnier tah idle.
In my opinion, Microsoft & AOL were the 2 companies responsible
for connecting billions.
Before Microsoft, computers were something used by Insurance & Finance
companies. And a few hobbyists with their Commodores. Microsoft got
the computer to the common man. And then AOL helped connect these computers
to the net.
Is it not enough watching Bill Gates talking to the kid about Polymorphism, both having no clue about whatsoever.
hilarious
Because I don't like the plugging of a Mac site for a MS video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWPf1BWtkw
It is obvious that these ads are about changing people's perception of Microsoft, from a big scary company to something that is personable, friendly and helpful. In that sense, they probably work really well.
However, is that what Microsoft really needs? To have a great business you have a great product and use marketing to shout about why it is great. Microsoft have a bad product (in Vista) and are trying to change the perception of the company with funny ads. It looks like a pretty crappy position to be in to me.
he very personification of Microsoft (good ol' Bill) is given a soft, friendly image
That's the weird thing about these ads - they are promoting Bill Gates, not Microsoft or its products.
Clearly the assumption is what's good for Bill is good for MS.
As Louis XIV said: "L'Etat, c'est moi".
with these ads, it seems it's more a case of laughing at you instead of laughing with you. Maybe there's such a thing as a negative buzz, too, you think?
If you think of it as watching some new Seinfeld show (instead of a commercial), it makes more sense. I chuckled at a few parts, it seemed a little long as it went on without any real plot, but in the end I was entertained.
But very strange that it had no commercial breaks.
--
UNIX make better lovers.
What little respect I had for the news-worthy-ness of slashDot is pretty much gone when I read a synopsis like that.
You really should remove the word "News" from you tagline. "Bias for Nerds" is more like it.
I'll try anything once. Twice if it tastes good
They were probably thinking that they'd make the front page of Slashdot every time they ran one of these ads, since we enjoy WTFing over them so much.
As far as it's relevance and depth are concerned, I'll leave that to you.
Me? I'm willing to see where they take it. I'm getting the subtle (and blatant) security, complexity, and usability references. Bring on more. I'm mildly entertained.
If the campaign were to end with a shocking release of a new OS and a "We Finally Get It" slogan, I'd also be pleased. Mildly entertained will have to do.
Microsoft increasingly has the problem with advertising that their is no actual reason to choose their products over the competition, therefore they have difficulty promoting their products in advertising by making any rational appeal.
If the purpose of advertising is to increase brand awareness, what is the purpose of advertising if you are Microsoft, you own the market, and everyone is already aware of your brand?
Maybe that Microsoft is a monopoly explains the new strategy of not mentioning their product in advertisements. Some sharp advertising executive realized that Microsoft did not need to mention their own products in commercials because everyone has already heard of them. Then he sold that idea to Balmer.
Though while Microsoft is in the enviable position having already achieved near 100% global product awareness, they face a new challenge that in addition to the public being aware of their products it is increasingly aware that those products suck.
Exhibit A is the the idiotic Mojave Experiment campaign which confronted that problem directly. Mistake 1: It was a public acknowledgment by Microsoft of widespread public discontentment with Vista and Mistake 2: It was an unconvincing attempt at persuasion using the pseudoscience of pop psychology. The argument goes like "you all think Vista sucks and we are going prove scientifically in a laboratory that you do not really think that Vista sucks as much as you think it sucks.
The Mojave campaign had the problem that it was about how people thought that Vista sucks and that is not a fact that you want to be advertising to your customers. By being about nothing, the Seinfeld+Gates campaign does not make the same mistake. But it still fails to overcome the problem which is that Vista is a bad product and their is growing public perception of that. Their are subtle and indirect forms of promotion. Consumers are irrational. Based on the advertisements which I see, I am pretty sure that male brains actually work in way which makes "Wow, the woman in that photo holding that bottle has great tits, therefore I will drink Budweiser." An argument to purchase a product can be both convincing and irrational, but Microsoft's new ads are not in any way convincing.
Ceci n'est pas une signature.
Gates: eh... Where's the mouse?
RMS: Argh! my eyes, my eyes!
