“As PC users clamor for Microsoft to continue to support Windows XP, company CEO Steve Ballmer called the Vista OS ‘a work in progress’ at an annual Seattle event on Thursday,” Nancy Gohring reports for IDG News Service.
“‘It’s a very important piece of work. We did a lot of things right and have a lot of things we need to learn from. You never want to let five years go between releases,’ he said,” Gohring reports.
“While Microsoft recently extended the date when the XP software will be available for low-cost PCs, it doesn’t plan to listen to some other complaints, including that Vista is too big. ‘Vista is bigger than XP and it’s gonna stay bigger than XP,” Ballmer said. “We have to make sure it doesn’t get bigger still,'” Gohring reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: There’s nothing new here; everyone knows that Microsoft’s been turtling Vista for years.
A work in progress? Maybe they should have done more work on it before it was released?
Schubert can get away with leaving something unfinished.
And Ballmer, you’re no Schubert.
Putting all the ‘Microsoft sucks’ talk aside for a moment, Vista is the first major release of Windows in almost a decade, and it’s a ‘work in progress’? What the hell is that? Any major software release has some bugs, but a ‘work in progress’?
he’s more of a brahms and liszt
And get that – a move into PC hardware and “much broader horizons’ than when Bill G and Paul Allen were in charge.
Methinks Ballmer is going to drive MS into oblivion within 5 years max.
And Ballmer keeps getting bigger too.
More like a ‘pork in regress’….
A work in progress is one thing, charging large amounts for it is another.
@ Macaday
There’s no way he’ll last that long. One more hose-job like Vista and I think shareholders might finally come to life and boot the guy out. Either that, or the angry mod at the gates will carry him off in chains and hang him from the 520 bridge and hurl Vista Capable™ notebooks at him.
MSFT shareholders deserve them.
@ Grigori
And LEON is getting…
Oh, forget it.
I love seeing people reap what they sow.
C1…
Quotes from Airplane! Surely there’s something else we can do?
just a few more years….
I usually think of the words ‘work in progress’ as i sit on the can.
@ ChrissyOne
“There’s no way he’ll last that long. One more hose-job like Vista and I think shareholders might finally come to life …”
That’s exactly why he’ll last at least that long, Windows 7 will be the hose-job, and it will take at least 7 years to be released. So Ballmer has 7 more.
Go Ballmer – you can do it!
Sounds like the Big Dig
When Jobs says that AppleTV is a ‘hobby,’ that means that it will evolve into something much bigger in a couple of years. When Ballmer says that Vista is a ‘work in progress,’ that means that you might as well resign yourself to years of patches in a vain hope that Windows 7 will cure everything…or get a Mac.
That’s a hell of a price to pay to be a beta tester!
MDW play = “you have to pay to play”
@ChrissyOne
A classical music reference! Yes! Someone still remembers it exists!
Steve Jobs never tried to sell a ‘hobby’ as a flagship product.
He could just say that Vista is a hobby.
“There’s nothing new here; everyone knows that Microsoft’s been turtling Vista for years.” Shouldn’t that read turding?
And on a serious note…
There are 4,000 Microsoft MVPs around the world, and nearly 1,800 of them gathered in Seattle this week for an annual summit. MVPs are technology experts who provide feedback to Microsoft about its products — Ballmer said they are his favorite group to address.
Of course they’re his favourite group: they’re indoctrinated and won’t ask awkward questions.
It’s no different to the current President or any of prospective candidates, who only appear in front of screened audiences.
airplane (mis)quotes?
looks like vista user picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue…..
@MCCFR
No, there’s nothing we can do. And don’t call me Shirley.
Vista to be renamed “Jam Tomorrow Special Edition” or is that Windows 7 ?
That porcelain fixture is definitely not Vista-ready. Vista is much too big.
I like it that “Vista is a work in progress”. I’ll remind you MAC lemmings that the richness of the experience isn’t in the destination, but the journey.
