A judge has ok'ed the class action lawsuit against Microsoft regarding the 'marketing' stickers applied to the front of XP machines in the months leading up to the release of Vista.

We hear that some 'big noises' within the Microsoft empire had misgivings about rather vague 'meaning' of the sticker. One has to admit that it is a little vague, bearing in mind that there is more that just one Vista version.

Your Choice

OK. You are in the market to buy a PC during the last quarter of 2007 and you see the sticker on the front of a variety of machines. You also see a sticker which proclaims 'Vista Premium Ready' on the more expensive machines.

What does this tell you?

Do you not hear alarm bells? Do you not feel the desire to ask about the difference? Does the wording of the stickers not scream to you that the more expensive machines will run Vista better, and with more features evident?

What has happened to the concept of personal responsibility/accountability?

C'mon!!! What did you expect for $600 plus free keyboard, mouse, speakers and nasty, flimsy, re-badged, bottom of the line Lexmark printer!! That wasn't a deal. You gotten exactly what you paid to get, a collection of the cheapest parts and peripherals at a price you couldn't turn down, and now you complain?

It is the job of any marketing department to make the product look as good as it ever can, and you know that some of the claims will be a little wild. It is your job to cut through the marketing hype and see the actual reality of what you are getting.

A cheap lunch is a cheap lunch no matter how you dress it up. You put in decent ingredients and it isn't a cheap lunch anymore. This is NOT rocket science. It is common sense.

The only time you ever get a good deal is when being sold yesterdays model, and unless you get top of the line yesterdays model, it is not going to stand up to the rigours of today or tomorrow.