Dvorak gets Windows 7 horribly wrong
John C. Dvorak has always been the P.T. Barnum of PC pundits, willing to write deliberately provocative things to draw attention to himself. But his most recent column in MarketWatch is an unfortunate example of how that tendency can go horribly wrong when it’s combined with factual errors.
Dvorak’s main thesis is pretty ho-hum stuff: Microsoft’s future rides on Windows 7. But then he drops this little bit of Barnum in there:
Microsoft may be pulling a fast one with the beta release because this is not the finished product. Let me explain.
As a beta program it probably does not have any of the security measures built into it the way a release product would. For one thing security is not too important with a beta product since hackers have not targeted it in any way, nor will they until the final product ships.
All that zippy performance that everyone is jacked up about will disappear once the burden of security precautions and patches begins.
For all we know the whole OS could turn into an incredible pig after this happens.
That is, to put it as kindly as possible, pure crap. The security features you see in the beta release of Windows 7 are those you will see in the final product. The idea that there’s a big pile of code being held back is ridiculous.
It’s really sad that some readers of this column (which is aimed at investors, not techies) will actually believe this nonsense. The question for me is, does Dvorak really believe this nonsense? In other words, is he cynical or senile?
Update: I just went back and read the column again. I was especially struck by how crude and juvenile the writing is. It’s similar to what I see in comment threads from anti-Microsoft zealots. I wonder if JCD is having this column ghost-written?
I stopped paying attention to Dvorak sometime around 1994. Go and read some of his assertions about OS/2, they’ll make you laugh. Heck, they weren’t even plausible in 1994.
There’s a sliver of hope on the OEM craplet front. It’s been traditional to bash Vista for stuff the OEMs installed, but the reviews for the 7 beta are so good that it might just make some reviewers think before they write. This might, just might, put some pressure on OEMs to deliver clean systems.
@Geogray – You are probably right about the enterprise being slow to adopt anything.
When I went to work for Westinghouse fresh out of college I was given a WWII vintage army green Steelcase metal desk. Most of the managers had the same issue. No one even thought about getting more modern furniture. Those old metal desks were functional and that’s all anyone in management cared about. “Fashionable” and “New” weren’t in the vocabulary.
Probably the same way with computers and operating systems. They’ll more than likely keep running what they’ve got until someone gives them a compelling reason to upgrade. Does anyone see that in Windows 7?
@davesmall:
I think the larger issue-aside from compatibility-has to do with hardware. Typically, larger corporations lease machines on a two or three year cycle and those machines are not always the fastest or have adequate memory from day one. So, during that cycle, updating software-be it the operating system or anything else-may require additional resources that a company probably does not want to allocate. In addition, once a decision is made on upgrading, then a whole battery of tests must be done. This entire process can take quite a bit of time. There has to be quite a payoff for a company to do this.
While Vista-FOR ME-was a compelling upgrade, it really did not make much sense for my company at the time. It does, however, make sense now.
Windows 7 is even more compelling and I suspect it’s barrier to entry will be substantially lower than Vista and may be adapted much more quickly.
Dvorak writes for so many publications so often that, of course, he puts out pure crap. There is not enough real reporting to do for a new factual story every other day to print up 1000 words on each.
as a microsoft beta tester, i can tell you that the UAC works better than it did in vista to the point you no longer want to just TURN IT OFF. And vista has plenty of security features built in. However it is true that the licensing scheme is not the final one. The realease HAS been targeted by hackers and there are plenty of iso downloads on the internet with vista code patched into it to keep it registered.
As far as I can see, Dvorak only writes for PCMag and Marketwatch, a far cry from the 20 or so he used to write for. However, he is doing the tiresome tech writer’s trick of using Linux when they run out of ideas for proper columns.
I used to read him pretty regularly, because I enjoyed his “firestarter” attitude, even if I didn’t always think his columns were notable.
I think the same is true in the column you reference. I also think he could have made use of some qualifiers (“sometimes,” “usually,” “rarely”).
