Millions of computer users participate in software beta programs every year, usually toiling away in anonymity, never quite sure if whatever they find or report will matter in the final product. Others find the experience a lot more fulfilling, such as the families that participated in Microsoft’s Life with Windows Vista program. In addition to the more than 2 million testers of Vista, Microsoft selected 50 families from around the world and watched, in a reality TV kind of way, how they interacted with Vista, right out of the box with the first beta and all the way up to release to manufacturing.
Although they didn’t want the families/households to try Windows XY, but other things like XBOX or the Media Center thing.
I think it’s a rather good idea to have this approach on usability testing, additionally. Microsoft has enough money to afford it, too.
But I wonder how much they really learn from it. I don’t see many key usability features in Windows
(Not that all of them were present in “the competition”)
“…Microsoft selected 50 families from around the world and watched, in a reality TV kind of way, how they interacted with Vista…”
I imagine it looked a lot like Survivor. And in the end, it was Vista that got kicked off the island.
I imagine it looked a lot like Survivor. And in the end, it was Vista that got kicked off the island
That was f**king great man, made me laugh. *thumbs up*
Now if MS could fix the ICS colour bug.
This OS is turning out a very solid release.
What’s the bug?
@tomcat
When in Windows Photo Gallery, the photos look fine in thumbnail mode. But when I open one to look at it, the white gets blue. I looked at the Vista forums, others have reported similar problem but their images get yellower. It’s got something to do with their monitors colour profiles.
I don’t get the problem in Irfanview. Only in Windows Photo Gallery and Fax and Preview.
50 did not switch to OSX, KDE or GTK.
Those 50 used the PC as a door stop.
.V
If you’re wondering whether 50 families is really enough, read this article:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000319.html
stupid moronic approach as expected from MS … (yes i dont like MS and vista
but this is clearly new age trandy bull campaign.
The problem is that MS is testing in a way that’s biased toward their business model which is to sell more boxes where they and their partners can maintain dominance over the hardware makers. What I’m starting to learn is that I prefer the idea of software portability more than a “ball and chain” style of device integration. For simple photo scrapbooks, I actually prefer the Kodak picture stations where I don’t have to buy, install, or learn anything, and can find one at any Walmart or Target. I also like the idea of multisession DVD’s or USB key running GNU/Linux or whatever OS (should it matter?) which have the potential to run from any kiosk located anywhere perhaps without the need for a hard drive.
MS basically have reinvented the idiot box in living digital. The data-rape that Win-V boxes enable stand to benefit the collector(s) far more than the consumer. Win-V boxes in the home figure to provide many of the same functions traditionally enabled by discrete analog devices except that Win-V might be twice as expensive and half as reliable.
What I’m starting to learn is that I prefer the idea of software portability more than a “ball and chain” style of device integration. For simple photo scrapbooks, I actually prefer the Kodak picture stations where I don’t have to buy, install, or learn anything, and can find one at any Walmart or Target. I also like the idea of multisession DVD’s or USB key running GNU/Linux or whatever OS (should it matter?) which have the potential to run from any kiosk located anywhere perhaps without the need for a hard drive
How are those examples of “software portability”? They’re highly-integrated software/hardware scenarios. Who cares whether they’re using GNU/Linux or Windows. Either way, the device integration is part and parcel of the vertical kiosk deployment.
Win-V boxes in the home figure to provide many of the same functions traditionally enabled by discrete analog devices except that Win-V might be twice as expensive and half as reliable.
Twice as expensive and half as reliable? Based on what evidence?
Twice as expensive and half as reliable? Based on what evidence?
Well at least twice as expensive. HOME Linux installs typically cost £0 (that’s $0 btw.) Installing Windows XP costs either from around £70 ($119 Walmart) OR whatever the cost of an OEM licence is. I make that £70/£0 (divide by zero which tends to infinity.)
Half as reliable? I run Ubuntu Linux in VMWare on Windows. It has never crashed / been insecure / been unreliable (either system or apps) for me.
The host Windows OS however has (been surprisingly stable but) crashed on a number of occasions. So again, technically, for me, Windows is infinitely less stable than Linux.
Bet they monitored the biggest PEBKAC’s ever.
that just proves MS is making Windows for losers who know not much about computers!
But I suppose we’ll just go on testing our nerdish interfaces on other nerds (if at all), and telling confused newbies to RTFM.
Ho Hum…