MS alum: Surface is doomed, Win8 is an "assault weapon"

Windows 8 is just what Microsoft needs to take advantage of the ongoing irreversible shift from PCs to handheld devices according to the company's former OEM chief Joachim Kempin. But Microsoft should get out of the hardware business and ignore distractions like its retail stores.

Read more at source:
Microsoft alum: Surface is doomed, but Windows 8 is an "assault weapon" | CITEworld

 

[Ray8]

I've been wondering this myself: How does the idea that Surface is an "assault weapon" relate to Zune's story? Microsoft's Zune HD was an outstanding piece of hardware, and unfortunately, it never made it to popularity. I don't know what to blame: Microsoft's marketing team? The product itself for just not provided what people wanted at the time (apps)?

I'd say one reason Zune failed is that it was only for the US market. I know a lot of people wanted to get one here in Oz, but it wasn't going to happen. Look at what's happening with Surface Pro, US/Canada only for now and who knows when the rest of the world will get it. That is not great marketing, let alone the fact that Surface Pro should have come out before RT anyway.

 

[Hopachi]

That doesn't mean though that I need to be on the Internet to install programs etc.
I don't think I want to develop in that way at all - sounds a horrible future.

Cheers
jimbo

If M$ gets there way you will the APPS store is that way and now M$ office (no media just a key).

No big deal... Ubuntu also has a "store" BUT I can't do nothing offline when it comes to installing as well.
Windows was ideal for this and had an upper hand above Ubuntu when it comes to offline users.

When MS will fully transform like this, they will loose me as a user.

Having to become 100% dependent on internet just like it's possible with cigarettes and alcohol it's not my way of living.
And the Solaria thing mentioned above just creeps me out... although I like Isaac Asimov stories.

Office 2010 is fine, In the far future Open or LibreOffice will probably be used in this scenario.

But they can continue this way, no problem, because just a single user will be lost: me, possibly a few others.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

[JLyman]

That doesn't mean though that I need to be on the Internet to install programs etc.
I don't think I want to develop in that way at all - sounds a horrible future.

Cheers
jimbo

If M$ gets there way you will the APPS store is that way and now M$ office (no media just a key).

No big deal... Ubuntu also has a "store" BUT I can't do nothing offline when it comes to installing as well.
Windows was ideal for this and had an upper hand above Ubuntu when it comes to offline users.

When MS will fully transform like this, they will loose me as a user.

Having to become 100% dependent on internet just like it's possible with cigarettes and alcohol it's not my way of living.
And the Solaria thing mentioned above just creeps me out... although I like Isaac Asimov stories.

Office 2010 is fine, In the far future Open or LibreOffice will probably be used in this scenario.

But they can continue this way, no problem, because just a single user will be lost: me, possibly a few others.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

You know they're all eventually going to head that way... If you said Ubuntu does it, and when MS does it and you leave, where will go you? Apple? They do it, too... They've done it longer than MS has, but then again their users don't really care about what some would consider a formality.

 

[Hopachi]

If M$ gets there way you will the APPS store is that way and now M$ office (no media just a key).

No big deal... Ubuntu also has a "store" BUT I can't do nothing offline when it comes to installing as well.
Windows was ideal for this and had an upper hand above Ubuntu when it comes to offline users.

When MS will fully transform like this, they will loose me as a user.

Having to become 100% dependent on internet just like it's possible with cigarettes and alcohol it's not my way of living.
And the Solaria thing mentioned above just creeps me out... although I like Isaac Asimov stories.

Office 2010 is fine, In the far future Open or LibreOffice will probably be used in this scenario.

But they can continue this way, no problem, because just a single user will be lost: me, possibly a few others.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

You know they're all eventually going to head that way... If you said Ubuntu does it, and when MS does it and you leave, where will go you? Apple? They do it, too... They've done it longer than MS has, but then again their users don't really care about what some would consider a formality.

Good question... where I go will be my own adventure.
You don't have to use what others use... for home usage at least (for work it's another story).

