Some well-earned Microsoft bashing

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Agathon
The MSN sites suck big time. They are all for the moms and pops and teens who are wrecking the internet with their crud. Kill them all and wipe their hard drives.

Hey, we finally agree on something!

[FrustratedPoet]

Originally posted by Asher
MSN search is targetted towards the mainstream user, not google-ites.

Google isn't mainstream? Eh?

[uh Clem]

Gee, a thread that gives me an excuse to post this excerpt from an MSN web page I saw a few months ago.

The circled headline does not go with the photograph of the man on the left. I think.

[JohnT]

You have featured sites, sponsored sites, and then web links... all neatly formatted and labelled in ALL CAPS.

What, exactly, is so difficult to understand and "evil" about the following layout?

FEATURED SITES - ABOUT

1. Amazon.com
Buy Linux software at the Amazon.com software store.

https://www.amazon.com

2. Introducing Linux Find the latest news and information on this operating system.
tech.msn.com

3. Alternatives to Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP
Learn about the Microsoft alternatives and how to move to them from open source products.

https://www.microsoft.com/serviceproviders/migration

SPONSORED SITES - ABOUT
. Linux in 5 Steps: Free Guide from HP
Learn how to combine the savings and open flexibility of Linux with stability, reliability and global support. Fill out a simple form and download a free executive/technology guide to Linux.

https://www.hp.connectthe.com

. Linux Administration - 5 Days $2095
Learn from experts. Hands-on Linux System Administration courses in 40 cities provide a thorough introduction to Linux core technologies, system administration, and network administration.

https://www.traininghott.com

. California Digital: Ultradense Servers
California Digital has acquired the server division of VA Linux. Offering a variety of Linux-based server solutions and clusters using the latest Intel Itanium 2 and Intel Xeon processors.

https://www.californiadigital.com

WEB DIRECTORY SITES - ABOUT

4. Linux Online
Provides support, advice on getting started, a bookstore and sections for downloading applications, hardware, and distributions.

https://www.linux.org

5. Linux Journal
Previews the upcoming issue and presents selected articles from past issues. Includes subscription details and related links.

https://www.linuxjournal.com

6. LinuxLinks.com
Index of more than 2,000 Linux operating-system links focuses on games, programming and utilities.

https://www.linuxlinks.com

7. Linux Utilities
Peruse this collection of commercial, shareware and free programs for Linux and follow links to download locations.
home.xnet.com/~blatura/linapps.shtml


8. LinuxHQ
Provides users with a variety of resources, including updated kernel downloads, development news, FAQs, documents, software archives and links.

https://www.linuxhq.com

9. Red Hat - Support and Docs
Find support information and documentation for users of Red Hat's Linux distribution Find details on security and GPG signatures.

https://www.redhat.com/apps/support

10. Linuxnewbie.org
Guide to getting started with Linux includes help files written for the beginner. Also find articles and discussion boards for newbies.

https://www.linuxnewbie.org

11. Red Hat Linux
Learn about this popular Linux distribution, including packages, support, features and the benefits of Linux. Buy the latest version online.

https://www.redhat.com/products

12. LinuxNewbies
Geared at people with little or no experience with Linux, LinuxNewbies teaches the what, how and why of the operating system. Read the FAQ.
linuxnewbies.editthispage.com


13. YoLinux - Linux Tutorials
Browse this index of Linux tutorials and get instruction on installation, basic Linux administration, and setting up a workstation and Linux-based server.

https://www.yolinux.com/TUTORIALS

14. Learning Linux
New users to the Linux OS can find downloads, forums, FAQs, breaking news, and book reviews. Select a topic and search for stories, comments, and articles.

https://www.learninglinux.com

15. LinuxNovice.org
Extensive resource is aimed at novice Linux users and includes sections on tips, news, security issues, software, and howto documents. Find out how to contribute.
www.linuxnovice.org

[Asher]

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet
Google isn't mainstream? Eh?

This may shock you, but AOL Search and MSN Search both compete very well with Google in terms of marketshare.

[Alex]

Originally posted by Asher
Think of the different target markets. MSN Search is targeted towards MSN users, people who think computers are scary...they're less likely to complain about that.

Do they think that computers are scary because of MSN or does MSN make they think that everything computer-related is scary, except MSN?

[FrustratedPoet]

Originally posted by Asher

This may shock you, but AOL Search and MSN Search both compete very well with Google in terms of marketshare.

That doesn't shock me at all. In fact, it seems to support the view that Google is a "mainstream" (whatever that means) search engine.

[Asher]

Of course it's mainstream, what I meant was the "mainstream" consumers that don't care about Google. The people who like purty colors and parental controls.

[Alex]

The kind of people who use MSN Explorer as their browser, huh?

Well... I... actually like to use it from time to time...

[Thue]

Originally posted by JohnT
You have featured sites, sponsored sites, and then web links... all neatly formatted and labelled in ALL CAPS.

Small caps. In gray with a white backgraound. I missed they, anyway.

I think google's way of including add is much more clear and honest - I would go crazy havin to scroll through 6 add to get to the context each time I search.

[Fve Crathva]

Also, I suspect that a lot of people don't actually read much of the "support text" on search pages. Especially support text that's the same size as the rest of the text, and done in a medium grey. I certainly skip to the descriptions of what I'm looking for and ignore URLs, categories, and all the other extraneous crap that has little bearing on my search.

SP

[Skanky Burns]

Much ado about nothing. It is stated on the site what the links are.

[chequita guevara]

Google, Yahoo!, and MSN are almost equal is percent of usagen (just under 30%). AOL is ten percentage points behind the three of them.

I've had to become an expert on search engines in the last two days. I have to promote a new site @work.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Thue


Small caps. In gray with a white backgraound. I missed they, anyway.

I think google's way of including add is much more clear and honest - I would go crazy havin to scroll through 6 add to get to the context each time I search.

Depending on the subject, you may have to scroll through more than that. And then there are additional links running down the side. Don't kid yourself. AFAIK, on the Open Directory Project doesn't bump paying customers up.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Asher

This may shock you, but AOL Search and MSN Search both compete very well with Google in terms of marketshare.

The 7 largest search engines on the web are:

1. Google 53.2% (+2.1%)

2. Yahoo 20.4% (+0.5)

3. MSN Search 9.1% (+0.7)

4. Terra Lycos 3.7% (-0.6%)

5. AOL Search 2.9% (+0.7%)

6. Altavista 2.8% (-1%)

7. Ixquick 2.2% (-0.14%)

Those numbers are from August 2002, and from what I understand, Google has increased its global market share since then. Doesn't look to me like MSN and AOL compete too well at all!