Watching the masters at Microsoft refine and improve Vista is like watching Michelangelo paint the
” rel=”nofollow”>Sistine Chapel. Be assured that when this is all over Microsoft will have yet another masterpiece that puts Apple to shame. Again. I like to think of it this way: Apple is going to have a tough time further copying Vista because Vista is a moving target. Shrewd move by the geniuses in Redmond if you ask me.
Congratulations in advance to Steve Ballmer and Microsoft on a job well done.
Your potential. Our passion.™
@ MCCFR
Yeah, we’ve kind of played that line to death. I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. Call it a work in progress.
No point in mentioning these bats, I thought. Poor bastard will see them soon enough.
AWidgetIHaveNot,
Turtling:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=turtling
@ KingMel: If MSFT actually patched Vista people wouldn’t be complaining as much.
Vista has been out 17 months and just Service Pack 1 has been released.
Leopard has been out 7 months and 10.5.3 is imminent any day (that’ll be 3 Leopard patches in addition to the 4 Tiger patches that were released between Vista’s and Leopard’s releases).
@C1,
“And Ballmer, you’re no Schubert.”
And he’s no Cubert either. I can assure you of that.
“There are 4,000 Microsoft MVPs around the world, and nearly 1,800 of them gathered in Seattle this week for an annual summit. MVPs are technology experts who provide feedback to Microsoft about its products — Ballmer said they are his favorite group to address.”
If the pigs were gathering in Seattle, I felt the Mac culture should be represented as well. And there was a certain bent appeal in the notion of running a savage burn on one Vista loving troll, and then just wheeling across town and pwning another. Me and 1800 ranking developers from all over America. Why not? Move confidently into their midst…
@ZuneTang:
“I like it that “Vista is a work in progress”. I’ll remind you MAC lemmings that the richness of the experience isn’t in the destination, but the journey.”
yeah, but does Ballmer have to take us through all seven levels?
I like it that “Vista is a work in progress”. I’ll remind you PC lemmings that the richness of the experience isn’t in the destination, but the journey to the toilet.
Watching the masters at Apple refine and improve Leopard is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel. Be assured that when this is all over Apple will have yet another masterpiece that puts Microsoft to shame. Again. I like to think of it this way: Microsoft is going to have a tough time further copying Leopard because Leopard is a moving target. Shrewd move by the geniuses in Cupertino if you ask me.
Congratulations in advance to Steve Jobs and Apple on a job well done.
Think Different™
Let’s get down to brass tacks. How much for the ape?
“yeah, but does Ballmer have to take us through all seven levels?”
@bluestreak
lol! That was awesome, thanks!
Geez I had a work in progress this morning but unlike MDN’s photo, I flushed it.
If we’re ever going to get out of here alive, we’re going to need some golf shoes.
Hey, MDN’s “Emoticons” works again!!!
Impossible to walk in the muck. No footing at all.
The essence of what Ballmer said is that Vista is a work in progress, but he didn’t use those words so why is the headline quoting him as such? I’ve seen it on other web sites too so it isn’t all MDN’s doing. Web journalism…. sheesh.
I can’t believe the CEO called his flagship product “a work in progress.” Steve Balmer is Apple’s best friend.
“‘It’s a very important piece of work. We did a lot of things right and have a lot of things we need to learn from. You never want to let five years go between releases,’ he said,” Gohring reports.
This could be said of going to the bathroom. It’s important and I usually get a lot of things right (finishing, wiping, etc…). Sometimes I learn something (don’t eat that again) and I CERTAINLY wouldn’t go five years between “releases”. However, the end product is still crap and it stinks, no matter how much Glade you spray.
Even Apple’s “hobby” functions better than M$’s “work in progress”.
In other words, we are all beta testers for Microsoft.
A work in progress? How much more failure should we expect from the finished product?
Maybe Vista just needs a little more fiber…
As much as I can´t stand Ballmer, don´t namecall him on behalf of his look or bodily shape. That´s just rude and, actually, a wee bit childish.
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@ dev singh
It’s not because of his look, it’s because of his tongue-lolling and running about like a chimp on meth and fire.
Makes sense, they never release a product that is close to working, which is why all their products are work in progress
That’s it Ballsmer! Show the world who’s the BOSS of software! Vista is quite a piece of work; that’s for sure! Sink that M$ money like the Titanic. We love a good joke!
