Yesterday Cringely said:
,----[ Quote ]
| 'Maybe "mean" is the wrong word to use for Microsoft. "Ruthless" is good. The
| company is built in the image of Bill Gates and Bill is a guy who gets
| caught-up in the game of business and doesn't typically see its personal
| cost. To use what might seem to be an obscure example, just look at all the
| various partnerships and industry consortia that Microsoft has announced
| through the years that never produced a product or even a usable
| specification. There have been literally dozens of these operations that are
| intended solely to freeze the competition until Microsoft can figure what the
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| heck it actually wants to do. To Microsoft its a PR exercise that helps them
| compete but to customers it is just a damned lie. That's ruthless. There are
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| plenty of other examples I can give but you get the point. I represent the
| concerns of users, not vendors, and Microsoft doesn't really care about
| users.'
`----
http://blog.businessofsoftware.org/2007/07/cringely-the-un.html
Vista might be another example of freezing the competition, screwing the
customer, and lying endlessly.
Sources: Windows Vista SP1 Beta Due This Week
,----[ Quote ]
| A beta of the first service pack for Windows Vista could come any day now,
| with a final release by November, sources close to the company say.
`----
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,134748-c,vistalonghorn/article.html
But be aware of this:
Microsoft denies Vista Service Pack 1 rumors
,----[ Quote ]
| As the paper written by the US Department of Justice stated, Microsoft will
| only have a beta version of Service Pack 1 released "sometime this year". The
| most likely scenario is that SP1 Beta 1 will be available in November with a
| final release in (late) Q1 2008. At least we know. Now, how much was that
| (DirectX 10-supporting) Windows Vista Home Premium?
`----
http://www.tcmagazine.com/comments.php?shownews=15443
Many examples of vapourware and false dates recently.
Related:
Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 Escapes Delayed Beta Process
,----[ Quote ]
| But some customers looking for a feature that Microsoft brochures
| said it has may be disappointed today to learn they really should
| have said it's a feature that SP1 supports (big difference):
| Volume Shadow Services.
`----
http://www.betanews.com/article/Virtual_Server_2005_R2_SP1_Escapes_Delayed_Beta_Process/1181597614
http://tinyurl.com/3yagum
Microsoft cuts Windows virtualization features
,----[ Quote ]
| The company is changing three key features of the hypervisor
| technology to try to stick to its schedule of releasing the
| technology within 180 days of completing its Windows Server
| "Longhorn" operating system, due to be finalized before the
| end of the year.
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6182852.html
,----[ Quote ]
| From nathanm Mon Oct 01 11:42:05 1990
| To: billg; bradsi;
| Subject: SPARC, MIPS & Compaq
| DateL Tue Oct 02, 22:57:14 1990
|
| [...]
|
| The purpose of announcing early like this is to freeze the market at the
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| OEM and ISV level. In this respect it is JUST like the original Windows
| announcement ..
|
| One might worry that this will help Sun because we will just have
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| vaporware, that people will stop buying 486 machines, that we will have
| ^^^^^^^^^
| endorsed RISC but not delivered .. So, Scott, do you really think you
| can fight that avalanche?
`----
http://edge-op.org/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/010807/PLEX_0411_A.pdf
Imaginary Innovations
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft, Intel and Motorola were especially vocal in promoting
| alliances with media brands that, a year later, have fizzled or
| haven't come to fruition at all.
|
| Last year, Microsoft pumped up the crowds about its URGE music
| service, which it created in conjunction with Viacom's MTV. But
| while MTV is just now beginning to promote the service, Microsoft
| seems to have moved on in favor of the Zune Marketplace and the
| potential of satellite TV on Media Center PCs and Xbox 360s.
`----
http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/04/vaporware-ces-gadgets-tech-media-cx_rr_0105vaporware.html?partner=yahootix
http://tinyurl.com/y8fdkr
Vaporware '06: Return of the King
,----[ Quote ]
| 8. The "IPod Killer"
|
| Every time we hear about a new portable audio device, it's touted
| as the magic bullet that will end the iPod's reign once and for
| all.
|
| Oh, you mean that thing? The one with the ugly design and clunky
| user interface? Does it at least work with iTunes?
|
| Microsoft's Zune was supposed to do the trick, but it's sitting
| on the shelves (even the SanDisk Sansa is selling better than Zune)w
| hile the kids are all enjoying their freshly unwrapped, shiny new
| iPods.
|
| Note to everyone: It's a White Wire World. Get over it.
`----
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72350-1.html?tw=wn_story_page_next1
Microsoft Murders Max
,----[ Quote ]
| Well, it's official at any rate. Contrary to what you've heard, Windows
| Vista will not be shipping with any of the original technologies,
| features, capabilities, or subsystems originally promised (and for
| those of you that really couldn't tell: it's called sarcasm!). First
| it was the real Aero - complete visual control over one's system.
| Amazing graphics, sidebars that were a part of the Windows Core,
| Aero Diamond. Then it was NGSCB and its amazing security features
| - not DRM, but total privacy control; your privacy. Monad. Last
| we heard, it was WinFS, the king-pin feature that was promised
| to change the way you think of data... And now the last one is
| gone: Microsoft Max is dead.
`----
http://neosmart.net/blog/archives/277
Microsoft exec "guarantees" graphical superiority for 360 titles
,----[ Quote ]
| The idea of a "guarantee" of better-looking titles is substantially
| silly, however. Graphics quality is often subjective, and without a
| clear horsepower advantage of one system over the other, it will be
| difficult if not impossible to claim that titles on one system look better
| than those on another.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061003-7894.html
What Longhorn was supposed to be:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=b9ifQvQCO7Y
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