Registered: Aug 1999
Location: Inverness, FL
Posts: 428

Post your comments to http://www.visorcentral.com/visor/a...?id=37&nr=1 here.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Mililani, HI, USA
Posts: 256

There is something darker than a power-hungry, tech world monopoly kingpin: his marketing department.

Man. Go read the referenced article. It's pretty aggresive on MS's part. They're making a big push to show everyone how progressive they are for using CompactFlash, and impugning Handspring for using a proprietary Springboard. It's such a charade. MS is telling everyone how beautiful their window sill is while ignoring the fact that the whole house is on fire (!): WinCE is bulky w/o providing an overwhelming advantage to the user over PalmOS, and no amount of marketing of their "commitment" to open standards, the smaller physical dimensions of their expansion media, the larger memory formats, and the "ghost" of improved functionality from CF is going to convince the majority of developers that WinCE is a viable option. The house is burning. MS had better stop showing off its window sill and start putting out the fire.

MS seems to be intentionally forgetting that there is certainly a market for CF that the Springboard can make use of. How easy would it be for a Visor to be turned into a CF slot?!

They're in total denial. Developers are dropping WinCE like an like a bad habit, and Handspring has kicked MS in the teeth harder than Palm ever had. It seems to me like MS is running scared. They seem to forget just how intelligent the developer base is.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: LA, Boston, MO. its different every 6 months
Posts: 56

this is all just typical m$ FUD. weve all seen it before, and we'll see much more of it.

those of us who are well informed enough to know it is FUD already know that m$ is a terrible company. so nothing lost for them. m$ has always been seeking to prey on the less informed. people who dont know that m$ lies through its teeth and might consider them a reliable source of information will probably believe this article. it is the uninformed that, as a whole, keep microsoft alive and kicking and screaming.

its good to see the DOJ does not fall into the category of the uninformed.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 31

This is just typical MS crap. Whenever there's a tech they don't control, they issue some sort of uneven report about it without even caring that if report is full of misinformation or outright lies. That's their intention in fact. They did the same exact thing with Linux and it's just the same with the Springboards. My favorite tactic is when they point out supposed "flaws" in a technology without mentioning that their product has the exact same flaws.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Barnegat, NJ, USA
Posts: 72

Wow this is just a way of saying, "Give me your lunch money" Does MS Ever stop???

If any MS reps are reading this what do you have to say for yourself?

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Lexington, KY, USA
Posts: 50

This article was apparently written by the same guy that did the Linux vs. NT comparison. A brillian piece of FUD - half-truths and outright lies. The real shame is that so many people actually believe this stuff. After all, MicroSponge wouldn't lie to us, would they?

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: NY, NY, USA
Posts: 155

Ranga:

I agree with the anti-sentiment re: Microsoft posted by you and everyone else here, especially for the lies and the blatant mis-leading regarding the WinCE platform.

However, you wrote:

They're in total denial. Developers are dropping WinCE like an like a bad habit, and Handspring has kicked MS in the teeth harder than Palm ever had. It seems to me like MS is running scared. They seem to forget just how
intelligent the developer base is.

It's somewhat ironic that Handspring per se is having its own problems that run relatively parallel to your comments.

Developers aren't running from Handspring, but formerly-loyal Pilot/PalmPilot/Palm owners aren't (sic) embracing Handspring as vigorously as they once were ;-) In fact, I'd describe myself as running from Handspring with my credit card number blocked and tucked deep inside my wallet :-)

As for MS forgetting how intelligent the developer base is, it seems to me that Handspring has forgotten the intelligence of its _customer_ base. Trying to imply that everything is hunky-dory and that deliveries are being completed based on priority and this and that is nice to hear, but doesn't resemble the truth. I don't want to cross the line vis-a-vis posting this type of material in the 'general' forum, but the point is that while MS is simply full of it, Handspring has kicked itself in the teeth along with MS, and I would respectfully suggest that the real threat to MS is a successfully-launched, distributed Palm OS device like the Vx, not a poorly-distributed, poorly-supported device like the Visor. While I think the Visor is a good product, I wouldn't be too excited to spend time and money and resources on developing for a company as disorganized and poorly-run as Handspring, and the fact that it's largely been a lot of "tell" but very little "show," who knows how well the springboard will actually be implemented. I'd have more faith in Palm licensing and supporting it properly than I do in Handspring for anything, to be honest.

Either way, I do agree with all of the points on MS's deceit, both within and without the WinCE boundary. And as Dr. G indicated, it's good to know the government doesn't buy into MS's PR spew any more than us Palm-people.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Mililani, HI, USA
Posts: 256

Hot Carl,

You're absolutely right about the parallels. And I in no way argue your decision to drop Handspring. Everybody's frustration is certainly warranted. But I think the springboard technology hinges little on Handspring's initial performance, and it is still an attractive tool for the Palm platform--for use by Handspring or others.

Chris

Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 1

Gee, since the springboard is bigger, I suspect it's possible to make a springboard compact flash adapter...

Barry

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 86

Obviously, it's Microsoft's opinion that bigger means "more poorly designed and klunky". If that's true then let me ask this simple question:

Bill Gates: Exactly how many lines of code are in Windows 2000? Before you answer, remember, bigger means "more poorly designed and klunky".

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: st. louis, mo, usa
Posts: 2

Hiya,
Just my 2 cents, I ordered my visor dlx in september sometime, I got on the friday before halloween. Having never used a palm or winCE device other than playing in stores, I am incredibly impressed with the visor in particular, and the palm platform in general. I chose the visor, based upon a few reasons, primarily USB connectivity, and memory vs. price for a comparable palm or CE device. All the CE devices I played with seemed very slow, despite looking very pretty. IMHO the MS will never be able to catch up to palm devices

As a student finishing up a local tech school for programming, I have decided to ditch windows programming, and start palmOS programming full time upon graduation.

The springboard, from my initial observations, for software, is a dongle in sheep's clothing. (which is not all bad) For hardware, the expansion possiblities are endless, although I believe that the only really successful springboards will be multifunction devices. (and verticle market software)

To Carl, given the MASSIVE and unforseen demand for the visor, I don't believe the supply problems will be too much a problem after while.


mr. wright

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Provo, UT, USA
Posts: 2

I tend to agree with Mr Wright. I ordered my Visor in early October, and even though I've hit a few snags with ordering, they were all my fault anyway. I daily wait for the UPS truck to pass by (8AM every weekday!) and though I am discouraged when he doesn't stop to give me my awaited prize, that day is SOON!!!

One other guy that I work with has ordered one (Visor Deluxe - Blue, same as mine) and both of us talk each day about the agonizing wait for the Visor. Of course he realizes that until I get mine, (I ordered the first day the first time web store was open), he has no hope of getting his until I have mine, but each day we each find something new and cool about the Visor that neither of us knew.

Does this sound like customers running from Handspring? I've worked at my current job since it was just a startup, I fully understand the problems that startups have at launch. I even expected that I wouldn't be able to get my Visor until now. It's just one of those things early adopters learn to live with.

If working in the Tech Sector has taught me anything, it is patience. As the Heinz commercial used to say, "The best things come to those who wait." I'm sure someone said it before that, but it is no less true here. And I am somewhat patiently waiting for a UPS Next Day Air package to arrive at my door this week.

If you think the Visor is a bad product, and would rather use a CE device, just you go home to your Beta VCR, 8-tracks, and your copy of OS/2 Warp. The rest of us will be enjoying our stock options ten years from now.

[This message has been edited by visorguy (edited 11-14-1999).]