Apple has only sold about 100,000 iPhones in France. Not exactly a hit, either.
Don’t you worry meanwhile… as they say, you ain’t seen nuttin yet…
I am officially nominating TexasAg03‘s comment as ‘MDN Post of the Year’ in the always tough ‘Reference to Bodily Function’ category. That one should win a ‘Lemming’ when they are handed out in 2009.
Well done. That one’s gonna be tough to beat.
Your potential. Our passion.™
I have noting important to say, I just wanted to try the emotocons.
@ ChrissyOne
“Let’s get down to brass tacks. How much for the ape?”
Never! You can’t pay me enough to take the ape!
Ballmer + MS = Good News (for Apple). So nobody touch him and let him be!
He basically called all your Vista owners, consumers and businesses… SUCKERS! ahahahahahahaha
@meanwhile
Us europeans always knew iPhone wouldn’t do spectacularly well here. There are simply too many free or cheap 3G n95’s floating about with contracts here.
For Europeans even iPhone is a “work in progress”, but what a work! Almost inclined to quote zune tang here. If Apple develop iPhone as they seem to be doing, then given time, they might not only give Europeans a truely desirable phone, but transform the market enough to get us all recognising the value of the machines, and start paying for them again.
Captain “It’s Over” Ballmer: “Joey, have you ever seen a grown man naked?”
Joey: vomit.
<< “A work in progress” >>
Problem is– if you use it at work… there’s not much progress.
@ MacSheikh
Fine then. You want a beer? How about some ether?
“Work”, yes.
“Progress”, that’s a big fatty expression!
Q: What can we learn from Apple’s struggle to innovate during the decade before you returned in 1997?
A: You need a very product-oriented culture, even in a technology company. Lots of companies have tons of great engineers and smart people. But ultimately, there needs to be some gravitational force that pulls it all together. Otherwise, you can get great pieces of technology all floating around the universe. But it doesn’t add up to much. That’s what was missing at Apple for a while. There were bits and pieces of interesting things floating around, but not that gravitational pull.
People always ask me why did Apple really fail for those years, and it’s easy to blame it on certain people or personalities. Certainly, there was some of that. But there’s a far more insightful way to think about it. Apple had a monopoly on the graphical user interface for almost 10 years. That’s a long time. And how are monopolies lost? Think about it. Some very good product people invent some very good products, and the company achieves a monopoly.
But after that, the product people aren’t the ones that drive the company forward anymore. It’s the marketing guys or the ones who expand the business into Latin America or whatever. Because what’s the point of focusing on making the product even better when the only company you can take business from is yourself?
So a different group of people start to move up. And who usually ends up running the show? The sales guy. John Akers at IBM is the consummate example. Then one day, the monopoly expires for whatever reason. But by then the best product people have left, or they’re no longer listened to. And so the company goes through this tumultuous time, and it either survives or it doesn’t.
> MVPs are technology experts who provide feedback to Microsoft about its products — Ballmer said they are his favorite group to address.
Well, if Ballmer likes addressing them, they can’t possibly be providing decent feedback. My guess is it’s the usual wordplay:
Strike <strike>technology</strike>, insert Microsoft before experts. A Microsoft expert is an expert at “fixing” problems caused by microsoft products. And the feedback must be “make it easier to fix” – which probably means more power to them and less security for the poor suckers who buy the product.
Most Valuable Professionals doesn’t sound like “technology experts” to me either. Strike <strike>Professionals</strike> and use Purchasers instead.
MW: kickback [okay, I made that one up]. It’s actually “volume.”
Amazing this guy runs a Company. Maybe I should say “runs this company into the ground”.
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If Vista is a “work in progress” then should users be FORCED to use it? When Mac OS X 10 came out, Apple did not shut out users of OS 9 for 4 years. It seems that Microsoft should have at least given users more than a year and a half to transition to Vista. They should have give to the middle of 2009 at least.