Are these commercials actually supposed to be about Windows or something, or are they actually a launching platform for a Wes Anderson-style sitcom starting the new comedic buddy team?
they allow a senile grandmother work on major portions of it, when she obviously doesn't know which side the headgasket is on.
If you want to check for a blown headgasket. Pull the dipstick. The oil will look like mocha cappacino. No need to go under the car.
Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
No wirless. Less space than a Nomad. In short....Lame.
Seriously now...what the hell?!!?!
And there are a lot of intelligences that don't construct valid HTML. At first glance, the site you linked is missing .. uh, well let's start with the DOCTYPE?!
If you're gonna spam on slashdot, it better validate. Although I have to admit I do like the minimalist look; it's kind of a pity that in 2008 you really need that doctype.
Let my new 7-digit UID be a lesson to all - write down your passwords.
Why does this story not link to the original video at Microsoft's website? http://www.microsoft.com/windows/
Of course you must mean a splodes...
The ad is being discussed positively in non-MS hating circles, and it's not about torturing kittens or any other such nonsense, so none of your points apply.
To quote LongNoi "QZTR was right and won't leave me alone because I called him a moron when I was wrong" FYS
Remember, most average consumers don't give a crap about Microsoft vs. Linux, Microsoft's business practices, or anything else that might raise the hackels of an average Slashdot reader. The Bill Gates known to the public is "some rich guy" who has an organization (the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) that seems to do a lot of good things for schools, libraries, and the world (e.g., AIDS research and vaccination programs). They might be intrigued by the very human image of a seemingly superhuman persona. And, YES, having such a favorable image of Mr. Gates will translate into good feelings for his first-born child, Windows.
I use irony whenever I can, but my shirts are still wrinkled...
Facts speak volumes.
As you seem to live in another planet, and one where facts do speak volumes nonetheless, I friendly request that you take me to your leader -- after asserting that your homeworld environment is livable for my pitiful lifeform.
Because, in this planet:
But facts were never and will never be on the list. Not even close.
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
holy flamebait summary, batman!
Seriously... Slashdot never has made claims at being unbiased, and I have no excess fondness for MS products (I'm currently writing this from my ubuntu desktop) but still... Frontpaging needlessly harsh opinions best left to tongue-in-cheek office humor don't serve the slashdot community.
If I want vitriolic bias, I'll head to Fox News.
most average consumers don't give a crap about Microsoft vs. Linux
Most of we geeks don't either. Anyone who doesn't treat a piece of software as a tool to get a job done and then not choose the best tool for the job, is an idiot. To a geek, that's all that matters - not who made it.
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
No, Steve Jobs will make the world better by selling cellphones that'll end up in landfills! That's all that's needed! None of this "giving to charity" thing. The starving and ill just need phones and ipods.
It HAS to be bad: it is a metamorphosis campaign. Later on they redo much of it, only better. Think patches.
There was this other thing but the still pointless yet intriguing ad cleansed my skull. Interpret that any way you prefer as with the ad: what you want is what you see, not what you observe.
Hivemind harvest in progress..
Has that young Steve Jobs guy instead of some old fart like Gates
There was a time, long ago, when everything wasn't about the money.
No there was not. Never. It was always everything about the money. Before money existed, it was everything about comforts: food, shelter, not being eaten, reproducing. After money existed, you just trade all of them for money, so... it always was everything about the money. Get over it. There were never "better times". There always have being wars, and wars were ever about the money. People kill and abuse it other, most of the times for money, but sometimes just out of plain meanness. We suck.
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
Just because an ad is being talked about does not make it effective...
The "Where's the beef?" commercial years ago was a great commercial... an old lady asking where the beef is.
The only problem was that, although people were talking about it, no one could remember what product the commercial was for and did not generate the needed sales.
After a while, it was pulled and Wendy's did other things... (yes, being a business student who had been studying marketing, i remember the product).
soylentnews.org Go there to enjoy the people!
