Style vs. Substance

Up until a little over a year ago, I had used PCs and Windows exclusively. I won't get into the merits of the Mac vs. PC debate as that's one conversation that will never die, no matter what the market share is. However, having used Windows 3.1, 95, 98 (both editions), ME, 2000, and XP, I wanted to weigh in on my disappointment with Microsoft at their Professional Developers Conference this year, and in general over the last few years.

The more and more I listen to Microsoft spout off rhetoric about Windows Vista (codename Longorn), the more and more it disappoints me. It's becoming sadly clear that it's all style and no substance, and the worst part is that it's not even terribly great style either. Microsoft has been promising features that will blow the competition out of the water, but as of yet, we haven't seen any of these features (which range from networking, search, security, etc.) that will be in Vista. And I got to thinking why they wouldn't want to show off such "groundbreaking" features. What they continually say is that they're afraid someone will rip the ideas off. C'mon.

On top of all of that, an article was released last week that said the following: "During Gates' keynote address at the company's Professional Developers Conference here, Microsoft previewed new graphical elements in Vista that let PC users navigate thumbnail images of open windows --including live video--and a new user interface for Office that eliminates drop-down menus."

As reports streamed in from PDC 05, what were we actually seeing? The UI. Nothing more. (I find it hilarious that Microsoft has to codename everything, even their new Alt+Tab, called Flip.) They spent time showing Alt+Tab at a conference geared at professional software developers and no one called them on it? That's ridiculous. What about Office 12. What did we see there? The UI, nothing more. Where are these security improvements that they keep heralding? Oh wait, they don't want to show them to the public because they're afraid Apple is gonna rip of Windows security. That's absolute nonsense. Last I checked, there were still no viruses that affect OS X, but over 10,000 new viruses for Windows in the first 6 months of 2005. Yes, Apple wants to rip off Windows security.

Then, eWeek interviews Steve Ballmer and the question of competing OSes comes up. What does he say regarding it? He calls features "kissing cousins" of competitors' products. Isn't this just a fancy way of saying that Microsoft has ripped off Apple ... again?

First of all, let me address this issue of features that Microsoft showed at PDC this year ... blatant knock-offs of Apple's iCal and iPhoto. Sure, I'm happy that Microsoft is finally building those into the OS, but what took so long? Why wasn't it there in XP? I'm not even gonna get into the Gadget issue since that wasn't an original Apple idea either, but I find it interesting that Gadgets wasn't a part of Vista until shortly after Tiger was launched with Dashboard. Call it a coincidence. Transparencies, scalable graphics, window transitions? I don't mind that these things are being added, but for Bill Gates to stand on a stage and herald them as some innovative creation of Microsoft is absolute garbage.

On top of that, a week later, Microsoft announced that they would be completely revamping Outlook Express and renaming it to Windows Mail. Umm ... can you say Apple Mail? And to add insult to injury, they're planning on making the whole thing look like Outlook 2003. Can anyone tell me what the point in buying Outlook will be now, because I don't see any.

Microsoft shows off a User Interface that isn't even finished and everyone oohs and aahs. I want to actually see some of these features in use when I see demos of Vista. At the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2 years ago, Steve Jobs talked about Spotlight and how it would change the user's experience allowing them to find anything on their machine almost instantly. Jobs didn't talk about it then move on, no, he talked about it, then showed it. He was able to do 1 or 2 searches, then it crashed. So what? He showed it, even in its half-finished state. He talked about 64-bit processes then called someone up to the stage to show it working on Tiger. Who cares if Gates gets a blue screen of death, show us the features!

According to Microsoft, we're a little over a year from getting this in our hands, but as it stands now, I don't want it in my hands. Beta 2 signals the feature lockdown. You're telling me that Microsoft has about 6 months to lock down all these features they've been promising for the last 2 years? I just don't think it's gonna happen and Vista is shaping up to be the biggest software flop of the computer age.

Don't get me wrong, even though I'm a Mac person, I still like to see Microsoft do something worthwhile, but after hearing the same old rhetoric for 2 years now, it means very little to me. What amazes me is that these tech analysts sit there and take it and say it's the greatest thing ever. I think it's about time to call Microsoft on their bluff.