Even if the big part of what you run is online based, the OS will be "offline" on your physical disk installed.
If they will (one day) attempt to switch to cloud OS as the main product (see Windows Azure as inspiration) that is something totally different than what we mostly use today.

There will always be alternatives in the minority even if the online plague will get the majority.
I can survive between both worlds and what is trendy will not affect me that much. It's just that I prefer offline since my online connection is not that fast and sometimes it can fail.

If you look at Windows, they began offline with CD installers. Now they try a new approach that has to be better (online) at least for the big consumer base.

Ubuntu on the other hand began online but then, some people saw the disadvantage: internet is not 100% omnipresent and something inspired form the classical Windows was born: SuperOS based on Ubuntu has offline installers, at least for drivers (on Windows it's since always possible to install drivers offline).

All technology in informatics has a purpose, if something will win a usage battle and gains users and reputation, that will make it more popular. You use what you like (you mostly understand how that works) and if you don't agree with some approaches just don't use them, as long as you can afford to do that.

 

[Wenda]

That doesn't mean though that I need to be on the Internet to install programs etc.
I don't think I want to develop in that way at all - sounds a horrible future.

Cheers
jimbo

If M$ gets there way you will the APPS store is that way and now M$ office (no media just a key).

No big deal... Ubuntu also has a "store" BUT I can't do nothing offline when it comes to installing as well.
Windows was ideal for this and had an upper hand above Ubuntu when it comes to offline users.

When MS will fully transform like this, they will loose me as a user.

Having to become 100% dependent on internet just like it's possible with cigarettes and alcohol it's not my way of living.
And the Solaria thing mentioned above just creeps me out... although I like Isaac Asimov stories.

Office 2010 is fine, In the far future Open or LibreOffice will probably be used in this scenario.

But they can continue this way, no problem, because just a single user will be lost: me, possibly a few others.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

If computing does go that way, I'll cheerfully destroy mine, and go buy books, or go back to a non-internet XP-based world. If I can't compute the way *I* choose to, well then, there isn't much point continuing, is there? I *won't* use cloud-based programs like Office 327 or whatever, and would *never* even consider a cloud-based OS. Yes, you read that correctly, *NEVER*.
Wenda.

 

[Lee]

Way to go Wenda. . .

 

[BillWindows]

If M$ gets there way you will the APPS store is that way and now M$ office (no media just a key).

No big deal... Ubuntu also has a "store" BUT I can't do nothing offline when it comes to installing as well.
Windows was ideal for this and had an upper hand above Ubuntu when it comes to offline users.

When MS will fully transform like this, they will loose me as a user.

Having to become 100% dependent on internet just like it's possible with cigarettes and alcohol it's not my way of living.
And the Solaria thing mentioned above just creeps me out... although I like Isaac Asimov stories.

Office 2010 is fine, In the far future Open or LibreOffice will probably be used in this scenario.

But they can continue this way, no problem, because just a single user will be lost: me, possibly a few others.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

If computing does go that way, I'll cheerfully destroy mine, and go buy books, or go back to a non-internet XP-based world. If I can't compute the way *I* choose to, well then, there isn't much point continuing, is there? I *won't* use cloud-based programs like Office 327 or whatever, and would *never* even consider a cloud-based OS. Yes, you read that correctly, *NEVER*.
Wenda.

Aren't we already sucking of the INTERNET'S teats, I can't imagine a world of sitting behind a computer without the Internet anymore, how absolutely frightening.

Admittedly I have the same feeling toward the cloud, but I would never say never, and more and more I'm starting to see the sense in it.

12 months ago I felt just as strongly about it as you, now not so much.

 

[Wenda]

I've been playing around with these things for over 25 years, but have only had the net for about four of those. For me, there's the security issue, there's also the matter of trust ie I don't, as a rule. And I'd rather pay for my OS and programs once, not per-use or as a subscription, and tend to use free or shareware progs rather than pay for a retail package. I'm not rich, by any stretch, nor do I like being tied-in to anything.
Wenda.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
sometimes we get too reliant on technology so get totally lost when it fails - for example you can read every day how people drive to some really strange places when their GPS fails -- they've forgotten how to read maps or even basic road signs.