It portrayed him as awkward and out-of-touch. It even evoked his massive wealth as a reason for being out-of-touch. The entire concept seems out-of-touch in the first place. For those that the humor appeals to, the humor isn't particularly directed in a way that is favorable for the product, company, or Gates himself.
It's just a poor ad strategy so far.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
those commercials are Seinfeld commercials in which they are commercials about nothing much like "Seinfeld" was a Sitcom about nothing, much like Microsoft Windows is an operating system about nothing. :)
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
Fox News can't touch DailyKos for vitriolic bias.
JOIN US FOR PONG!
Apple fanbois exist purely because of clever Apple marketing.
Macbooks and OS X are marketed as "exclusive" products so that to appeal to a minority who need to feel part of an elitist club without having to work at it - let's face it, anyone who chose to use Linux to make a political statement would like an idiot unless he/she spent a lot of time learning how to work with it. Apples are, to my knowledge, easy to use and therefore save on spending time with a steep learning curve.
Incidentally, this isn't a direct criticism of OS X because in 30 years of computing I've never found a reason to own one single Apple product so I can't comment on how good or bad it is - yes, I use mostly Linux and quite a bit of Windows and both of those together do everything that I need a computer to do.
But Macs will always be a minority product compared to PCs running Windows, as I suspect Linux will probably be also. Apple does not have the capability to support a version of OS X on PCs because it does not have the resource to devote to getting OS X to work with countless different types of CPU and hardware on PCs - that's the core reason why there won't be a version of OS X for the PC.
And before any Apple users disagree with me, can I ask how many of you have ever hidden or removed the Apple logo from any Mac that you own? I suspect none of you because displaying the logo is just as important, if not more so, than the usability of the machine and OS X.
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
It's a criticism of the campaign directly. A fair criticism pointing out an interpretation of the campaign that seems as likely as any positive interpretation could be.
In terms of MS's ubiquitous nature, you can't deny that regardless of your desires, MS will crop up in your life. Repeatedly. Go buy a new laptop, most of them strive to have Windows when you get it. You want to ditch Windows and Office, fine, but then cope with the market realities of software support stipulations.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
However I am finding that Software freedom comes at a cost of other freedoms.
What exactly is harmed by having more transparency and lower communication costs resulting in more efficient infrastructure?
And those guys who choose windows over Linux aren't as stupid as I once believed, and actually had informed reasons to do so
In every case I've seen it, it's because the C-level people find the name Microsoft socially acceptable explanation for everything technological. Sprinkle ANY useless explanation with Microsoftisms like "microsoft's documentation", "active directory", ".Net", "Exchange server" and they just accept the answer as is. Obligatory star wars reference, "These are not the droids you are looking for." Try it sometime!
http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
Then again, Gates should be told of the Seinfeld jinx.
Jokes on us, it's not a ad for MS products. It's a new sitcom from the maker's of Seinfeld.
....... Thus ends my attempt at wit or whatever
You see I'm a member of that small group of people who just don't get Seinfeld. I've tried, lord knows I've tried, but I just don't find it funny (along Frasier, Sex and the City and the Vicar of Dibbly).
And I didn't get that 'ad' either - so I just figured it was just like an episode of Seinfeld.
Which one is Kramer? That funny old dude with the glasses? He is funny.
Genesis 1:32 And God typed
Surely some people don't age gracefully.
No wonder the world is in the sorry state it is, since the people that should be providing guidance are relinquishing this responsibility.
As for a company making competitive products, you are rewriting history, MS has been prosecuted and convicted in different legal localities for stifling competition, so kindly explain how the hell you are squaring that circle.
If getting older means relinquishing important values and giving a pass to people that have not mended their ways, oh goodness, I wish not to get any older...
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Well, it will take much more than that to make me buy Vista, and they still are a couple of yards away from the "MAC vs PC" adds, but they seem in the right path... the right path to a good marketing campaign, at least ;)
"A sysadmin is a cross between a detective, a police officer, a gardener, a doctor and a fireman"
And when DailyKos shows up on basic cable and a good chunk of the public-facing TVs out there, that comparison will make sense.
If you mod me Overrated, you are admitting that you have no penis.
