Time for a Microsloth bash..their version of "Switch" was a fraud.

[beagledave]

Well we really haven’t had a good platform war in awhile…what the hey.

Most folks are familiar with Apple Computer’s Switch campaign. This campaign features former Wintel users who switched to the Mac platform for one reason or another.

In the grand tradition of Microsloth (sloppy imitation over innovation), they attempted a Windows version of a Switch campaign. Except that they lied.

They pulled down the web site…but it is cached at Google

http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cache:JmwQcVoG-ucJ:www.microsoft.com/insider/opsystems/windowsxp_setup.asp+windowsxp_setup.asp&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Some folks at Slashdot did the detective work to discover the fraud.
Then the AP followed up on the story

Red-faced executives at Microsoft Corp. on Monday pulled a breezy advertisement purportedly by a free-lance writer who switched to using Windows software from the rival Macintosh, amid questions about whether the woman actually exists.
  An employee at a public relations company hired by Microsoft, Valerie G. Mallinson of Shoreline, Wash., later acknowledged she was Microsoft’s mysterious convert. The Associated Press tracked Mallinson by examining personal data hidden within documents that Microsoft had published with its controversial ad.
  “I guess I can tell the truth,” Mallinson said Monday. “It was me. I made the switch.”

Nice.

fuckin’ weasles
Oh, not to forget…

Apple rules!

Microsfort Sucks!!
blah blah blah

[beagledave]

The url for the Google cache doesn’t seem to work in the vb code…but if you go the slashdot link…they have a link there.

[Lightnin]

sigh

If it’s a computer brand war you’re looking for…

Apple sucks!

Timex Sinclair 1000s rule!

Get a REAL computer!

[SUB]There, happy?[/SUB]

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

Unintentional humor, from the bottom of the ad:

Editor’s Note: Now that we’ve successfully converted our writer to a Windows PC, we will be working on getting her to try a Pocket PC. Stay tuned for more developments!

“And for her next trick, she’ll sing a duet with HAL…”

And:

To my surprise, the process of switching was as easy as the marketing hype had promised. I was up and running in less than one day, Girl Scout’s honor.

“Scout’s Honor”. Uh huh. :rolleyes:

Anyway, here’s how to find the Google cache without going through the Slashdot link and then their link.

Either Google “Windows XP relieved my fears about switching” but with quotation marks around it in the Search window, which forces Google to look for that exact phrase–if you don’t use the quotation marks, you’ll just get a bunch of miscellaneous hits, but with the quotation marks, you get the exact hit.

Or Google “To my surprise, the process of switching was as easy as the marketing hype had promised”, which so far doesn’t need quotation marks around it–the first hit ought to be the ad. Look for the original URL, which was www.microsoft.com/insider/opsystems/windowsxp_setup.asp

[Mockingbird]

I’ve found the Apple Switch campaign to be INCREDIBLY stupid.

I think it boils down to:

“I’m too damn stupid to learn software so I need to be spoonfed. Oh Apple, feed me like a baby in a high chair and make software so stupid proof that I can have everything done for me and then act as if I have a shard of creativity.”

[beagledave]

Thanks DDG for the linking tips.

In case it’s not clear…I was tongue in cheek about the actual “OS Wars” angle. I’m a Mac user and advocate, but don’t automatically disparage folks for using a different platform.

Microsoft is still Satan’s tool. I’m sticking by that.

[Legomancer]

Why would you run a switch campaign without Ellen Feiss? She MADE that campaign.

[beagledave]

*Originally posted by Legomancer *
**Why would you run a switch campaign without Ellen Feiss? She MADE that campaign. **

Indeed

[Morbo]

*Originally posted by beagledave *
In the grand tradition of Microsloth (sloppy imitation over innovation)

Thank you so much for making my morning by slandering my employer and calling me a fucking weasel and tool of Satan. “Sloppy imitation over innovation” - that’s our entire company in a nutshell, yessir, especially me, since I create Office software for your Macintosh, and the features I create do not exist in the PC versions, nor do they exist in any other Mac application. Please don’t tell the patent office that I didn’t innovate anything, I’d hate to give that plaque back.

I’m sitting through meetings with executives where we’re defending whether it’s worth it to continue to allow us to create sotfware for the Mac, at not much of a profit. I’ll be sure and bring up how encouraging and supportive “Mac advocates” such as yourself are of our efforts.

Regarding this screwup - it’s very embarrasing and irritating. I feel compelled to say that the engineers all hate the Marketing division, but why bother? Doesn’t matter that I work exclusively on the Mac. We’re all the same - Marketing, the Mac team, XBox, Payroll, Facilities, the external PR firm that was hired to do it. Tools of Satan, every one of us. Fucking weasels, to a man.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go see if there’s anything I can sloppily imitate from Photoshop.

