http://www.elbot.com/
Isn't this the same canned-response loaded, keyword-parsing bots that have been around for a good 20 years? It isn't capable of constructing sentences, it has a database of prewritten responses that are invoked based on your input. Systems capable of actually constructing sentences deserve merits and praise, not bots that are capable of fooling stupid humans.
As for the Ad being a failure, Say what you will, but I can't really say it's a failure because we're talking about it right now on Slashdot. Sure it's in a negative light here, but you know you want to see the next one just for the simple reason of figuring out where Microsoft is trying to go with this campaign. It's been all over the net too, so it's getting the exposure. Now the question remains if the campaign as a whole can deliver.
Wrong - the ad is newsworthy and being discussed so much because of:
- the well-publicized $300 million price tag associated with the campaign
- the also well-publicized dismal reputation Vista has resulting in such an expensive campaign
- the failed effort Microsoft has made getting people to switch to Vista resulting in the campaign
- because Microsoft themselves and the OEMs had to offer a downgrade path to placate home and business users who actually wanted, no - DEMANDED to downgrade to XP from Vista due to the endless compatibility problems and performance issues
- because another recent Microsoft ad campaign ("Mojave") even went so far as to con users into using the product and then doing a "Pepsi taste test" style switcheroo, as if to say "Yeah, we know Vista's reputation is awful, but once you eliminate the negative stigma associated with the Vista name and trick people into using it, it's not so bad", even though the people in the Mojave commercials aren't actually forced to use Vista on a daily basis and do something as simple as install a new device or program, or drag a file to their desktop without being UAC-prompted to death.
No, the whole reason this commercial is newsworthy is not due to the content of the commercial itself, but due to the steep price tag, the hiring the star of the most successful sit-com of the past 20 years as well as the "Eternal Sunshine" director and the appearance of Gates himself, all in an attempt to shore up the sagging Vista brand which is not nearly as successful as the company hoped it would be.
Slashdot Mirror
http://www.elbot.com/ Isn't this the same canned-response loaded, keyword-parsing bots that have been around for a good 20 years? It isn't capable of constructing sentences, it has a database of prewritten responses that are invoked based on your input. Systems capable of actually constructing sentences deserve merits and praise, not bots that are capable of fooling stupid humans.
As for the Ad being a failure, Say what you will, but I can't really say it's a failure because we're talking about it right now on Slashdot. Sure it's in a negative light here, but you know you want to see the next one just for the simple reason of figuring out where Microsoft is trying to go with this campaign. It's been all over the net too, so it's getting the exposure. Now the question remains if the campaign as a whole can deliver.
Wrong - the ad is newsworthy and being discussed so much because of:
- the well-publicized $300 million price tag associated with the campaign
- the also well-publicized dismal reputation Vista has resulting in such an expensive campaign
- the failed effort Microsoft has made getting people to switch to Vista resulting in the campaign
- because Microsoft themselves and the OEMs had to offer a downgrade path to placate home and business users who actually wanted, no - DEMANDED to downgrade to XP from Vista due to the endless compatibility problems and performance issues
- because another recent Microsoft ad campaign ("Mojave") even went so far as to con users into using the product and then doing a "Pepsi taste test" style switcheroo, as if to say "Yeah, we know Vista's reputation is awful, but once you eliminate the negative stigma associated with the Vista name and trick people into using it, it's not so bad", even though the people in the Mojave commercials aren't actually forced to use Vista on a daily basis and do something as simple as install a new device or program, or drag a file to their desktop without being UAC-prompted to death.
No, the whole reason this commercial is newsworthy is not due to the content of the commercial itself, but due to the steep price tag, the hiring the star of the most successful sit-com of the past 20 years as well as the "Eternal Sunshine" director and the appearance of Gates himself, all in an attempt to shore up the sagging Vista brand which is not nearly as successful as the company hoped it would be.