The Best Shows You're (Probably) Not Watching

I like television, I won't lie. And on top of that, my tastes are fairly varied. I've been known to watch shows like Grey's Anatomy, Joey, The OC, Smallville, Enterprise, Whose Line Is It Anyway, and so on and so forth. Yes, my tastes are varied. I always get excited in May when the networks announce their new shows and I try to get a feel for what shows I'll try to catch when they premiere. This summer saw some surprisingly decent television, well, from at least two awesome shows.

First on the list is HBO's Entourage. Great show. It follows the life of Vincent Chase as he tries to navigate the treacherous waters of Hollywood as an actor and his manager (also his best friend), his brother, and another friend. They are constantly dealing with situations from his agent (played by Jeremy Piven), his publicist, as well as a host of attractive women that are undoutedly found in Hollywood. Now, since this is done by HBO, it's no-holds-barred on anything, and to be fair, the show is definitely a little more racy and vulgar than any of its competitors, but that's an advantage (or disadvantage) of being on HBO. The writing is great and the performances are equally awesome. There's something that just feels very real about they way these characters are portrayed, especially Vincent Chase. I haven't heard of the lead actor, Adrian Grenier, and I think that the material may be fairly fresh for him. They just finished off their second season and it was grand. I think another thing that makes this show really cool is the cameos. Mandy Moore just finished a fairly extensive appearance, James Cameron has appeared, Jessica Alba, Mark Wahlberg, Jay Leno, Bob Saget (had to throw that one in), and a host of others. If you haven't seen the show, I would definitely recommend catching it some time, especially the third season as rumors are stirring that HBO has picked up the show for a full 22 episodes for the third season, something very unlike HBO to do.

Second is TNT's Wanted. Amazing show. High action. High drama. Raw and gut wrenching. This is another no-holds-barred show that displays the grittier side of cops as an assembled task force tries to hunt down LA's 100 most wanted criminals. Amazingly, Gary Cole is the lead and does an amazing job. Each one of the members in the task force has their own unique characteristics, like the religious ATF agent, or the wild US Marshal. The first thing that caught my attention about this show was when Regal theaters were showing previews for it during The Twenty. I decided to check out the show and was hooked from the first minute. The situations are presented in a great way, and though the cinematography is a little unconventional, I've come to really appreciate the way the show is done. I read somewhere that they film an entire episode in 8 days, which in Hollywood, is a downright miracle. Hats off the creators and directors for putting this show together so masterfully. No word is out yet whether TNT is going to pick it up for a second season, but here's to hoping.

Worthwhile Mention

I would consider myself a pretty avid follower of things on television and especially like seeing the whole development cycle that happens with TV. I like watching new shows and seeing how they do, and maybe why they get axed so quickly by the networks. There are several shows of note this midseason that I've gotten myself attached to.

The first is called Grey's Anatomy and is on ABC Sunday nights at 10. It's about a group of fresh-out-of-med-school interns working at a hospital and the situations they face as they try to reach the coveted resident position. I really feel that the cast is awesome and is bolstered by some good writing. (Being a creative writing major, I pay close attention to those kinds of things.) The music supervisor for this show is awesome ... whoever they are, they're picking songs that not only sound great, but act as great commentary to what's going on, both seen and unseen.

The second show I've gotten attached to is Blind Justice. It too is on ABC, airing on Tuesday nights at 10. Jim Dunbar plays a detective who lost his sight in a shootout a year earlier, but returned to his job amongst the skepticism that would naturally come with a blind person wielding a gun and being a detective in the field. Marisol Nichols delivers some great support as his sidekick, Karen Bettancourt. The writing here is good and the stories, while they seemed recycled from NYPD Blue (it is after all the same creator) are given a fresh spin with Dunbar's blindness. It's ratings have slipped of late and may very well see the axe before it completes the 13 episodes of its contract, but if you get a chance, watch both of these shows ... very well worth the hour!

Words Women Use

Fine:
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

Five Minutes:
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

Nothing:
This is the calm before the storm. This means "something" and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with "nothing" usually end in "fine".

Go Ahead:
This is a dare, not permission, DON'T DO IT!

Loud Sigh:
Although not actually a word, the loud sigh is often misunderstood by men. A "loud sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "nothing".

That's Okay:
This is one of the most dangerous statements that woman can make to a man. "That's okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

Thanks:
This is the least used of all words in the female vocabulary. If a woman is thanking you. Do not question it, just say you're welcome and back out of the room slowly