Sweet jumping Jesus on a pogo stick but I get sick of listening to partisan crap.
"They did it first."
"They do it worse than we do it."
"It's different when we do it."
Enough already.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
The funny thing is that Gates is probably excellent at Emacs and he's likely a lot smarter than you :)
born before the interwebs!
How much is your data worth? Back it up now.
Ok: s/DailyKos/MSNBC/
JOIN US FOR PONG!
say, a nontechnical interface for the household environment
i got an idea!
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Advertising is old, but not that old.
I think he is talking about the first time a woman slept w/ a man for a piece of meat he got when he accidentally killed an animal using a rock.
Oh wait, I bet she shook it so he'd know what to trade... nvm... Advertising came first.
How much is your data worth? Back it up now.
Ok... after watching both of them, I'm now completely sick. Who was that camera person? The first rule of good videographing is that the person forgets they are watching a video.... this broke all those rules... I was kept having to refocus on the image as it swung all over the place... and it said nothing about the products... ick.
So the ad is a metaphor ... having a Windows product with you (phone, OS, etc) is like having the "worlds richest man" at your service, or in your pocket, so to speak.
To be sure, that's something I'm not that keen on.
Subject line says it all.
I take no responsibility for what I say. Even though I'm never wrong
Fox News doesn't wish people would die of cancer or refer to dead soldiers by saying "screw them." In fact, media studies show Fox News as the most centrist news media. What you and other lefties object to is that they dare have conservative commentators hosting their opinion shows (the horror!).
I work with a co-worker whose retired husband reads DailyKos all day and calls her with every left-wing conspiracy theory, which she parrots as fact to the rest of the office. Today she said that Palin and McCain wear an earpiece during interviews so that someone can tell them what to say (Obama, of course, doesn't). It obviously came from some comment on the Kos, but this the kind of goofy crap that the pro-Obama half of the nation actually believes thanks to such loony websites. It's all emotional hatred and vitriol.
"Sufferin' succotash."
this is Amerika! Facts are for losers. The government doesn't need facts, the news media doesn't need facts, our retarded citizens don't need facts. Gee imagine if they presidential election was based on facts and not made up innuendo?
Gates is not a technical person. He doesn't know squat about anything beyond where the start button is and how to send an email.
You mean MSNBC right? Well they did just fire Olbermann so that's good but before that they were pretty much full of vitrolic bias.
Gates uses the Emacs operating system to virtualise Windows XP and Word.
Gates wins
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
"In fact, media studies show Fox News as the most centrist news media."
In a study conducted by Fox News. But seriously, cite please? Nobody could really say that with a straight face.
Just because a kook you know reads DailyKos doesn't make Fox balanced.
"But this one goes to 11!"
I get all my news from the Internet and I don't have cable. The demographic of both audiences and the reach of both is changing drastically each year. The comparison DOES make sense.
Let's see... Fox News has Editorials or Editorial based shows. MSNBC has biased NEWS ANCHORS who should be reporting the facts but spew left leaning bias all day instead. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
These ads to me are very funny, and probably expensive.
I hope the 3rd or 4th ad has a good payoff though. I really don't know what exactly they could possibly do other than put lipstick on the Vista pig though. ;)
LOL! Funny summary. :-D
How can you possibly reach the conclusion that I am a "leftie" based solely on the fact that I think it's invalid to compare a mainstream cable channel to a kooky web site?
I am not, and never have been, a "leftie". I object to your blanket and misplaced categorization.
If you mod me Overrated, you are admitting that you have no penis.
really? i take it you've not seen oriely recently
IranAir Flight 655 never forget!
This is a profound theological point that is simply "above my paygrade".
The G_d news is, there are theologians available:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.emacs/browse_thread/thread/23a8eecb8a858d0b?hl=en#
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
No, I don't watch O'Reilly. Brit Hume FTW. But you can't seriously be comparing him to Kos. He's not even in the same league as Matthews or Olberman. Also, I don't consider O'Reilly to be terribly conservative. On some things he is, but I've heard plenty of liberal opinions come from him, too.
JOIN US FOR PONG!