I've defeated some quite clever "tech wizzes" by using some really Low tech solutions -- for example NOTHING - but NOTHING (CIA/ NSA etc will agree) beats a one-time pad for code encryption - even a "Quantum computer" if we could make the hardware.

One-time pad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

File sharing "snoopers" can be defeated simply by using "Snail Mail" etc.

There was a great 2 part program on Discovery Science Channel recently called Alien Invasion. - This wasn't a Science fiction or "Roswell conspiracy theory" program but a very reasoned discussion on what would we do in the case of a possible extraterrestial threat.

Here's another reference to a similar program

Watch: Alien Invasion: Are We Ready? Documentary (Documentary) Online Free

Discussions included top brass military, scientists from Atlanta disease control center, physicists and engineers from around the world.
Incredibly interesting program - but the end consensus seemed to be was forget trying to defeat these people using technology - but disperse as much military and civil resources as possible and wage a low tech Guerrilla war causing the vastly superior enemy to lose so much via continual attrition that in the end the logistics would work against them and they'd leave.

We've got partial example of this strategy being successful on Earth -- US in Vietnam, Russians in Afghanistan, possibly British in N.I etc etc.

I certainly wouldn't trust all my data /other needs to some "service" over which I (and in a lot of cases not even a Government that I've voted for) had any control or say over in how this is managed and protected - and as we all know services can just vanish overnight for all sorts of reasons.

I'm certainly not by any stretch a "Luddite" and like new technology - but WE need to control it not let IT control US.

Internet only stuff is fine in a lot of cases - for example replying to this very forum - but for a lot of other stuff -- NO THANKS--the cloud can as far as I'm concerned remain firmly in "CLOUD CUCKOO LAND".

Cheers
jimbo

 

[BillWindows]

I've been playing around with these things for over 25 years, but have only had the net for about four of those. For me, there's the security issue, there's also the matter of trust ie I don't, as a rule. And I'd rather pay for my OS and programs once, not per-use or as a subscription, and tend to use free or shareware progs rather than pay for a retail package. I'm not rich, by any stretch, nor do I like being tied-in to anything.
Wenda.

Ive been on the Internet for 18 years and bulletin boards before that, you're already in the Wild West. The thing is being on the net is no scarier than having a credit card, which is pretty scary. I'm not sure if I'd trust all my info on the cloud but I'm starting to think that some stuff should be okay, after all I've been on the net for all this time with only a handful of viruses which were all caught by Virus programmes.

I would have been one of the first people to do online banking in Australia, I used to ring my bank to see when they were going online, they didn't even know what that meant. Never had a problem, I think the cloud is going to be the same, but I'll always do backups and be as careful as possible.

 

[Hopachi]

we already sucking of the INTERNET'S teats, I can't imagine a world of sitting behind a computer without the Internet anymore, how absolutely frightening.

I don't get it... my main pc is offline and life is good. When I was connected, ALL the time it gets updates and updates and then.... restarts for updates and then continues to update. That is not a normal daily workflow so yeah offline I'm not bothered by the updates that interrupt you constantly. Of course I have a pc or two connected all the time but those are not my favorites.

 

[Wenda]

we already sucking of the INTERNET'S teats, I can't imagine a world of sitting behind a computer without the Internet anymore, how absolutely frightening.

I don't get it... my main pc is offline and life is good. When I was connected, ALL the time it gets updates and updates and then.... restarts for updates and then continues to update. That is not a normal daily workflow so yeah offline I'm not bothered by the updates that interrupt you constantly. Of course I have a pc or two connected all the time but those are not my favorites.

Hmmm, yes. My Win 7 and Win 8 machines (both laptops) are connected, but my Vista, XP, ME and Win 98SE boxes are not, and are no less useable for it. None of my HDDs have anything but the OSes and programs installed, and my files are all on external drives so can be used by any of my setups. But I do need to get a wireless dongle for the older machines because XP needs to take some updates, and my Vista setup needs its Service Packs.
Wenda.

