PDA

View Full Version : Life Without Walls



mtreece
July 8th, 2009, 10:50 PM
Is it just me, or does anyone else cringe when they see that commercial come on television?

For those of you who are unaware of the commercials, here are a few I grabbed from youtube:

1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFPfApqTzLY
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHu2FYkcQmI&feature=related
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdcwUNGttXk
4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDt45q0IRDI&feature=related
5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpy7RU4OsGc&feature=related
6) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9YB5eFksI8&feature=related

The kid-based commercials are especially funny in my mind. I'm no psychologist or whatever, but seeing little kids being compared in a commercial to a PC, and then trying to sell that as professional/reliable/etc seems quite a low point for any corporation, IMHO.

The irony to Microsoft is that they are using the expression, "Life Without Walls." From the experience I've had with Microsoft, especially their ever-evolving Operating Systems, it seems as if they are doing nothing BUT putting up walls.

By preventing people from digging below the surface (usually in the form of quick and easy buttons and graphical oddities), Microsoft is dumbing the planet.

One infamous example I've recently experienced with Vista is through it's defragmentation software. Here is an excellent way to sum it up: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/freitasm/529

It seems as if Microsoft enjoys taking all the technicality out of everyday computer-things, but I cannot help but think that this will inevitably cause mass confusion and terror when Microsoft finally forgets to cover something up, and then, all of a sudden, people are in panic!

Is anyone else in the Ubuntu community proud to be avoiding this bandwagon of stupidity?

I for one am glad I jumped away from Microsoft years ago.

By the way, I applaud the person who set this up: http://www.lifewithwalls.com/

EDIT: (By the way, I don't mean for this to be a heated debate, but merely a statement of mere astonishment from the new Windows motto, and wish to share this with fellow non-Windows-users)

RD1
July 8th, 2009, 11:06 PM
If you don't have walls, wouldn't your windows crash?

Without walls, anyone can get into your home!

"Life Without Walls" = Homeless?

That's all I have for now ...

BlackRoijaX
July 8th, 2009, 11:12 PM
"Life Without Walls" = Homeless?

:lolflag:

.Maleficus.
July 8th, 2009, 11:14 PM
Is it just me, or does anyone else cringe when they see that commercial come on television?
No, I don't. They're actually very effective commercials.

The kid-based commercials are especially funny in my mind. I'm no psychologist or whatever, but seeing little kids being compared in a commercial to a PC, and then trying to sell that as professional/reliable/etc seems quite a low point for any corporation, IMHO.
Their focus is usability. If a 4 year old can import pictures and organize them, it must be user friendly.

The irony to Microsoft is that they are using the expression, "Life Without Walls." From the experience I've had with Microsoft, especially their ever-evolving Operating Systems, it seems as if they are doing nothing BUT putting up walls.
Sorry to hear that. If you haven't tried Windows 7 yet, you might change your mind though. There are many people here who use it and really like it.

By preventing people from digging below the surface (usually in the form of quick and easy buttons and graphical oddities), Microsoft is dumbing the planet.
The same can be said about Ubuntu (and among "hardcore" Linux users usually is).

One infamous example I've recently experienced with Vista is through it's defragmentation software. Here is an excellent way to sum it up: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/freitasm/529
The average user doesn't care about defragmentation. Most average users don't even know what it does.

It seems as if Microsoft enjoys taking all the technicality out of everyday computer-things, but I cannot help but think that this will inevitably cause mass confusion and terror when Microsoft finally forgets to cover something up, and then, all of a sudden, people are in panic!
Again, lets replace Microsoft with Canonical/Ubuntu. Why is an easy-to-use system bad? Because people are more productive? You'll have to explain your reasoning because I see nothing but positives with an easy-to-use system.

Is anyone else in the Ubuntu community proud to be avoiding this bandwagon of stupidity?
This post was brought to you by Windows 7.

I for one am glad I jumped away from Microsoft years ago.
Use whatever gets the job done. My Arch and Windows 7 combo is perfect for me but may not be for you.