Let me summarize your post:
People who like Macs exist because of advertising. I have never used a Mac, so I have no idea if there are other reasons or not. My evidence for my position is that nobody removes the Apple logo from their computers.
The Apple logo is, and has been for a decade, a part of the computer. Removing it would be stupid. How many people remove the VAIO logo embedded in the lid of their Sonys? Did you rip the maker logo out of your steering wheel too?
Gates is not a technical person. He doesn't know squat about anything beyond where the start button is and how to send an email.
Okay, I really don't like Windows or MS. Really, I use Linux and OS/X [1] and avoid Windows like the plague. But one thing I am getting tired of everywhere is all the incorrect "common knowledge" circulating. Gates was a programmer and while he may be rusty, there is no evidence he is a technical idiot - especially when compared to the vast majority of CEOs.
[1] No doubt, some groups on Slashdot will now label me a fanboi. Go ahead, that will convince me to see the light that is so obvious to you that only a 'tard wouldn't know it's the absolute truth. What was I ever thinking?
Some privacy policy Slashdot.
I know people personally, who have presented to Bill in the last two years, and I can assure you that Bill is quite conversant with technical matters far beyond where the start button is. One of the guys is a dev lead at MSFT, and I guarantee you he isn't discussing the color of the Vista desktop.
I was taught to respect my elders. The trouble is, it's getting harder and harder to find some.
Even Gates knows vi is better.
He thought nobody would need more then 512k of RAM?
I've actually been using vi of late under Solaris.
Definitely the highland bagpipe of editors, that one.
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
Where I come from, there's a saying: "If you associate with brigands and you are silent, you are a brigand yourself."
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
davecb5620@gmail.com
I would have watched the commercial, but my T.V. just blue screened as soon as bill gates showed his face...
Well being "nice", I don't want you to do that. What I would like to see is real hard hitting criticism using real world examples. I say slap them around with the truth and that alone will be enough. We can pummel them to death or force them to change with the truth.
Besides, it's not like they are "winning" anything. Ask anyone on the street about windows and the overall sentiment is that it really does suck, but there is no alternative. We know that's not true and hence must teach them. So our work there is already done, let's move on to teaching and new solutions.
Gates is now in that portion of his career where he wants to leave a legacy of having not lived an evil, selfish life. Very rich people have done this before. In retirement, they realize the world thinks they're dicks, and without work to fill their attention and worlds to conquer, it's time for a little mid-life narcissism.
This isn't about selling Windows. It's about white-washing the crust of evil so that he can feel good about himself in the world's eyes, and Bill the conqueror is perfectly willing to blow millions of dollars to make sure we all love him. He's even gotten involved with one of the most influential charitable organizations in the world, (though in classic Bill style, it's one which divides people. Planned Parenthood, beneath it's brochure values is based on the idea that the human population needs executive control to make sure only the right people have babies. Harsh, I know, but check out the history. There's been a lot of scrubbing, but it's foundation is rather creepy.)
How about this, Bill: Give me ten million dollars and I'll tell everybody you're a great guy.
Brr. Wow. I just went there in my head for a second. Personal insight; I just learned that I actually wouldn't shill for Bill.
-FL
Random Joe's opinion on a OS and commercials about such is now news? **Newsflash** Some dude doesn't like apple pie.
Bill has way more technical skill than most. He certainly has more than Jobs.
"A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
(I don't even doubt that someone, somewhere has written the latter complete with Clippy AND Ribbon in one package... link?)
That (unverifiable) quote dates back to 1981, when computers were running a hell of a lot less than 512k. Misjudging how fast computers would become and how cheap they'd get isn't being technically incompetent, it's just being short sited.
*yes bad source, but all the links for this quote are blogs and mailing lists and the like
open source modern art: laser taggi
To pre-empt the grammer Nazi's: I know I screwed up and it should be sighted, not sited.
open source modern art: laser taggi
Gp made the point that if this ad was about "x", it being discussed could be bad.
The problem, as I noted, is that it isn't about "x" and so his points don't apply.
So which one of you basement dwelling MS hating fuckwits decided "sorry but it's not about torturing kittens" is flamebait?
