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Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer appeared at the Gartner Inc. Symposium ITxpo conference in Orlando earlier this week. He was interviewed on stage during a conference forum by Yvonne Genovese and fellow analyst David Smith. Genovese told Ballmer she'd purchased Vista on the recommendation of her 13 year old daughter. She used it for two days and reinstalled Windows XP.
Many male bloggers, like these, had a great time playing this up as an outraged mom laying into the good-natured Steve Ballmer, who took it like a man and pointed out the security features of Vista in rebuttal. It seems to me that Genovese created a storm simply because she had the nerve to mention to Ballmer that many people are not crazy in love with Windows Vista—while being female.
According to the male blogger interpretation of the conversation between Genovese and Ballmer, it was all about Ballmer having his hands full with an attack from outraged mom. No notice was taken of the fact that this was a professional conference where an industry professional, whose job it was to interview Ballmer in a forum, asked a question that has been on the minds of women and men alike since the release of Vista. She framed the question with a refernce to her daughter, so she became nothing more than a mad mom.
According to a report at Computer World, Genovese said,
"What we're seeing and what we're hearing from users is a very similar thing. It's difficult to implement. What should we be seeing that we're not seeing?"
Oddly, Ballmer didn't mention that Microsoft reintroduced Windows XP in stores in September to make it easier for customers who wanted to "downgrade." Seems a whole lot of Vista users want to "downgrade," not just mothers.
Here, for example, is a man's opinion of Vista: the YouTube video "Vista install in 2 minutes."
What are women saying about Vista?
BlogHer Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan told me in an email,
I had to replace my lap top a few weeks ago, and had the unpleasant surprise of Vista being my only option. I HATE IT. I don't have a problem with this operating system being available, I just have a problem with not having a choice of whether or not to use it. If I had a choice it would be XP.
Barbara Darrow, writing at Channel Marker says about Vista,
It . . . shows that despite all the PR and marketing glitz in the world, solution partners are canaries in the coal mine for such launches. They have long maintained that Vista wasn’t ready for prime time. Many have good businesses continuing to sell Windows XP-based systems which are scarce at retail.
Speaking as a resigned-but-not-happy Vista user, Microsoft needs to focus on what it really needs to do and filter out the noise. That means an operating system that works without forced reboots, that boots up and shuts down in less time than it takes to get a cup of coffee, and a browser that doesn’t hang.
At Where's the Mute Button, blogger Kathy T makes no bones about her attitude toward Windows Vista.
I bought this new computer this summer… an HP Pavilion dv6000, complete with Windows Vista. I HATE IT. Not only does it seem to randomly shut down for stupid upgrades and uploads in the middle of important work, but now my mouse is double clicking everything. I just hit publish on my lipstick blog down there and apparently it clicked twice, thereby causing me to have to go in and delete one. I go to click something on my favorites and it double clicks which means I go to TWO sites instead of the ONE I wanted.
To channel some Pink Floyd, is there any body out there? Anyone who can help me figure this damn thing out to keep it from these frickin’ double clicks? I hate Windows Vista. I hate this laptop. I want my IBM Thinkpad back (the motherboard went out on it). Aaargh!
A woman had the guts to ask Steve Ballmer a question in a public forum that a lot of Windows users probably wish they could ask the man. Good for her. The whole angry mom in conflict with a good old boy from the corporation story is just a lot of sound and fury that boils down to gender bias.