PurposeOfReason
July 8th, 2009, 11:15 PM
EDIT: (By the way, I don't mean for this to be a heated debate, but merely a statement of mere astonishment from the new Windows motto, and wish to share this with fellow non-Windows-users)
So if you dual boot you don't count? I don't watch TV, but I just watched those. I see nothing wrong with them.

swoll1980
July 8th, 2009, 11:18 PM
Those commercials on TV are one of the main differences between a 94% market share, and a 1% share. I don't know how people can say they're not effective. Maybe they don't do anything thing to sway Linux users, because we're not sheep, obviously. The sheep do what ever the TV tells them too, and the TV says go buy a Windows PC.

oldsoundguy
July 8th, 2009, 11:35 PM
Actually the fault lies with their ad agency and the advertising department at MS .. MS ITSELF does not produce the ads.

The "I'm a PC" ads were all produced on MAC computers for one.

Then there is the BLING commercials that are so blatantly stupid .. especially for a search engine that goes back to the dark ages of Ask Jeeves and the tons of PORNO sites that would come up in a search and the dozens of sites that had absolutely nothing to do with your search, so you had to resort to a boolean search. (which you can not DO on BLing!)

And then there was this one for IE8 last week:
http://mashable.com/2009/07/01/ie-vomiting/

Add to that the pure gall of the Aussie treasure hunt (look that one up, the wording of the instructions is enough to make you want to haul out an ad exec and flog him with barbed wire!)

MS is scrambling .. they are losing 1% of the operating system usage PER MONTH now and about 2% of the browser market PER MONTH. ALL of their hopes for survival are now hung on IE8 and Windows 7.

PLUS if the feds ever step in on their handling of the netbook situation in the US and clamps down, some execs may be doing time at Club Fed
(in case you have not heard, MS threatened to pull their product licensing from some chains if the chains put ANY netbook running Linux ON DISPLAY as being immediately available for sale!)

aktiwers
July 8th, 2009, 11:42 PM
Where did I hear that? "Without walls" ?

Ahh yes...


In a world without walls and fences, who needs Windows and Gates?

BlackRoijaX
July 8th, 2009, 11:53 PM
Actually the fault lies with their ad agency and the advertising department at MS .. MS ITSELF does not produce the ads.

The "I'm a PC" ads were all produced on MAC computers for one.

Then there is the BLING commercials that are so blatantly stupid .. especially for a search engine that goes back to the dark ages of Ask Jeeves and the tons of PORNO sites that would come up in a search and the dozens of sites that had absolutely nothing to do with your search, so you had to resort to a boolean search. (which you can not DO on BLing!)

And then there was this one for IE8 last week:
http://mashable.com/2009/07/01/ie-vomiting/

Add to that the pure gall of the Aussie treasure hunt (look that one up, the wording of the instructions is enough to make you want to haul out an ad exec and flog him with barbed wire!)

MS is scrambling .. they are losing 1% of the operating system usage PER MONTH now and about 2% of the browser market PER MONTH. ALL of their hopes for survival are now hung on IE8 and Windows 7.

PLUS if the feds ever step in on their handling of the netbook situation in the US and clamps down, some execs may be doing time at Club Fed
(in case you have not heard, MS threatened to pull their product licensing from some chains if the chains put ANY netbook running Linux ON DISPLAY as being immediately available for sale!)

So Windows is losing about 30 million customers a month?

Sorry I don't buy that.

dragos240
July 8th, 2009, 11:58 PM
You can't have windows without walls. Windows are implanted in walls.

nice_like_rice
July 8th, 2009, 11:58 PM
I think there is some truth in that - MS really are a dying company, just look at the share price. This google chrome OS thing should hopefully open peoples eyes, and vista was a complete failure.

It's not 1% a month (they own something like 97% anyway), but maybe 1% a year, and the same applies for IE.

oldsoundguy
July 9th, 2009, 12:03 AM
So Windows is losing about 30 million customers a month?

Sorry I don't buy that.


http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php

This is a LOT of web sites reporting!

AND from what I am hearing from people on other forums, most of the initial Windows 7 sales will be to users of Vista! (the perfect system according to some!)

dragos240
July 9th, 2009, 12:13 AM
http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php

This is a LOT of web sites reporting!

AND from what I am hearing from people on other forums, most of the initial Windows 7 sales will be to users of Vista! (the perfect system according to some!)

And even better, according to 72.3 million people, Linux is the 4th most popular operating system. I can't wait for it to be 1st. And at 2.11%, we're not 1% anymore ^.^

mtreece
July 9th, 2009, 12:28 AM
You can't have windows without walls. Windows are implanted in walls.

Oh my, that is beautiful. I'm keeping that one and using it myself, if you don't mind?

blur xc
July 9th, 2009, 12:36 AM
http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php

This is a LOT of web sites reporting!

