Microsoft could learn a thing or two from GTA IV for Windows 7 release
By Triston McIntyre
Grand Theft Auto IV, released by the much acclaimed Take Two Interactive, is one of the most successful pieces of software to ever hit the market. Are there things that long-time software giant Microsoft could learn from the one of the most successful software launches in video game history?
Writer Samara Lynn of Channel Web believes there are a few things that Microsoft could learn from GTA IV. First, Lynn believes that Microsoft should be giving more choices when they release operating systems; that doesn’t mean offering 18 configurations at ridiculous price points.
It means leaving existing operating systems available to consumers instead of moving to one platform immediately, as Microsoft did with Vista. Lynn writes, “VARs and technologists who have to support XP are forced to make a decision — keep XP and have to face the fact support will imminently end on it, or forage into the newer territory that is Windows Vista?”
Lynn also believes that Microsoft should stick to the tried and proven coding of its older platforms (building upon the proven success of XP for example) rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, as Microsoft did with Vista. On that point I’d have to disagree; though Microsoft has pretty much failed with Vista, I commend the effort to reinvent the platform without many of the bugs and issues that developed by simply plastering on new code to the old and sometimes faulty OS code.
As Take Two has worked quickly to resolve bugs and glitches with a patch for GTA IV (a game that is relatively streamlined and flawless right out the gate), Lynn thinks that Microsoft really needs to take a page from Take Two’s book by working to improve stability and performance initially.
The last point Lynn makes is that Microsoft should try to replicate the low price point of GTA IV ($60 U.S.) with its operating system. That really is comparing peas and carrots, but consider this: Apple released OS X 10.5, called Leopard, to the public for less than $150 dollars. OS X is touted by many as the best operating system on the market right now. Low prices sell software; even if initial development costs are astronomical (as they were for GTA IV), sometimes low price points will compensate for high development investments when you produce gold like GTA IV.
Put all those aspects together and you just might have a winning combination for Windows 7. Fail to learn from the mistakes of Windows Vista and you just might end up like all the other mediocre games on the market — sitting alone on the back of the software rack, un-purchased and unwanted.
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May 9th, 2008
MSFT should also sell family packs with five licenses that includes different MSFT operating systems including XP, Vista and Windows 7. And leave the choice to the consumer which one they would want to install.
Here is my suggestions.
Windows 7 full install $60
Win 7 with basic Office suite $149
Family Pack Five pack Multi OS $249
Just leave it like that and the price alone will draw people to it…. I just hope this time it won’t be a moth to a flame….
May 11th, 2008
Yawn
losers trying to teach the leader how to make money with the product that already had made them billions.
May 11th, 2008
“Lynn also believes that Microsoft should stick to the tried and proven coding of its older platforms (building upon the proven success of XP for example) rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, as Microsoft did with Vista.”
I’m confused. Vista was built upon XP. Well, technically was built upon Server 2003 (NT 5.2) which itself was built upon XP (NT 5.1). XP was built upon 2000 (NT 5.0), which was built upon NT 4.0, built upon 3.51, upon 3.5, upon 3.1.
Any notion that Vista was “from scratch” is wrong.
May 12th, 2008
Samara Lynn Makes no damn sense what so ever..
1. Vista exist in different SKUs already.
Windows Starter 2007 - do not count u cant buy it.
Windows Vista Home Basic
Windows Vista Home Premium
Windows Vista Business
Windows Vista Enterprise
Windows Vista Ultimate
Windows Vista Home Basic N - EU only
Windows Vista Business N - EU only
2. we are trying to move forward…why stay with the whole code because your to lazy to learn somethig new…Micrsoft is the updatined server code base for each new vista release.
3. Apple release a service pack every year and charge fo it. Windows you pay one price.
May 12th, 2008
Windows XP is the current best operating system on the market and it shows by the marketshare and the people who use it. And yes, in Vista, they failed simply because they didn’t improve older code and preserving old UIs and features and making newer ones a superset of the older; instead they wrote new code that replaced older code and in the process ended up replacing, changing or omitting the UI and features the predecessor had.
May 17th, 2008
“Windows XP is the current best operating system on the market and it shows by the marketshare”
And American Idol is the best TV program ever, Titanic was the apex of cinematic achievement and the best vehicle on the planet is the Ford F150.
http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/the_bestselling_car_in_the_world_uhoh_9225.asp
Don’t equate lowest common denominator popularity with excellence. Microsoft hasn’t been the best for a long time, merely the most commonly found, living on user inertia and their distaste of learning something new, and the unwillingness of businesses to scrap a decade of investment until arrogance flips the last remaining reasons to hold on. See IBM in the 80’s.