Lots of business owners see no need to move to Vista, and why should they? It really offers nothing they don’t already have. I know a lot of business owners who have XP with third party programs for security and stuff. Now, XP isn’t going to be supported, and they are in a panic. They will have to shell out major bucks to upgrade to Vista if they want to be “supported” by Microsoft.
I think they should just keep running XP and when machines die, swap them out with Vista machines…….or Macs
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Ballmer is such a choad. “A work in progress”! ROTFLMAO!!!
@ flappo
Oh, please, please, don’t insult Brahms like that! Comparing Ballmer to Brahms is like comparing a monkey not finishing its meal to Albert Einstein never completing his “theory of everything”.
Uck, poor Brahms, I hope his ghost comes and slaps you in the face!
Y’know, Mac users may drink Steve’s Kool-Aid, but it’s a lot better than eating Ballmer’s s–t! Don’t worry Window’s fans, MS will come through *in a pinch*, as always.
It took them ~7 years to produce Vista, and it’s *still* a “work in progress” a year and a half later??
He’s basically saying that Vista has been in development (in one way or another) for nearly a decade – and it still isn’t done.
@Tommy Boy: You are right about the slowness of Vista updates. I was trying to maintain a somewhat balanced outlook. After all, not so many years ago there were quite a few Mac users who were unhappy about MacOS X 10.0, and it took until 10.2 before most of the major issues were addressed. So Apple is not squeaky clean in terms of OS releases although, in Apple’s defense, MacOS X represented a revolutionary update rather than just an evolutionary one like XP to Vista.
@ Flappo and C1
I think Ballmer’s more of a Salieri. I can already see him in a straight jacket in the insane assylum yelling, “Jobs! Jobs! You ruined me! AAAAAAAHHH!”
We know it’s a joke, Ballmer knows it’s a joke, why do Windows users keep on acting like the answer is to just return to some previous version. Granted, XP may be one of the best releases of Windows ever, but is that saying anything? Every version of Windows that has come out, including XP, leaves Windows users saying the same thing to MS – “Please keep supporting the previous version…”, and etc. and etc. Why do you keep doing this to yourselves, and in turn to the rest of us?
Ballmer & Gates would have painted the Sistine Ceiling with a roller.
shouldn’t have to pay full price for a ‘work in progress’…
“Of course they’re his favourite group: they’re indoctrinated and won’t ask awkward questions.
It’s no different to the current President or any of prospective candidates, who only appear in front of screened audiences.”
Wow. That’s rich, reading it on a a Macolyte forum.
Irony, anyone?
Vista should have been left in M$ so called R&D;department in the first place and then the door should have been bricked over!
But I don’t care any more I trashed my dell and brought a iMac and life is a breeze now!
Tyhanks Apple
A hint regarding the Microsoft Method™ of addressing issues:
“It’s virtualization time for Microsoft,” he said. “We’re gonna make sure we democratize virtualization.” Probably less than 5 percent of servers in the world are virtualized today, he said. “It’s too darn expensive and too hard to manage. We intend to take major strides around addressing both of those.”
Most companies don’t address issues by going “around” them…
Sure, youse got a real piece of woik ‘dere, Ballmer.
Thanks C1!!! I miss that Rat Bastard so much already! So much so I had to get rid of my Samoan War Club cuz the memories were too painful! Don’t you EVER change babe!
“Watching the masters at Microsoft refine and improve Vista is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel”
Oh Zune Tang, that’s priceless, absolutely priceless!
I haven’t laughed so much for a long time.
To extend the analogy, that would perhaps make Ballmer the Pope.
He certainly couldn’t do a worse job as Pope as he has done as the CEO of Microsoft.
“”Of course they’re his favourite group: they’re indoctrinated and won’t ask awkward questions.
It’s no different to the current President or any of prospective candidates, who only appear in front of screened audiences.”
Wow. That’s rich, reading it on a a Macolyte forum.
Irony, anyone?”
I don’t see any “Macolytes” herded into cages in “free speech zones”, do you?
Time for you to look up the definition of “irony” too…
Vista boxes should come with warning stickers: “According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Windows Vista OS is a ‘work in progress’.” I also like John Gruber’s “Buggy” sticker idea (2006).
