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Xbox Live: Microsoft Dropped the Ball Again?
,----[ Quote ]
| This weekend, Xbox Live is experiencing connectivity issues again and the
| company can't find a solution yet. Larry Hryb, known by the pseudonym Major
| Nelson, said in his blog that these issues were resolved on Friday, only to
| correct himself on Saturday and reveal that "some folks are still having
| issues" and that "the Operations center is investigating."
`----
http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/18163/Xbox-Live-Microsoft-Dropped-the-Ball-Again/
Maybe the server became part of a botnet?
Recent:
MS Rep: Fall update will be big trouble
,----[ Quote ]
| A trusted source working as a customer service rep for Microsoft has revealed
| that there will be some bad drama when the Xbox 360's Fall update hits on
| November 19th. He says the update could bring the dreaded "three red lights
| of death" issue roaring back to life.
|
| The rep said that there has always been an influx of calls from owners of
| bricked Xbox 360s after every major Xbox 360 software update. Most of the
| complaints come from owners of launch consoles.
`----
http://bink.nu/news/ms-rep-fall-update-will-be-big-trouble.aspx
Microsoft, Thanks for Nothing
,----[ Quote ]
| FUCK YOU Microsoft for making me want to pay $99 to repair yet ANOTHER
| console of yours? A supposedly ‘Elite’ system which I had to purchase last
| year the DAY after Halo 3 was released since I got the Rings of Death?
`----
http://www.factpile.com/archives/902
MS hit with Red Ring of Death lawsuit
,----[ Quote ]
| Just four words can send a Microsoft Xbox 360 executive running for the
| hills. And they’ll be getting their trainers on now, because a Red Ring of
| Death lawsuit has been filed against Microsoft.
|
| A report by DailyGamesNews states that the lawsuit alleges Microsoft knew
| about the infamous RRoD problem as far back as 2005, but that the firm chose
| to hide Xbox 360 RRoD failure rates so that sales wouldn’t suffer.
`----
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/10/16/rrod_lawsuit_california/
Report: Microsoft Sued Over Xbox 360 Failures in California
,----[ Quote ]
| The infamous red ring of death rears its head again, this time resulting in a
| lawsuit over recent revelations made in the press.
`----
http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/report-microsoft-sued-over-xbox-360-failures-in-california/?biz=1
Microsoft fires quality assurance whistle-blower
,----[ Quote ]
| A VOLISH QA who exposed shonky production practices during the Red Ring of
| Death fiasco has been fired.
|
| Robert Delaware talked to Venturebeat on the Xbox 360 defects and might face
| litigation, presumably for violating a non-disclosure agreement.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/09/15/microsoft-fires-whistle-blowing
In-depth exposé reveals Microsoft’s Xbox 360 failure rate was 68%
,----[ Quote ]
| The dreaded high failure rate issue with the Xbox 360, otherwise known as the
| Red Ring of Death, has received some in-depth coverage. We are talking about
| some serious coverage here with insider interviews with the original
| engineers that worked on the Xbox 360 all the way up to the high ranks of
| Microsoft.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft’s attitude of “release now and patch later” with the Xbox 360 has
| ended up costing billions of dollars as well as leaving many gamers angry. It
| is also speculated the reason for Microsoft’s decline in worldwide sales is
| directly attributed to the Red Ring of Death issue.
`----
http://gamer.blorge.com/2008/09/06/in-depth-expos-reveals-microsofts-xbox-360-failure-rate-was-68/
Mayhem for Microsoft over £500m bill for Xbox 360 red ring of death
,----[ Quote ]
| Computer giants Microsoft are facing a £500million repair bill after their
| Xbox Elite consoles were hit by the notorious "red ring of death".
`----
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology/2008/07/07/mayhem-for-microsoft-over-500m-bill-for-xbox-360-red-ring-of-death-89520-20634695/
PS3 tops Xbox 360 in May game console sales
,----[ Quote ]
| Nintendo's Wii remains atop the monthly sales race in the U.S. video-game
| console market, but Sony's Playstation 3 beat Microsoft's Xbox 360 in May
| unit sales released by the NPD Group research firm today. Here's how the
| three consoles stacked up:
|
| Nintendo Wii: 675,100
| PlayStation 3: 208,700
| Xbox 360: 186,600
|
| [comment:]
|
| Guess the "inventory" excuse is now out. So maybe this explains why MSFT
| reshuffled management this week.
`----
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/141060.asp
Microsoft Xbox Executive out Amid Reshuffling
,----[ Quote ]
| Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing for Microsoft's
| Interactive Entertainment Business, is leaving the company at the end of the
| summer to pursue other interests after only two years at the company,
| Microsoft said Thursday. Summer in the U.S. typically means the months of
| June, July and August.
`----
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/147044/microsoft_xbox_executive_out_amid_reshuffling.html
X-Box flops, Microsoft winds up ops in several cities
,----[ Quote ]
| It seems to be troubled days for Microsoft's X-Box as it seems the company is
| now winding up operations in several cities.
|
| [...]
|
| According to sources, the company has withdrawn from several Tier-I cities
| due to lackluster sales. Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division has also
| withdrawn the marketing budget for the current fiscal.
`----
http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/business/x-box-flops-microsoft-windsopsseveral-cities/21/01/338381
The Xbox 360 is dead
,----[ Quote ]
| According to a report, if some Australian retailers had their way, the Xbox
| 360 would be dumped from their shelves.