[beagledave]

*Originally posted by Dooku *
**

Thank you so much for making my morning by slandering my employer
**

Ooooh slander… (or did you mean “libel”). Suggesting that Microsoft “borrows” ideas from competitors does not qualify me for slander, Sparky. It’s an arguable point (been argued in court, Apple lost)…but not a liberlous idea.

**

and calling me a fucking weasel and tool of Satan.
**

Get off the cross hun, I did not call you anything. Umm and the “tool of Satan” bit…it’s hyperbole… (I mean you DID see the “blah blah blah” part of the OP that refers to the nauseating OS wars that often spark up on the boards?)

**

“Sloppy imitation over innovation” - that’s our entire company in a nutshell, yessir, especially me, since I create Office software for your Macintosh, and the features I create do not exist in the PC versions, nor do they exist in any other Mac application. Please don’t tell the patent office that I didn’t innovate anything, I’d hate to give that plaque back.
**

Damn. Not had your coffee yet?

**

I’m sitting through meetings with executives where we’re defending whether it’s worth it to continue to allow us to create sotfware for the Mac, at not much of a profit. I’ll be sure and bring up how encouraging and supportive “Mac advocates” such as yourself are of our efforts.
**

Oh please do that. Please tell your fellow employees that ONE person posted a thread chastising Microsoft for running a misleading web ad. BTW, Please use that criticism as an excuse to make a change in your Mac software devopment efforts. :rolleyes:
**

Regarding this screwup - it’s very embarrasing and irritating. I feel compelled to say that the engineers all hate the Marketing division, but why bother? Doesn’t matter that I work exclusively on the Mac. We’re all the same - Marketing, the Mac team, XBox, Payroll, Facilities, the external PR firm that was hired to do it. Tools of Satan, every one of us. Fucking weasels, to a man.
**

Oh fine…just because I hurt yer sensitive feelings.

Ahem.

To all readers. Please note that my OP was specifically addressed to the marketing division of Microsoft, and not the fine folks who work in other departments.

…Ooops. Hmmm…are you saying that the ENTIRE FUCKING MARKETING DIVISION is to blame for this? Are you generalizing and blaming ALL of them? Even those folks in marketing who are honest, ethical and hard working? Why wouldn’t that make you…ummm. a hypocrite?

Asshole.

[Morbo]

Don’t belittle my reaction by backpeddling and saying it was all hyperbole, which is bullshit. I don’t have to think I’m on a cross to be offended by what you said - if I said Davenport were a bunch of fucking weasels, would you not take offense?

Shithead.

[Enderw24]

Ellen Feiss has beepbeepbeeped her way into my heart.

I e-mailed her asking her out and she turned me down and it was like…

…

…

…a bummer.
Then I had to ask someone else out and I had to do it really quickly but she wasn’t as good.

[bernse]

In the grand tradition of Microsloth (sloppy imitation over innovation),

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Fuck! Where did you come up with that!! GOLD I SAY…** SOLID GOLD!!**

That’s about as funny as me calling you, oh, bestialitydave instead of beagledave. :rolleyes:

I’d be pissed off too if you slammed my employer. And yes, you slammed the whole company. Dooku had right to be offended.

Wanna take any bets that MS will be around longer than Apple?

Summary - Funny news. Shitty rant. Even shittier comback to Dooku

[AmbushBug]

*Originally posted by Dooku *
Dooku
[sup]Member[/sup]
[sub]Registered: Jan 2001[/sub]
[sup]Location: 123 Fake Street[/sup]

ROFL.

By the way, what’s with the funny bubble things on the Office: Mac box? Graphics guy just got it yesterday (for OS X). Cool packaging, but not the “look” I expected from typically boring-ol’-packaging Mictosoft.

-AmbushBug

[Bob_Scene]

Ender: Don’t take it personally. Ellen just turned you down cause she was… like… really baked, and she was… like… freaking out. E-mail her again and tell her you have nachos.

[Morbo]

AmbushBug, that’s supposed to follow along with our new ads and logos. You can check them out at the mactopia site here. We always try for different funny box packaging like that. MacOffice2001 came in a plastic CD case that you could use to store other CDs rather than just throw away. Legal told us not to do that again - too many problems with the copyright hologram and such, so this year we added the funky bubble thingies.

Bernse - thanks for the support, I appreciate it.

[Geek_Mecha]

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again:

Please, don’t think all Mac users are the same.

I, for one, appreciate MS for what they’ve done with IE and Office X.
WRT the spoof ad: It’s not like you couldn’t see it coming. Once the iMac spoofs started popping up, every ad campaign of Apple’s was game.

Truth is, I can’t criticize the spoof, because I very much dislike the ‘Switch’ campaign. I feel they’re misguided, and this frustrates me; although I’m a Mac user and would encourage anyone to try the Mac, I can’t even bring myself to like these ads, much less persuade anyone to pay any attention to them.

Here’s my gripe:
If you want people to switch to the Mac, you need to dispel the misconceptions people have about it. You need ads that address the preconceived and untrue notions people have about it.