 

[Hopachi]

... ME and Win 98SE boxes...

Wow! You still run those?

Just like my little brother!

Well, I have one or two VM's with those but are no boxes anymore in my case.

 

[Wenda]

I'm a bit of an 'OS Collector and Enthusiast', Hopachi. I have quite a few others as well, which are not installed at present. In fact, yesterday I scored another. An original (not pirated) copy of NT4 still in its original case, with product key. I'll have some fun with it later in a VM, as I've never played with NT before.

Wenda.



EDIT: - My little brother is staunchly Win 7, and thinks I'm mad for even bothering with the older OSes. But I used them back in the day, and still like playing about with them. An added advantage is that there is nothing in my software collection (of over 25 years) that I can't run. Oh, except for some progs/files that are on 5.25 floppies. None of my current machines has a B drive.

 

[Hopachi]

I'm a bit of an 'OS Collector and Enthusiast', Hopachi. I have quite a few others as well, which are not installed at present. In fact, yesterday I scored another. An original (not pirated) copy of NT4 still in its original case, with product key. I'll have some fun with it later in a VM, as I've never played with NT before.

Wenda.



EDIT: - My little brother is staunchly Win 7, and thinks I'm mad for even bothering with the older OSes. But I used them back in the day, and still like playing about with them. An added advantage is that there is nothing in my software collection (of over 25 years) that I can't run. Oh, except for some progs/files that are on 5.25 floppies. None of my current machines has a B drive.

Nice, my brother is a collector himself. But he always tries weird combinations like too old OSes (Win ME and Win 98) on newer computers and some tweaks need to be made. He still uses Pentium 3....
So here I'm the one with newer systems.

I use VM's (Vmware Player runs them all, even the old ones).

NT is something I've skipped too. It's not so wide spread like XP for example.
Couldn't find a CD with it anywhere. You're lucky.

I tested a OS2 Warp and Win95 in VM's two years ago, nice to see but a bit old to use, especially the first one.

I still have a B drive somewhere in the Attic. I think it belongs to a pre-pentium 1 machine. Never found any floppies for that one.

It's nice to see how things evolved so fast during the years regarding computers.

Hopachi

 

[BillWindows]

You know it's funny, everyone always complains about ME and Vista and yet I never had any dramas with either. The one that gave me the most problems was Windows 98, if it wasn't freezing up it was BSODS, or within two months I'd have to reinstall everything because it was slowing down.

I installed Vista on an older PC not long ago, after two days of updates I was amazed how well it ran, I can understand people not letting go of Vista.

 

[Hopachi]

You know it's funny, everyone always complains about ME and Vista and yet I never had any dramas with either. The one that gave me the most problems was Windows 98, if it wasn't freezing up it was BSODS, or within two months I'd have to reinstall everything because it was slowing down.

I installed Vista on an older PC not long ago, after two days of updates I was amazed how well it ran, I can understand people not letting go of Vista.

I agree. Used both and Vista still does it's job on my dual core Acer. :thumb:

 

[BillWindows]

I'm a bit of an 'OS Collector and Enthusiast', Hopachi. I have quite a few others as well, which are not installed at present. In fact, yesterday I scored another. An original (not pirated) copy of NT4 still in its original case, with product key. I'll have some fun with it later in a VM, as I've never played with NT before.

Wenda.



EDIT: - My little brother is staunchly Win 7, and thinks I'm mad for even bothering with the older OSes. But I used them back in the day, and still like playing about with them. An added advantage is that there is nothing in my software collection (of over 25 years) that I can't run. Oh, except for some progs/files that are on 5.25 floppies. None of my current machines has a B drive.

My brother's like that he's got just about every OS that's ever been made, I used to be like that, but when I couldn't get into my computer room anymore I got rid of everything. But now it's nearly the same again.