Windows 7 really was some girl's idea, rules ASA The ASA has ruled that it's perfectly plausible to claim that Windows 7 was developed by a bunch of rugby players' girlfriends, "private-browsing" dads, and spud-faced kids in Spanish cafes rather than a bunch of highly trained, generously paid developers in Redmond. The ruling came in response to eight complaints about one of …
I was one of those who complained, and of course I didn't believe the adverts... but the problem is that huge numbers of people *do* believe that Windows is a brilliant operating system and that Microsoft *did* invent all of this stuff. The same people who think they ought to pay Microsoft for anti-virus software to counter the fact that Windows is inherently broken in the first place, and that having to re-boot your computer every few days is a natural part of having a computer.
Jeez... Microsoft has been fined over a BILLION euros by the European Court of First Instance for multiple instances of criminal abuse of its near monopoly on operating systems... don't you think that challenging some of the wilder claims it makes about its crapware is a sensible thing to do?
"TBH, that Ad just made me think rugby players are idiots"
Things don't bode particularly well for the girl either if spangly new laptop (plus data) ultimately suffers the same fate, does it? [hence Paris ] ;)
...not particularly convinced "to the cloud! [Windows logo appears Batman-style]" necessarily conveys the intended impression either, but at least it's passably amusing either way.
"..when they understood that the feature had been available for several years on other operating systems..."
Other operating systems like Windows XP Media Centre edition and Windows Vista.
Seriously though, if the complainants want to show me another operating system where it's possible to have a full functioning PVR with support for terrestrial, cable and satellite without installing any additional software and that can be set up by a rugby players boyfriend (rather than someone who knows how to configure a mysql server), then they might have a point.
MythTV has problems with encoded content, such as the standard "digital cable" that's being punted around here. No more analog channels, no more MythTV :( Shame I can't find a decent setup that doesn't require serial wiring to the channel-changing hookups on the back of the cable-provider-provided box. I'm sure Windows has the same problem though, so moot point?
"If this leaves you feeling that having to have the joke explained means it didn't really work, no matter"
I think it worked for the rest of the population, it just flew over the heads of 8 idiots... Not uncommon. Actually thought they were pretty good adverts.
Now the advert featuring a woman who Photoshops her family by using "the cloud", now that's a different kettle of fish that I don't really get either..
*Oh*. I'd always assumed that the ads were supposed to mean that someone (presumably lots of people) had given Microsoft some feedback, and they'd listened to it and added the feature. Which is a far more comical idea, now I come to think of it.
I'd always asumed the same the advert models were represnting people who had left feedback to microsoft (or microsoft had some sort of Focus Group event and got ideas from idiots who have time to spare to attend focus groups)
Then it turns out microsoft are saying that the ideas were deceitfully stolen from other people and put into windows 7, same old microshaft... buy 'em out boys!
Apple redefined PC to mean "any home computer that isn't an apple" ages ago. After all, Macs are PCs (personal computers) but they decided they didn't want to be associated with what they are and claimed they were somehow different. Hardware wise the only difference is the apple stamp and being 2 years behind the rest of the market, just like dell, only at a 3x premium for that stamp. Software wise they are still just bastardized unix from the version of NExT they forked off of and their own special UI.
According to the Mac App launch, the computers that the new App Store (retail download-only) software titles run on are PCs.
I would interpret "Windows 7 was my idea" to mean at least "The feature that I just described is in Windows 7 and was not in previous versions", but apparently I know nothing.
Now, it would've been comical for someone to complain about the (thankfully) discontinued "I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC" ads because the snobbish bastard was clearly not a fruity PC*, and the other guy was clearly not a PC.
* They're both IBM-compatible PCs running x86 hardware. The only difference is the software and the outer look!
"They're both IBM-compatible PCs running x86 hardware" It's not that simple. An Apple designed Personal Computer (or 'Mac') isn't actually IBM compatible (AT/ATX etc.). Contrary to popular belief, perpetuated by trolls like you, only the Mac Pro contains what could be described as 'off-the-shelf' parts, and while Windows can be installed without OS X being on the machine it's inadvisable.
If being able to watch TV is an "inbuilt capability" then surely all Windows 7 users in the UK need to ensure they have a TV license, and sellers of machines with Windows 7 installed need to ensure the buyers details are passed on to the TV Licensing organisation so they can send out their usual extortion letter demanding money.
Whether a user uses it to watch TV is not the point, but that the machine how has the capability to do this is. If I own a TV then I need a license whether I watch TV channels or not!
Only if they have the receiver hardware included. When you buy one of those USB TV sticks in PC World they ask for your details so they can pass them onto the TVLA but just having software that can decode/record/playback TV signals doesn't require a license as the legislation doesn't cover that.
Its an inbuilt capacity to handle a DVB-T or S signal.
The claim is quite specific - no additional sofware required. You still need the hardware and if you bought a boxen with a tuner card and win7 installed in the UK you would find that the retailed would pass on your details to TVlicensing.
Its the tuner card that makes you TV capable.
As for plugging a tuner card into a Linux box and having it go "oh great - a TV card - here's some tv to watch" - good one, very funny.
it requires extra hardware to watch tv, the license will be required when you buy that. If you buy a TV card for any pc they send your details to TV licensing.
If the windows 7 computer already has the hardware, the computer supplier will pass your details on to them.
Microsoft may not be that great but Windows 7 is actually pretty good. but most of you slagging it wouldn't have used it would you?
You only need a tv license in the UK if you watch broadcast stuff on your screen (TV, computer etc).
I have used Windows 7 for about a week ... it is way faster and better than Vista, but that is not the point ... it is still slower than XP. Also, they fixed the memory bug that appeared in Vista where it used twice as much RAM than actually required.
Apart from that, they changed the ui so much it is crap, it took me ages to find things in the beginning ... the start menu browsing has become useless - the old way was better/more efficient .... ok, you can search, but what if you cannot remember the name, but recognize the icon or its name when you see it?
A waste of time ... no ifs, buts or maybes about it.
Any UK internet connected computer capable of playing streamed flash, running iPlayer, etc. etc. requires a TV license. That would include an ancient old PC running Win95, any iPhone, Macs of many generations, even my Sony Ericsson C905 Symbian phone. There is nothing special about Win7 in that regard. And yes, the likes of Dixons, etc. are obliged to pass your name / address on anyway.
If you're worried about the extortionate rates of a license I suggest you take a look at TV from other countries and decide whether you'd prefer that instead. But if you're UK based you have got a license haven't you? You're not freeloading off the rest of us are you?
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