God you people are fucking pathetic in your irrational hatred sometimes...
To quote LongNoi "QZTR was right and won't leave me alone because I called him a moron when I was wrong" FYS
Well if you set the bar that low anybody can clear it.
UCLA study backs up parent:
One of our measures found that the Drudge Report is the most centrist of all media outlets in our sample. Our other measure found that Fox Newsâ(TM) Special Report is the most centrist. These findings refer strictly to the news stories of the outlets.
source: A Measure of Media Bias
open source modern art: laser taggi
The first ad was kind of funny to me, I dont know why. This one was horse's shit and was 4 minutes long.
And whats up with Bill's acting skills. His lines feel so read. Come on, money bags can't afford a weekend acting boot camp!?
And Jerry Fucking Seinfeld?! What were they thinking.
BillGates: These Mac ads are making us look like douchebags. How can we look cool?
MarketingExec: How about we make shitty vignettes of you and Jerry Seinfeld?
BG: Thats the guy that wrote 'Bee Movie' right?!
MarketingExec: Yep
BG: Perfect. No one could possibly think we are douchebags after doing a skit with Jerry Seinfeld.
Wrong, you are more douchey. Like an old festering summer's eve nozzle. Next time you want to do some comedy Bill, bringeth the iceman.
Was the funniest person on the commercial. I want a granny who can fix cars!!!
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
A Measure of Media Bias
open source modern art: laser taggi
No, there isn't.
The difference is that the people you mention are on the other side of the fence from you. It makes it seem like there is a difference, because you've picked a side. In short, you are part of the problem. You can't see it though because you're personally involved. Both sides are biased. If you claim one isn't, then *you* are biased as well.
I find both sides of this stupid left vs. right bickering tediously boring. And fantastically childish. Both sides are absolutely reprehensible. More harm is done to my country with this "us versus them" mentality than any good that could possibly come from it.
So stop it, or I'll turn this car around right now.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
Bill has way more technical skill than most. He certainly has more than Jobs.
And WAAAAAYYY more than Seinfeld.
Not a big MS fan here, but if the "point" of the ads is to make MS more approachable and less hated, they may work. I found the latest ad pretty funny.
You know what else is reprehensible? You talking down to me like I am a child.
And just before:
No sir, what is reprehensible is fat fucks like Michael Moore appearing on MSNBC
Sound grown up to you?
So I'm sorry, but I *am* turning this car around. You're grounded.
And no, we're not still going to grandma's.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-39294-118.html
The overall arc of this episode involves the way Microsoft sees Apple, Macs and related products in terms of connectivity with âoereal peopleâ. In this case, the real people, however, are represented by a family who represents Apple and a story that describes the narrow boundaries this family chose to live in.
There is the 1960s style house (an overall impression of Apple), which is old. It has wood paneling in the basement, typical 60s styling on the outside, and yet there is the fundamental belief system that what they have is very nice. This is exemplified by the fact that the family is very much focused on visuals â" they donâ(TM)t like the look of the car in their neighborâ(TM)s driveway, they keep the property clean and there is fancy (a bit too much perhaps) paint in the childrenâ(TM)s room. Message: Apple in its core is old, but has some nice, clean touches here and there.
There are also those âoefancyâ symbols that go along with the overall theme that the surface matters, not the inside. A âoeleatherâ toy giraffe, cheese on the same old potatoes that are served everyday and a limited supply of Dijon mustard to spice up your life â" a supply that Apple limits uses to lure Windows users into the Apple world. But the supply will run out eventually.
There are so many little jabs at Apple in this commercial. We originally set out to write another dissection article, but the commercial itself is 4.5 minutes long. Such a dissection would've been a dissertation and, out of respect for our readers we decided against it.
There are some humorous bits though would like to highlight. We'll go briefly through the video and bring them out for discussion. In the comments section you can relate to these parts by number.