AND from what I am hearing from people on other forums, most of the initial Windows 7 sales will be to users of Vista! (the perfect system according to some!)


I can't believe I'm in the 1.57% of people using 1920 x 1200 resolutin!!??

Are there that few of us that don't have crappy monitors??

BM

aktiwers
July 9th, 2009, 12:38 AM
I can't believe I'm in the 1.57% of people using 1920 x 1200 resolutin!!??

Are there that few of us that don't have crappy monitors??

BM

Im with ya

jflaker
July 9th, 2009, 12:46 AM
Where did I hear that? "Without walls" ?

Ahh yes...

Well, there is no more Gates.......now about those windows!

Today, I had a virus scan and firewall service chewing all my processor utulization.....I couldn't kill it, I had to reboot a few times....

It's frustrating not being in control!

jflaker
July 9th, 2009, 12:49 AM
Oh my, that is beautiful. I'm keeping that one and using it myself, if you don't mind?

Isn't this site about open source? I'm sure you will be encouraged to share.

PurposeOfReason
July 9th, 2009, 12:53 AM
I can't believe I'm in the 1.57% of people using 1920 x 1200 resolutin!!??

Are there that few of us that don't have crappy monitors??

BM
Resolution doesn't make a good monitor. :roll:

dragos240
July 9th, 2009, 12:56 AM
Resolution doesn't make a good monitor. :roll:

Yes it does.

PurposeOfReason
July 9th, 2009, 12:58 AM
Yes it does.
I really hope you are being sarcastic. PPI, size, refresh rate, response time, panel type, and resolution all together make a good monitor. You can have a high resolution but with a horrible PPI.

oldsoundguy
July 9th, 2009, 12:59 AM
I can't believe I'm in the 1.57% of people using 1920 x 1200 resolutin!!??

Are there that few of us that don't have crappy monitors??

BM

I have an HP 2465 wide screen and I run it at 1600 x 1024 so these old eyebones can READ THE STINKIN PRINT! (but turn it vertically .. very little scrolling!) So I fall in that minority, too! LOL

From the repairs I do, MANY are still using a CRT.

BUT back to the original thread .. discussing the crappy advertising campaigns that seem to barf out of MS at regular intervals.

It is up to those of us that KNOW, to at least inform people that EVERY HOME COMPUTER is a PC no matter what the operating system, and that MS is, as usual, trying to take over a term that originally came with APPLE and make it their own!
PC = Personal Computer .. and it has ZIP to do with Microsoft (Microsoft .. small and flaccid!)

RevRogue
July 9th, 2009, 01:08 AM
Linux / M$ / Mac ... Does it really matter? Honestly it hasn't mattered one bit from what I've seen. I've used M$ and still work on them for friends family and paying cust. I use Linux for my personal use since I started twitching while using Win98 ( prior to SE). I've also played with Macs and I have a couple friends who swear by them. I'm just glad people are starting to understand computers are here and not going away.

hanzomon4
July 9th, 2009, 01:19 AM
You can't have windows without walls. Windows are implanted in walls.

Classic!

dragos240
July 9th, 2009, 01:26 AM
I really hope you are being sarcastic. PPI, size, refresh rate, response time, panel type, and resolution all together make a good monitor. You can have a high resolution but with a horrible PPI.
No I'm not. It seems rather hard to have a smaller resolution, hard to get around.

PurposeOfReason
July 9th, 2009, 02:14 AM
No I'm not. It seems rather hard to have a smaller resolution, hard to get around.
"Seems" is one thing. Using and knowing is another. Workspaces, tilers, there are many ways around it. Just having a big screen isn't all there is. More so if the resolution is too small for the size, resulting in a poor PPI, meaning it would be very hard to be productive when you can't see clearly.

tjwoosta
July 9th, 2009, 02:19 AM
In a life without walls, who needs windows and gates?

JDShu
July 9th, 2009, 06:41 AM
As much as I dislike Mac vs PC ads for their marketing evilness, I think they're effective.

On the other hand Bing commercials scare me. Not only does the commercial depict people in creepy situations that would test one's sanity, but in the end it tells me that my decisions need to be made for me. Am I the only person who thinks this is crazy?

4th guy
July 9th, 2009, 12:20 PM
If you don't have walls, wouldn't your windows crash?

Without walls, anyone can get into your home!

"Life Without Walls" = Homeless?

