according to the government, been limited – though it declines to give any actual figures.
-f0dder
Ok...well that proves it right there doesn't it?
Typical of government - state something as 'fact' but [decline|forget|refuse|be unable] to provide specifics to support their statement.
Users have, it claims, also complained of missing functionality, a lack of usability and poor interoperability.
-f0dder
I think this is getting closer to the core issue in this case: the office workers are bitching,
and the management got tired of listening to it.Don't know if Germany has produced a superior breed of office worker compared to the rest of the world. But if their office workers are anything like the office workers back in the US,
any change in
Cubeville is going to be greeted with a fusillade of negative feedback. Especially if it's something that would make things better or easier
BUT would require people learn something new
or make changes to one of their precious daily routines.
I did a project where my client replaced its aging hodgepodge fleet of laser printers with several new high-speed high volume printers - complete with all the fixins'.
Far from making everybody happy, it sparked a wave of complaints. Nobody had a problem with print times, quality or reliability. Some example complaints:
- Jobs finished too fast. ("I used to like to take a break when I send my big reports to print.")
- New hardware is too reliable. ("I liked fixing the printer when it jammed. It broke up the day. And people respected me for being able to fix it when it had problems.")
- Network change. ("We got to name the old printers. It was fun. We called them things like Piccasso and Degas. The new names (ex: Admin-HP9040; Art-RicohColor) are impossible to understand. We should be able to name them again. If the IT guys have trouble knowing which is which they can just ask somebody.")
- Environmental changes. (There's too many printers now. I used to like to have to walk to get to one. I could say "Hi" to my friends and get some 'ergonomics (?) that way.")
In short, the new printers were
different and
required changes in personal routines.
I won't defend poor interface or usability design. Nobody is a bigger bug about interface function and appearance than I am. And I'll also be the first to acknowledge many free/libre apps have a way to go before they can rival the 'finish' that comes out of companies that have the resources and budget to do serious usability testing.
But by the same token, it's also important to remember you have a large number of people who grew up with
and learned the Microsoft interface conventions so well that they're now accepted as the only "right way" to do things. Put a lifelong Windows user on a Mac and they'll experience the same bewilderment and resistance. Same goes for putting a longtime Mac user on a PC, except they'll probably have to go home for a cup of
valerian thé and a quick lie-down afterwards.
So at the risk of sounding like a real geek snob, I'm going to reserve judgment as to just how much this particular case in Germany "proves."
We are dealing with 'something new' being brought into close contact with
office workers and
government agencies.
Not the most representative of settings in which to draw too many broad 'real-world' conclusions.
And I've also been around long enough - and been involved with Microsoft long enough - to know the kind of promises, veiled threats, arm-twisting,
and financial incentives that get brought to bear anytime some major
WinSheep shepherds try to lead their Master's flock away from the larger fold.
So again, I'm going to have to reserve judgment until
all the details come out.
Assuming they ever do because...Hey! It's
government we're dealing with here,
right?
Just my two...
[/list]
--------------------------------
P.S.
@
f0dder-
So, what took them so long? -f0dder
C'mon, cut these guys some slack..
Do you have any idea how hard it is to come up with a
plausible 'spin' story like that?