Forget the “It’s so easy to use, unlike a PC!” angle; it’s been horribly overplayed. Everybody knows that that’s what Macs are known for. After 20 years, it’s perfectly clear.

But while ease of use important, it’s only a big factor for computer newbies. If Apple is serious about courting experienced computer users, it’s imperative they tailor the ad campaign to reflect that by addressing the factors important to experienced users. Experienced users need to know more than the simple “It’s easy to use”. Big deal, it’s easy to use; so’s a PC after years of use. What about software selection? What about stability, upgradeability, and expandability? What about future development? How about portraying it as a serious user’s platform, and not just one for the publishers, artists, and zealots?

There’s no mention of any of that, and that’s where the campaign falls disappointingly short. If that’s the best they can do, no one’s going to be convinced to switch.

[beagledave]

*Originally posted by Dooku *
**Don’t belittle my reaction by backpeddling and saying it was all hyperbole, which is bullshit. I don’t have to think I’m on a cross to be offended by what you said - if I said Davenport were a bunch of fucking weasels, would you not take offense?

Shithead. **

I didn’t backpeddle.

I didn’t claim it was all hyperbole. Go back and read my comments more closely.

I’ll explain it again.

My complaint about Microsoft (ooops or their marketing department…btw, do you admit to your hypocrisy in hating the entire marketing department?) lying was not hyperbole. They lied when the ad suggested that they had a “switcher”…(complete with her picture). I’m sure there are plenty of folks who switch from one platform to another for various reasons. Lying about it…and then being coy when caught (see the AP story) seems, I dunno, like something a company shouldn’t do.

The hyperbole was the “tool of Satan” comment…which I thought was obvious hyperbole. I dunno, maybe you thought that I really believed that Steve Ballmer has a statue of Lucifer in his office. :rolleyes:

The hyperbole was using the term “Microsloth” in the OP…the hyperbole was making up a company slogan for them.

And please don’t tell me that a rant about a company is a rant about every fucking employee of that company…have you read the pit lately?

Apparently ALL employees of Walmart, Ameritech, K-mart, Burger King, the U.S Federal Government and hundreds of other employers that have been ranted on should feel equally insulted in your world?

FWIW, I use Microsoft products. I don’t hate Microsoft. Really. I’m using IE right now on the boards…and occasionally use Office.

I do think that they have liberally copied ideas from Apple in the past. I do think that this latest ad effort has that smell as well. I do think that they were dishonest about their ad.

When all is said and done though, it’s not the kind of thing that makes me quit using the products of that company. Anymore than all the ranters of the above other companies not using their products.

Uh huh.

[beagledave]

*Originally posted by Dooku *
**Don’t belittle my reaction by backpeddling and saying it was all hyperbole, which is bullshit. I don’t have to think I’m on a cross to be offended by what you said - if I said Davenport were a bunch of fucking weasels, would you not take offense?

Shithead. **

I didn’t backpeddle.

I didn’t claim it was all hyperbole. Go back and read my comments more closely.

I’ll explain it again.

My complaint about Microsoft (ooops or their marketing department…btw, do you admit to your hypocrisy in hating the entire marketing department?) lying was not hyperbole. They lied when the ad suggested that they had a “switcher”…(complete with her picture). I’m sure there are plenty of folks who switch from one platform to another for various reasons. Lying about it…and then being coy when caught (see the AP story) seems, I dunno, like something a company shouldn’t do.

The hyperbole was the “tool of Satan” comment…which I thought was obvious hyperbole. I dunno, maybe you thought that I really believed that Steve Ballmer has a statue of Lucifer in his office. :rolleyes:

The hyperbole was using the term “Microsloth” in the OP…the hyperbole was making up a company slogan for them.

And please don’t tell me that a rant about a company is a rant about every fucking employee of that company…have you read the pit lately?

Apparently ALL employees of Walmart, Ameritech, K-mart, Burger King, the U.S Federal Government and hundreds of other employers that have been ranted on should feel equally insulted in your world?

FWIW, I use Microsoft products. I don’t hate Microsoft. Really. I’m using IE right now on the boards…and occasionally use Office.

I do think that they have liberally copied ideas from Apple in the past. I do think that this latest ad effort has that smell as well. I do think that they were dishonest about their ad.

When all is said and done though, it’s not the kind of thing that makes me quit using the products of that company. Anymore than all the ranters of the above other companies not using their products.

Uh huh.

[Finagle]

I’m confused about why Microsoft even bothered to do a “Switch” ad, however competently or incompetently it was done. Granted, they’ve probably reached saturation as far as operating systems go, but I can’t imagine that Apple’s “Switch” ads have filled them with terror at the thought of millions of deserters, and even the most optimistic results of such a campaign wouldn’t result in even a blip in their sales.

So a Microsoft version of the same ad has little upside and massive potential for ridicule.