(1) The scene has a typical, regular average income family sitting around a dinner table. Everyone is passing out food and beginning to eat when the (2) wife begins making comments about appearance. She refers to a car that's been parked in the neighbor's driveway for a while now and how it's inappropriate. After Seinfeld complains that there was some gum in his dinner roll, (3) the wife says she has mustard with white wine sauce. There's a comment made by the father after the grandmother says to Seinfeld, "You're in my seat funny man." He has an almost "please kill me now" look on his face saying, "She's been here 12 years." (4) This is a reference to the time Steve Jobs came back to Apple in 1996. And finally, (5) Gates asks, "Didn't we have this yesterday" after being handed his meal. Seinfeld replies, (6) "Put some cheese on it." Note all the visuals provided in this part â" the fancy China and glasses, but missing essentials such as ketchup. Gum in a roll that can be patched with Dijon mustard and potatoes that can be fancied up with cheese. Message: Itâ(TM)s all about the facade.
When we finally see the outside of the house, (7) the yard is so full of bushes and plants that it's just cluttered and has no real practical use, just appearance. Just like the (8) pool scene with the slow flowing water that never warms up making the pool experience less than it should be and the (9) grandmother cleaning up the yard with a leaf blower, all for appearance purposes. In addition, there's a (10) table tennis set downstairs in the basement. The wife has no real ability to play as is indicated in a few scenes. Again, it's something that's not really used and is just there for appearance. The table tennis scene can also be interpreted in a way that you just can play with a Mac.
There are (11) two scenes whereby the father and son are eating the âoemustard with the white wineâ. They are doing it secretly and for âoethe boozeâ, and are trying to escape the reality of their situation, which (12) could be likened to an Apple user's limited ab
For Christ's sake, this isn't news for nerds. This is news for marketing. All that I can gather from this commercial is that Gates' retirement has given him time for his new job; being a celebrity.
I guess you could argue that it's news for marketing nerds, but that's probably the worst kind of nerd, just a couple steps below grammar nazi nerds.
braces himself for the "insensitive clod" comments
What's the value of information that you don't know?
... you saw a Coca-Cola commercial?
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
i dunno
No, damnit! He didn't!
Spoken like every Lunix d00d I've ever encountered. You guys may wow the neophytes, but once you run into somebody who actually knows what they are doing, and you lose the high paid consulting gig you bluffed your way into. But then, like a true Lunix d00d, you just move on to another prospective chump who you can wow with technobabble.
I have only met a single Lunix d00d who knew how to do anything correctly in Windows... but it's actually because he was an old school UNIX guy, so I guess that doesn't actually count.
Every Lunix d00d I've ever met whines endlessly about all the things Windows "can't" do... and then, just for fun, I tell them how to do it. And it's generally the most basic Windows 101 level stuff.
If I were a hiring manager, hearing someone prefers Lunix would immediately disqualify them from a tech job which didn't involve using Lunix. 99.99999% of all Lunix d00dz are predominantly bullshit artists.
which is just as short sighted. In addition he said
The point is since the early days he surrounded himself with smart people but he himself has been time and time again shortsighted. He is the quintessential pointy hair boss. He know the vocabulary but know what it means.
I agree with the first half of what you say, but I think the second half is wrong. Try being in business for 30 years in one of the world's top corporations and not making a couple short sighted comments. What would have truly been short-sighted is if they didn't actually release a 32-bit system (or a 64 bit system, etc). I would bet he understands more than most people give him credit for.
Uh, yeah right- whatever... except for the fact that he was being paid to write code by the age of 15. At 17, he was selling code to the city of Seattle.
That would have to be a pre-release copy of DNF — just one of the perquisites of abject [sic] wealth and influence, I suppose.
If I want vitriolic bias, I'll head to Fox News.
Or you could get all the vitriol you want with less effort by staying here.
.. that kid levitated his house with his Amiga..
-- Senior Software Engineer, Attorney appearance services, locallawyerapp.com.
Microsoft Windows is like ill-fitting underwear and shoes that are too tight?
Troll.
Why does every discussion on Slashdot devolve to partisan attacks on one of the American political parties?
s/on one of/on one or more of/ :-)
There, corrected for you
(and left an s/more/both/ overture for continuing jokes...)