Ballmer also said “We’re gonna make sure we democratize virtualization.”
Probably a misquote as “democracy” is not in the Microsoft dictionary. I’m sure he meant “autocracize” or “demonize”.
lmao, gotta watch this video!
The Really Funny Part of all this is… when Windows 7 is finally deployed to the masses, Vista will finally have been mostly fixed and working just enough for all businesses to have adopted it. No business will want to switch over to the new version for quite a while.
Just like Vista and XP now!
No business will want to switch over to the new version for quite a while.
Who said anything about “wanting” to switch?
If MS succeeds with deep-sixing XP and forcing everyone onto Vista, then anything goes.
There’s no way he’ll last that long. One more hose-job like Vista and I think shareholders might finally come to life and boot the guy out.
MIGHT is the key word.
IIRC correctly the majority of MS shares are held by the old-school MS billionaires, i.e. Ballmer’s and Gates’ pals. Which means no external revolt can touch Ballmer.
The only way Ballmer is gone is if (1) he finally explodes like a big fat zit, or (2) he manages enough wreckage to get his buddies to turn on him.
As an Apple fan I really shouldn’t care about those guys, but the sight of MS grinding itself apart is too incredible to not notice.
@Wingsy:
The article didn’t quote his entire speech, only short snippets. He probably used that term during the speech and it was quoted in the headline without context in the following article. That’s not kosher, either, but I’d give that more credence than thinking some writer manufactured a quote.
@ 4th Amendment
It was a huge loss to both of us, my friend. The fucker still owed me 3 grand. Ho ho.
Miss you, Doc.
@ C1
Ok, beer’s good. But i think i’ll just feed it to the ape and see what happens.
Fat Basturd: “I’ve got a turtlehead pokin’ out.”
@ MacSheikh
That’s a bad idea, man. You’ll think it’s cute at first. But you’re libel to drive the poor beast mad-drunk, and he’ll be flinging shit at you and running your phone into massive overages. It’s not worth screwing up your credit. Believe me, I’ve seen what these animals can do to a man.
Everyone knows the higher primates are coke fiends, anyway. So you better just drink the damn beer, man. This one’s on me.
“As much as I can´t stand Ballmer, don´t namecall him on behalf of his look or bodily shape”
No, his look can do that just fine with out your help.
@ C1
Lol! Thanks! Next time’s on me!
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Go see a very good Doctor NOW!
Your time is almost up…
Interesting how the Vista posts always get the most responses from the Mactards on MDN (Morons Daily News). I’ve been using Vista for six months now and if they polish it any more it will just too shiny for human eyes.
Ballmer is just a piece of work. Period.
If MS had only just listened to me and released MY idea for Vista*, it’d be a hit. Hell, even I’d have bought a copy.
*
Vista Sucks.
Period.
I mean look at the ZUNE-turd, its BROWN!
Vista is super tacky, look at the theme, the only way they could make it look good is buy using shiny effects! lmao, and it looks terrible!
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OS X is simple, its also beauitiful, NOT because of the color scheme, but because of all the little things apple added in there for an eye pleasing effect (eg. rounded menu borders, darker window shadows, a unified theme {vista violates this one to a terrible extent} sutble window reflections on the dock.) they all add up.
APPLE CARES.
I don’t know – I’m trying to think of a analogy of Microsoft and Apple – and I keep coming up with coffee, Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts – a tacky one but, similar. Starbucks got too big for its britches, and forgot about the customer and the quality of their product. Dunkin’ comes in behind them and begins to pluck away at the Starbucks followers. Starbucks forgot their story, and fell. Dunkin is doing great, and still selling what it has always sold, doughnuts and coffee. A better quality coffee than 5 years ago, but hey.
M$ has not learned from its mistakes, and has very little ingenuity – compared to Apple. I have never followed M$, so in updating myself on their history – I found that this happened with Windows 2000 and XP – right?
I have always thought that people, in certain circumstances act like cattle – they follow blindly, and sadly, they don’t realize the repercussions.
Pre and simple – they tried to come out with a Leopard and they failed. people are jumping ship in droves. Gotta give them a hand, they are doing Apple a big favor.