[LarryFlowers]

Microsoft has posted the first of what will be many uses of the Mojave Experiment that took place in San Francisco last month.

For those that don't know, Microsoft brought a large group of Windows XP users together who expressed a completely negative view of Windows Vista. They were intrioduced to a "new" Microsoft OS called Windows Mojave.

After the were presented with Mojave, they were then told that it was actually Windows Vista.

The first video can be seen here: http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/

 

[GregLee]

Isn't Microsoft afraid their customers will be insulted by this sort of deception?

 

[smiddy]

Interesting! I think this proves something, that you always have to try something for your self and not let yourself be persuaded by other's notions.

 

[Richard King]

The problem with this little display is that the people were not using Windows "Mojave" in a real world environment, over a period of time, with their existing hardware. I really think this demonstration proves nothing in this controlled environment.

 

[harsh]

Isn't Microsoft afraid their customers will be insulted by this sort of deception?

What Microsoft needs to be absolutely terrified about is how poorly their OS is doing in the court of public opinion. If they must be deceptive about Vista to get a positive reaction, their entire marketing effort needs to be sacked.

Their next experiment will be called Cheetah and it will involve showing Leopard to a bunch of Windows XP users. The subliminal messages will be playing at concert volume during that test.

 

[smiddy]

What Microsoft needs to be absolutely terrified about is how poorly their OS is doing in the court of public opinion. If they must be deceptive about Vista to get a positive reaction, their entire marketing effort needs to be sacked.

Their next experiment will be called Cheetah and it will involve showing Leopard to a bunch of Windows XP users. The subliminal messages will be playing at concert volume during that test.

I think what you say is not what I'm experiencing. Everyone I know who uses Vista has a positive reaction. As for their marketing...well they are struggling I guess, right, they are making what millions on Vista already? But it isn't about the numbers is it?

 

[dbconsultant]

The problem with this little display is that the people were not using Windows "Mojave" in a real world environment, over a period of time, with their existing hardware. I really think this demonstration proves nothing in this controlled environment.

My impression exactly, Richard - I wondered if any of these people are computer professionals! Being a computer professional myself, I tried Windows Vista when it first came out and it just reminded me why I am not an "early adopter". Too many things didn't work with Vista (like a printer I use to create prints of my artwork as well as some of our software) and it was really a struggle to do what we needed to do.

It took us many years before we actually went to XP and, by the time we did, they had worked the bugs out. I expect we will do the same with Vista; wait for them to get the bugs worked out and then switch. Plus, none of my clients have Vista so the applications I create have to work with their operating systems. So, for now, I'm sticking with XP.

 

[harsh]

I think what you say is not what I'm experiencing. Everyone I know who uses Vista has a positive reaction.

The issue isn't the people who are already using Vista. The issue is those who, for whatever reason, aren't using Vista.

Microsoft is trying to gauge why uptake isn't better. If people like Vista when they try it, there's either something wrong with Vista's reputation or Vista's real-life performance. Since there is a group of people who strongly support its real-life performance, they must agree that the problem is the perception, right?

 

[LarryFlowers]

As a follow up, the following information gives the underlying foundation to the test:

1. The focus group took place over three days in San Francisco and was conducted earlier this month.

2. All participants were either Mac, Linux, or users of versions of Windows that came before Windows Vista. Respondents were chosen from the focus group organizer's database, called at random, but then selected based on having a low perception of Vista (<5 rating on a scale of 1-10).

3. The participants were given a demo by a trained retail salesperson - geared towards the experiences they seemed most interested in following a series of interviews. While the retail salesperson drove the demo, it was geared by the interests and direction of the participant.

4. We did not use some geeked out or custom built PC. We used an HP Pavilion DV2500. It had 2GB of RAM and was running an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T7500 @ 2.20GHz. The OS was a 32 bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate.

5. Of the 120 respondents polled, on a scale of 1:10 where 10 was the highest rating, the average pre-rating for Windows Vista was 4.4. After they saw the demo, respondents rated Mojave an average of 8.5.

