OT: Microsoft, again!

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Fri Apr 9 17:16:33 1999

>Subject: Microsoft, again!
>Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 15:23:12 -0400
>
>Bucks For Bugs
>By Randy Whitted, TechWeb contributor
>
>Microsoft is setting a dangerous precedent by announcing the next Windows 98
>"service pack" -- read: bug fix release -- will cost users $89.
>
>What we're seeing here is the first instance in the software industry of a
>company charging a significant sum to, hopefully, improve a product that
>didn't work right in the first place.
>
>As much as I'd like to deny it, what Apple, and even Linux developers, do to
>innovate in the software industry pales in comparison to the big Kahuna.
>Microsoft sets the status quo, which is why watching its moves, even if
>we're not customers, is wise.
>
>While I'm not privy to Microsoft's motives, I can guess the company's
>thinking goes something like this: "We spent a good deal of time and money
>fixing these problems, and we want to be compensated for our efforts." PC
>users should then say, "We spent a good deal of money on your product, which
>didn't work as you said it would, and we'd like the thing to work right at
>your expense."
>
>But here's the catch: Did Microsoft promise to deliver a version of Win 98
>that would be bug-free? Do any software developers say they release bug-free
>software? Of course not. They know, as do consumers, that software will
>always have problems, glitches, performance issues, and some bugs. No one is
>immune from releasing buggy software. It's a fact of life.
>
>However, how a company deals with its bugs is the true test of a winner or
>loser. And quite simply, charging users for a bug fix is a dumb move.
>
>Imagine if Apple tried to pull this off. There would be a mass defection,
>public scrutiny, a stock price plunge, and enough ridicule to ruin
>everything the iMac accomplished.
>
>That is why Apple, shortly after confirming bugs in Mac OS 8.5.1, released a
>bug-fix patch that could be download for free. Those fixes were subsequently
>incorporated into later shipments of 8.5 -- it's called slip-streaming.
>
>It should be noted, however, that Apple's forthcoming Veronica -- Mac OS 8.6
>-- is not a bug fix. Sure, it includes several bug fixes, some new drivers,
>and enhancements, but it is an updated version of the operating system that
>also offers new features and functions. Because it is an upgrade, Apple is
>not charging full price. Mac OS 8.6 is expected to be free for recent 8.5
>buyers, cost about $20 for a CD, and free when downloaded from the Internet.
>
>So, perhaps Microsoft, in its clumsy way, is just putting the wrong spin on
>this whole service-pack issue. My advice is the company should call it
>"Windows April 98," ship it in August, and tout the release as having
>several performance enhancements instead of just bug fixes. At least the
>consumer could imagine for their $89, Windows was working better than
>before, instead of simply working the way it should have been in the first
>place.
>
>The implications of letting Microsoft get away with this could be
>significant for the sectors of the software industry in which there is still
>competition. To me, Microsoft is saying it still doesn't believe there is
>any alternative to Windows, and as the dominant OS provider, whatever its
>says goes. Consumers, the ball is in your court. Linux is free. The Mac OS
>is polished and ready. Make your move.
>
>Randy Whitted is a copy writer/technical adviser at Studeo, a marketing and
>communications agency in Provo, Utah. The opinions expressed here are
>strictly his own.
>
>http://www.techweb.com/ <http://www.techweb.com/>
>
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Received on Fri Apr 09 1999 - 17:16:33 BST