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
Looks like my wife's grandmother's street in Ballard...
Sounds like a Frontline documentary I've watched a couple years back.
frontline: the persuaders
The first advert was complete rubbish but this one wasn't too bad. It looks like the adverts are improving. Share Windows isn't doing the same.
So a crypto-right-wing news corporation strikes you as more biased than an openly right-wing news corporation. Shrug.
I have no idea what you're talking about here. Shrug.
JOIN US FOR PONG!
I'm talking about how boring it is to compare the relative bias or display thereof from a bunch of right wing news sources.
Ok, so you define "a bunch" as one. I guess you're entitled to your opinion.
JOIN US FOR PONG!
Fox News, MSNBC, Kos.
Ok, so it's worse than that. You have a strange definition of "right wing." Good luck with that.
JOIN US FOR PONG!
Uh, LOL. Read up on the methodology of that study. Its pure bunk. Spend 5 minutes actually watching any of the media channels you're talking about and you'll see how far off the thing is.
The world you experience is only a close approximation of reality.
Ah yes, MSNBC's famous leftist news anchors. Which one were you refering to? Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson, Nancy Grace? MSNBC has Keith Olbermann, who is sick of having a lying sack of shit for President (which I guess makes him Liberal, since conservatives love comfortable lies and base their worldviews around them), and in the last week or so they added Rachel Maddow. Wow, quite the liberal lineup there. Did you always just believe everything a white male authority figure told you to think, or did your parents have to beat that into you?
The world you experience is only a close approximation of reality.
Capitalist, imperialist, statist. There are differences between the Democrats and Republicans, so far as that goes, but the differences are not "left" and "right". They're both corporate parties, they're both in favor of expansion of both the scope and power of the government, they're both in favor of increased police power, they're both in favor of increased US power. They both take donations from, and serve, the oil and power industries, the pharmaceutical industry, huge corporate agricultural interests, pretty much every industry with money and influence to throw around.
They both use the CIA, the DIA, the NSA, the FBI to assassinate and destabilize political opponents both in the US and abroad. They both send the military on imperial adventures. They both persecute religious minorities. They're both two faced about immigration law, pandering to the largely racist "reformists" but doing nothing to threaten the cheap labor that lax enforcement provides.
If you don't call all of that right wing, fine. I'm not too hung up on terminology. Call it what you want, but they serve power, and in that they're more alike than different. Their differences largely center around what strategies they think are most effective in these pursuits. But they both serve power.
And outfits like Fox seem to favor the Republicans (although I'll say that I think they'll show their true colors under a Democratic administration, and they'll pander to the Dems quite a lot more than they have before). And outfits like MSNBC... well, they favor whoever's in charge, and that's just blatantly obvious. They like a good controversy--that's good tv!--but when it comes down to it, they serve the White House. And well, Kos? They serve the Democrats.
So, "right wing" terminology aside... as far as I'm concerned, all three are very close politically. And arguing about which of them is the most... whatever... strikes me as a distraction, and one that serves all of them well.
s/these // :-)
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
Are you sexist because it was Ann Coulter who brought up the bias MSNBC has.
I wasn't trying to do anything other than insult the idiot mod for their moronic moderation.
If you weren't such an idiot yourself you would have realized that.
To quote LongNoi "QZTR was right and won't leave me alone because I called him a moron when I was wrong" FYS
Me.
I am discussing the ad positively and don't hate MS.
Now, could you provide some proof you'rwe not a retard to counter your last post, which seems to prove that you are.
"Any evidence..." seriously, are you really that fucking stupid...
To quote LongNoi "QZTR was right and won't leave me alone because I called him a moron when I was wrong" FYS
Torturing kittens wasn't my line and has nothing to do with
the point. Bringing it up is more evidence that you're a moron.
And that thing you and I are doing RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES, where I am DISCUSSING THE AD POSITIVELY, that's called a "discussion". and when I di it before? Yeah that was a discussion too.
And it appears that yes, you are exactly that fucking stupid
To quote LongNoi "QZTR was right and won't leave me alone because I called him a moron when I was wrong" FYS