I think that the thing to draw from this experiment is rather simple: there are a lot of individuals out there who, for whatever reason, have been badmouthing Vista from day one without even laying their hands on it. This (mis) information was spread around so much that it took on a life of its own and was accepted as truth without knowledge. Many individuals who were influenced by this when presented with the Vista OS without the name suddenly discovered that it wasn't what it was being made out to be. The very real probems that Vista had when it was initially released have largely been resolved (drivers, software).

I am certainly a Vista supporter as I have several years of life invested as a tester and have a very large installed base as a professional IT person. The most telling thing for me is one particular client. This client is composed of mostly ladies in their 40' and 50's. They have adapted quite well to not only Vista but to Office 2007 as they were deployed together. Of the close to 70 people involved, only one has been much of a problem and even she has fallen into line.

 

[Ron Barry]

Actually Larry, I have not seen the video yet but based on your posts in the thread with some details, I personally would not conclude that at all. Guess I have more questions before I would draw any conclusions like..

1) How much time did they spend with the OS doing their every day tasks?
2) When were these people re-polled? Right after being given the demo where the spent time with a qualified person to do demos tailored to their needs? The time they are going to be most positively responsive to product?
3) Did they get time to play with the product on their own?
3) What was the breakdown of Mac/Linux/OS users?
4) What was the breakdown of the people polled? How many tech related people vs. avg people.
5) Where the test machines custom configured by MS or where they just boxes purchased off the shelf with no customization?

The funny thing about these type of experiments is that they can be presented the way one would like. The point as I see it is that Vista has a negative impression in the public and tech people's eyes and though I have not spent time playing with Vista (no need at this time) I really have a hard time believing the perception was just created by people like me without the desire to run the OS through its paces.

Whenever I have seen a perception like this relating to technology it is more than people just bashing it without actually seeing it. Unlike the controlled and positive supported environment (my opinion of the mojave environment based on your post above), the perception out in the wild is one more based on reality (not controlled environment) and most likely is more accurate to what people dealing with Vista in the real world are experiencing.

I Googled Vista Sucks as an experiment and got over 500K+ hits. I seriously doubt all those posts are from people like me. Don't get me wrong. eventually I will have to move to Vista at work so the reason I am not giving it a try is not because I just feel the urge to bad mouth it.. Far from it.. it is because I have a stable environment at home and work that provides me with the tools to get my home and work job done and moving to Vista would mean upgrading a number of software products I own and don't see a need to incur the costs when what I have meets my needs. The days of upgrading your OS, Apps, and hardware ever couple of years are gone in my opinion.

 

[phat78boy]

My impression exactly, Richard - I wondered if any of these people are computer professionals! Being a computer professional myself, I tried Windows Vista when it first came out and it just reminded me why I am not an "early adopter". Too many things didn't work with Vista (like a printer I use to create prints of my artwork as well as some of our software) and it was really a struggle to do what we needed to do.

It took us many years before we actually went to XP and, by the time we did, they had worked the bugs out. I expect we will do the same with Vista; wait for them to get the bugs worked out and then switch. Plus, none of my clients have Vista so the applications I create have to work with their operating systems. So, for now, I'm sticking with XP.

Most issues you refer aren't problems with the OS though. They are drivers for hardware that never claimed to have support or software that was created for older OS's. Why would anyone expect this stuff to work? If you upgrade, its up to you to ensure all your software and hardware is up to date. I simply don't understand why people blame the OS for this.

 

[LarryFlowers]

Whenever I have seen a perception like this relating to technology it is more than people just bashing it without actually seeing it. Unlike the controlled and positive supported environment (my opinion of the mojave environment based on your post above), the perception out in the wild is one more based on reality (not controlled environment) and most likely is more accurate to what people dealing with Vista in the real world are experiencing.

I Googled Vista Sucks as an experiment and got over 500K+ hits. I seriously doubt all those posts are from people like me. Don't get me wrong. eventually I will have to move to Vista at work so the reason I am not giving it a try is not because I just feel the urge to bad mouth it.. Far from it.. it is because I have a stable environment at home and work that provides me with the tools to get my home and work job done and moving to Vista would mean upgrading a number of software products I own and don't see a need to incur the costs when what I have meets my needs. The days of upgrading your OS, Apps, and hardware ever couple of years are gone in my opinion.

