If there is one Operating system that has been loathed, snubbed and has had the worst reviews, it has to be Windows ME. That said, what could have been the reason for those kind of responses? Was the OS really that bad or was it just the reviews that made it look so bad and unusable? Can’t really say! That was then.
We have had similar reactions in 2007, when Vista was launched. It was said to be too resource consuming, needed super computer like hardware to run, had annoying pop ups asking you for confirmation even if you wanted to change your font. To add insult to injury, arch rival Apple had the super slick Mac OSX Panther which not only offered the eye candy, but was also easy to use out of the box – or so said the reviews. And, with boot camp, you can run Vista as well--If you really wanted to. So what does big M do?
They come up with this thing called the Mojave Experiment where unsuspecting users who had “stereotyped” Vista and wouldn’t touch the OS with a one mile rod, were asked to watch a video demonstration of what they were told was its forthcoming "Mojave" operating system. What the subjects weren't told was that they were actually watching a demo of Windows Vista in action -- an OS that most had previously said they wouldn't purchase under any circumstances.
Respondents were chosen from the focus group (Mojave Experiment) 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).The 120 odd participants on average, gave Vista a rating of 4.4 out of 10 prior to participating. The average rating jumped to 8.5 after the subjects watched the demo. Responses ranged from "It's awesome" and "The speed is incredible" to "I'd give it a 10"
So is it really all in the head?
The popular Apple ads depict Vista as a slow, buggy unfashionable OS compared to the hip and younger OS X. Apart from the reviews and the ubiquitous Apple ads, implementation of Vista in commercial environments too have not taken off and there have many reports about organizations asking OEM computer suppliers to actually “downgrade” the OS to XP prior to shipping. This means, it is not just the average Joe who is uncomfortable with the OS – even professionals who aren't as impressionable as consumer users, are bitten by the “vista sucks” bug. We can’t really say.
As for the Mojave experiment, many users are complaining about the method used to survey. The respondents did not actually use the OS but were shown only a Video of the UI and the speed. This method according to many is crude as the USP of any OS is the way it interacts with the user. A video showing some parts of the OS certainly is not the way to go if you want a complete picture. Others, however, said the subjects' reaction to Vista was consistent with their own experience with the software.
The debate continues..
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