That's all I have for now ...
Never mind the walls, I would be more worried with the roof crashing on my head.

Tristam Green
July 9th, 2009, 12:42 PM
In a life without walls, who needs windows and gates?
Never heard that before! Where'd you get that?

scrooge_74
July 9th, 2009, 12:50 PM
Never mind the walls, I would be more worried with the roof crashing on my head.

What you think the Blue Screen of Death is? :lolflag:

Glucklich
July 9th, 2009, 01:14 PM
What I like the most about those ads is that without walls, there's absolutely no use in a window. Those Microsoft slogan guys, suck sooo much.

evermooingcow
July 9th, 2009, 01:15 PM
In a life without walls, who needs windows and gates?
Everytime I see this I think its absolutely brilliant.

4th guy
July 9th, 2009, 02:45 PM
What you think the Blue Screen of Death is? :lolflag:I believe that is what I'd call a Windows crash :P

RD1
July 9th, 2009, 03:11 PM
What you think the Blue Screen of Death is?

It's an electrified mesh that is installed in windows. It goes off any time a bug hits it.

blur xc
July 9th, 2009, 06:13 PM
"Seems" is one thing. Using and knowing is another. Workspaces, tilers, there are many ways around it. Just having a big screen isn't all there is. More so if the resolution is too small for the size, resulting in a poor PPI, meaning it would be very hard to be productive when you can't see clearly.

I've got good eyes- I run 1920 x 1200 on my 17" dell laptop, but that's a close viewing distance. When at work, it's hooked up to a 24" dell (dunno how good it really is, don't care)... I do cad work, and screen real estate is wonderful. Tool-bars, model tree, etc., take up far less of the screen- leaving more room to model, waste less time panning and zooming. You can't duplicate that w/ tiling or having multiple work-spaces.

I always tease my boss about how much more productive I'd be if he got me a 30 or 40"- but a dual 24" setup would probably work nice too...

Anyway- that's like 120-ish ppi on the laptop (if I recall), a more reasonable 94 on the desktop.


BM

PurposeOfReason
July 9th, 2009, 08:27 PM
I've got good eyes- I run 1920 x 1200 on my 17" dell laptop, but that's a close viewing distance. When at work, it's hooked up to a 24" dell (dunno how good it really is, don't care)... I do cad work, and screen real estate is wonderful. Tool-bars, model tree, etc., take up far less of the screen- leaving more room to model, waste less time panning and zooming. You can't duplicate that w/ tiling or having multiple work-spaces.

I always tease my boss about how much more productive I'd be if he got me a 30 or 40"- but a dual 24" setup would probably work nice too...

Anyway- that's like 120-ish ppi on the laptop (if I recall), a more reasonable 94 on the desktop.


BM
Everything, "Tool-bars, model tree, etc", takes up the same amount of space, it just appears smaller. Though I wonder wherever you got a 17" laptop at 1920x1200. I want one. :KS

blur xc
July 9th, 2009, 09:09 PM
Everything, "Tool-bars, model tree, etc", takes up the same amount of space, it just appears smaller. Though I wonder wherever you got a 17" laptop at 1920x1200. I want one. :KS

Well yeah, if they take up 200px on a 1024 x 768 monitor, that's a lot more real estate than 200px on a 1920 x 1200 monitor.

My laptop is a horribly overprice Dell Precision M6300- core 2 extreme X7900 2.8ghz, 4gig ram (3 usable, still weary of going 64bit), nvidia uh- quadro fx 3600m 512mb ram... with the docking station and external monitor + insurance and dell support it came to over $6000... I think the upgraded monitor was a $600 option...Glad I didn't pay for it.

But now the M6400 is out- way cooler, built in raid, 1gb vid card, etc.. etc... and cooler colors (mines a pretty lame gray three tone deal)... I think the new one even has a backlit keyboard (I could really use that), and a 10key on the keyboard, which I don't have..:( I've got a least two are three more years on this laptop before my boss will spring for a new computer.


BM

Ck.asdf
July 10th, 2009, 05:25 AM
Hmmm, mtreece, you seem to have deeply harbored feelings against Microsoft. Did Bill Gates hurt you as a child? Or perhaps not so drastic, did Windows let you down at a critical point in your life?

philcamlin
July 10th, 2009, 05:31 AM
If you don't have walls, wouldn't your windows crash?

Without walls, anyone can get into your home!

"Life Without Walls" = Homeless?

That's all I have for now ...

sigged :D