Microsoft Resorts To Propaganda To Sell Vista

Since retiring Windows XP on June 30 of this year, Microsoft has been making a push to repair the reputation of Windows Vista while attempting to gain more support from small businesses.

Eighteen months after Vista shipped, Microsoft finally confessed to what everyone already knew: Vista has problems. More accurately, as noted by Information Week, Microsoft is admitting that Vista had problems shortly after its release, but claims they've been fixed, so it's safe to switch to Vista now. It's not quite that simple though.

A couple days ago Microsoft announced the launch of the Windows Vista Compatibility Center. As of the time this article was posted, the site still hadn't been launched. If you go to the Microsoft Windows Small Business Assurance Plan site, you're informed that if you purchase Windows Vista Business or Ultimate you can get free support from Microsoft -- through October 2008.

Microsoft is also using ads and small-business case studies to convince the public that Windows Vista has evolved and is ready for prime time.

The Seattle PI reports on one such ad: Ana Judeh, owner of Modern Mia Spa & Salon in Redmond is the subject of one such ad. Aside from newspaper features, Judeh's company has been the focus of a Microsoft small-business case study. Unfortunately for Microsoft, the ad doesn't tell the whole story.

Judeh cited many of the positive aspects of Vista, saying that it "has not been a bad experience." But she also mentioned something that wasn't included in the ad or the Microsoft case study --- the initial challenges of getting third-party software to work with Windows Vista. Getting her company software to work with Vista was a struggle.

Judeh, whose salon is near Microsoft, said they spent hours and hours trying to make their software work with Vista. They finally got it to work -- until they came up with a new version. Then they had the same problems all over again. According to the makers of her company software, part of the problem may have been related to the User Account Control (UAC) security feature.

Purposely omitting information to make yourself look better is nothing new for Microsoft, or most large corporations for that matter. People in general would probably be a little more understanding and sympathetic though, if they weren't lied to or purposely deceived.

Microsoft wants you to believe that if you switch to Windows Vista now, switching to Windows 7 will be easier. However, not selling Windows XP may end up being a big problem for Microsoft than previously thought.

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