Therein lies the issue... I get that you don't feel the need to upgrade, but it doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with Vista. Changes in an operating system have pretty much always meant a certain amount of software and hardware pain, but again it doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the new software.

The problems is the people who criticize it without ever having touched it. The most common rants I hear are:

1. Vista sucks (the least logical and generally made by people who haven't a clue)
2. UAC sucks.. this is a security issue and it can be switched off if you don't like it. That makes this complaint irrelevant.
3. My (insert hardware here) won't work with Vista. Ok, fine but this isn't a Vista issue, it is the issue of the hardware manufacturer who has elected not to update the drivers.
4. My software (insert name here) won't run on Vista... not much of this left, even if your favorite software hasn't come out with a Vista version yet, Vista's XP compatibility mode has been repeatedly refined to where most apps will run.
5. Hardware strength issues: valid to a point, but they are valid everytime someone changes their operating system. New OS's are always going to take advantage of advances in hardware and cheaper pricing.
6. Vista is slow. I know there are "tests" out there that seem to support this but my real world experience doesn't come close to backing this up. In the case of many applications, the opposite is true. Of all the comments that upgraded clients have made about Vista, speed has never been one of them.

I dont have a problem with anyone who doesnt want to upgrade.. its your choice and it is self correcting, sooner or later you will end up with a pc or laptop with Vista. I do have a problem with the rants, particularly in the media, by people who have never even tried.

 

[harsh]

The video tells us that several of the subjects were impressed with the demonstration and a handful were excited enough at the time to want to upgrade. It doesn't paint a picture of how or why they were impressed nor how Windows Mojave stood up against what they were currently using.

I've been on the "give it to me and let me try to use it" camp since I heard about this "experiment". The idea that the demo was performed by a trained salesperson all but invalidates the experiment in terms of evaluating how the subject would ultimately react to having used the product to do their work and/or play. The idea that the subject's desires were precisely interpreted in an effort to tailor the demonstration is also quite far fetched.

To fully grasp Vista, one should sit down with an off-the-shelf install and start setting it up. They need to install software and hardware that isn't hand picked and see how everything works (or not). They need to use the keyboard and the mouse to see how it all feels. Being guided through the process (or having the whole process performed) by a team of professionals isn't a luxury that most are going to be afforded.

I'm persuaded that this experiment holds less scientific merit the more I learn about it.

 

[harsh]

I get that you don't feel the need to upgrade, but it doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with Vista.

It is precisely that so many have a perception that they don't need to change to Vista that tells us that it is not an "upgrade". Maybe it isn't just a $150 paint job on Windows XP, but that's the hill that stands between Microsoft and public acceptance of Vista.

2. UAC sucks.. this is a security issue and it can be switched off if you don't like it. That makes this complaint irrelevant.

Is Vista security as strong without UAC???

3. My (insert hardware here) won't work with Vista. Ok, fine but this isn't a Vista issue, it is the issue of the hardware manufacturer who has elected not to update the drivers.

Until a significant portion of the XP population is convinced that Vista is an upgrade, this is not and easy sell. Microsoft needs to make something happen on this front. It isn't happening on its own.

The speed argument is poppycock and has been since Microsoft claimed that XP was so much faster than Windows 2000 Professional:

1. It wasn't faster (especially after a handful of critical updates)
2. If you had invested in the same money in improved hardware, W2K or XP probably would run the socks off of Vista.

Finally, I can't recall hearing about anything that requires or even works significantly better with Vista than it does with other OSs (save possibly Media Player).

Vista has to be a whole lot more than "not that bad".

 

[deltafowler]

It would only be completely believable if the ONLY removed the Vista branding.
If they left UAC turned on and left the HP crapware bundle, as it comes from the factory, then you'd have to brain-dead to like it.

 

[HighVoltage]

The XP to Vista migration for most users is about the hardware updates and associated costs. IMHO, there just isnt any killer app out there now to push people into upgrading that requires this Vista "solution" and justifies that cost. I think Vista will slowly penetrate the market as more people migrate to new laptops but the days of Win95 are long gone...