Having said that, while he may be careless in his expression at times, I agree that “beta” means just that — NOT production and therefore, not finished. Maybe nothing more will be added to Windows 7; and I haven’t downloaded it, so it may really be everything that you say. But it hasn’t been released to manufacturing.
And, frankly, just because *you* say the security features are finalized doesn’t make you any more (or less) believable than Dvorak.
He wrote an article on PCMag titled “Dvorak Likes Linux”… well, I guess it says it all
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2342703,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03079TX1K0000584
Dvorak strikes back, starting at about the 30-minute mark:
http://twit.tv/186
Wow, and here I thought Mac fan-boys were bad. Zealots are zealots, whether it religion or equipment apparently….
Most of the security feature we see in Windows 7 is already built in Windows Vista. Although their saying security is much better in Windows 7. Could someone please explain why Windows 7 security is much better than Windows Vista when their almost identical.
Dvorak may be wrong (or whatever more-colorful phrase you prefer). But at least he’s almost always interesting and original. His blogs read like a magazine/newspaper column than, rather than a glorified forum posting.
And Hylen’s link (if you follow it the actual content) kind of puts his rants in perspective. Basically, they’re saying his outrageous comments are just another marketing ploy, just like that a teen with 50 piercings and neon green hair.
No one takes Dvorak seriously.
He hasn’t been relevant since PC Magazine was a must-read…
Dvorak says something outrageous that irritates the shills and fanbois (whether they shill for Apple or Microsoft). WOW, that’s a shocker! He’s an entertaining blowhard who’s more right about tech trends than some would like to admit.
If you’re so sensitive as to get offended at his pointed writing style, stop reading his stuff and try not to cry into your soy latte.
On a more positive note, Microsoft was brilliant to release the beta. Leo Laporte (a huge Mac fan) LOVES Windows 7 and has nothing but praise for it. Who knows? Maybe it’ll convert a few Macheads…
I take my lattes nonfat, thanks, and I make ‘em myself. I’m not “offended at his pointed writing style” but rather disappointed by an obvious factual error from someone who should know much better.
I don’t understand why you think his remarks are invalid?
You think Microsoft has a good track record of performance improvements with it’s patches? All you have to do is google “windows patches slow performance” and there are tons of complaints about poor performance after patching.
Oh, and calling someone else’s writing crude and juvenile is crude and juvenile.
Stilgar, go back and read what Dvorak wrote and then what I wrote. JCD is claiming, with no factual backing or support, that Microsoft is “pulling a fast one” by leaving major security features out of its beta release, which it will then add later, causing performance slowdowns. Anyone who understands how an OS is built would know this is ludicrous.
I am a software engineer. It’s not uncommon for beta builds to have lots of code commented out because it’s not stable enough for release in the beta.
Now, I don’t know that MS is leaving out “major security features” or not in their betas, but it’s not unreasonable to think that there are features left out of current beta builds.
The fact of the matter is that neither you nor Dvorak know what the final performance of Windows 7 will be like until it’s on store shelves and the service packs and patches start rolling out.
Maybe it’d be worth while to dig up a copy of a Vista beta and see how well the performance compares to a current, patched install of the OS.
#35 Ed, so you don’t deny crying into your lattes?
Kidding of course (and I was not referring to you for what it’s worth)…I pegged you more as a drip coffee with Cremora type of guy but, hey, live and let live.
Anyway, there’s much work that has been done and more to be done on Win7 before it’s released so we’ll see. MS needs a win with 7 after the PR faux pas with Vista (which works well for me). After all, competition is good thing and a great MS OS will kick Apple in the butt which will drive innovation for all as the wrong-headed negative perceptions of Vista have driven MS to do something great. And yes, MS Win7 is great now and I hope it stays great…
Stilgar is right…who knows what will be released. Let’s hope MS knocks this one out of the park….
I agree with SpragueD.
John Dvorak hasn’t been relevant in years. I’m surprised he’s still out there writing.
As for Windows 7, other than dealing with some driver issues, it’s already in shape to hit the store shelves. Microsoft has a big win coming here.