`----
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/17494/1093/
Xbox 360 On The Skids Retailers Consider Dumping It
http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Industry/X7T4A4P6
MS showcases Red Ring of Death Xbox 360 at expo
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft executives will be a little red-faced today after an Xbox 360 on
| display at this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco
| contracted the infamous ‘Red Ring of Death’ disease.
`----
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/02/19/red_ring_of_death_xbox_game_developers_conference/
Microsoft's own chip design blamed for Xbox 360 RRoD
,----[ Quote ]
| The Xbox 360's infamous Red Ring of Death problem was the price Microsoft
| paid for attempting to save money by designing its own graphics chip for the
| console rather than buy one off a specialist supplier, it has been claimed.
`----
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/06/11/ms_xbox_gp/
PS3 tops Xbox 360 for third straight month
,----[ Quote ]
| Sony sold 224,900 PlayStation 3 consoles in the United States in July,
| according to data released this afternoon by the NPD Group research firm.
| That put the PS3 ahead of the Xbox 360 in U.S. unit sales for the third
| straight month. Microsoft sold 204,800 of its consoles in the country in
| July, according to the NPD data.
`----
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/146182.asp?source=rss
Microsoft Needs Its Mojo Back
,----[ Quote ]
| Somewhere in the Silicon Valley, there's a Doctor Evil holding a test tube
| full of Microsoft Mojo. Unlike the golden age of the 1990s, Microsoft isn't
| generating excitement anymore. Sure, people still care what Microsoft does,
| but lately it's more like the industry knows the company is headed for a fall
| and is just rubbernecking to see the inevitable result.
|
| Problems are arriving on all fronts. Vista uptake in the enterprise just
| isn't happening; it's likely that many Vista licenses sold there are being
| downgraded to XP. Microsoft's plan to combine search forces with Yahoo hardly
| matters; at this point the both of them are plummeting against Google, which
| has nearly 70% share. The Zune music player is a minor nuisance to Apple's
| iPod. Sony just announced price cuts that are likely to push Microsoft into
| another round of XBox cuts, just as they were starting to eke out a profit.
| (Microsoft has lost about $7 billion on XBox since 2002.)
`----
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/07/microsofts_need.html
Ex-Microsoft Manager Pleads Guilty, Sentenced For Embezzlement
http://www.crn.com/software/209400603
Related:
Microfraud?
,----[ Quote ]
| THE ALLEGATIONS WERE shocking: For years, Microsoft has systematically
| distorted its profit figures in an effort to consistently beat Wall Street
| expectations and keep its stock price steadily rising. The false reports
| would violate SEC regulations, and amount to outright fraud.
|
| More shocking was the source of the allegations: Microsoft's chief of
| internal audits, Charlie Pancerzewski, who reported directly to the company's
| chief financial officer.
|
| Most shocking of all was what happened to Pancerzewski when he reported the
| suspicious bookkeeping to his supervisors, Microsoft CFO Mike Brown and chief
| operating officer Bob Herbold, in the spring of 1995. Soon afterward,
| Pancerzewski—who for nearly five years had received stellar performance
| evaluations—received his first-ever unsatisfactory one, and was eventually
| forced to resign.
|
| Two months ago, Microsoft quietly settled a lawsuit containing these
| allegations, filed in 1997 by Pancerzewski under the Whistleblowers
| Protection Act. The auditor claimed he was wrongfully terminated after
| telling his supervisors that Microsoft might be breaking securities and tax
| laws. The lawsuit made its tortuous way through several rounds of pretrial
| motions until last fall, when US District Judge Carolyn Dimmick denied
| Microsoft's final plea for summary judgment, finding credible evidence that
| Microsoft may have violated SEC rules, as Pancerzewski alleged. Shortly
| thereafter, Microsoft and Pancerzewski settled out of court. Terms of the
| agreement were sealed, but one source who claims familiarity with the case
| says that Microsoft paid Pancerzewski $4 million.
`----
http://web.archive.org/web/20070308032343rn_2/www.seattleweekly.com/1999-01-06/news/microfraud.php
Ecuador Tax Agency Closes Microsoft Branch Offices For 7 Days
,----[ Quote ]
| "We have twice requested balances, payment reports and complete tax
| information, but the company hasn't given it to us, so in accordance with our
| laws we have proceeded with the closure," the SRI official in charge of the
| proceeding said.
`----
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200710041610DOWJONESDJONLINE000810_FORTUNE5.htm
Microsoft Office raid in Hungary
,----[ Quote ]
| "Such behavior could lead to the exclusion of competitive products from
| the market and violate European Union rules, according to the authority
| known as the GVH."
`----
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/26/ap3957835.html
Microsoft exec dumped stock prior to Red Ring announcement
,----[ Quote ]
| To make matters more murky, the sales were not registered with the Securities
| and Exchange Commission within the mandatory two days of the transaction, a
| result of an alleged "administrative error." Microsoft has since remedied the
| issue by following the "procedures required of late-filers."
`----
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/08/14/microsoft-exec-dumped-stocks-prior-to-red-ring-addresment
Microsoft's Bach sold more stock before Xbox news
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Corp. executive Robbie Bach sold $3 million more in company stock
| during the period leading up to an announcement about a costly flaw in its
| Xbox video game console than previously reported, according to a filing
| Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
`----
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/microsofts-bach-sold-additional-stock/story.aspx?guid=%7BBECA3A50-EF33-4161-A111-A43BDC8B0462%7D&siteid=yhoof
Insider Trading Hasn't Affect Microsoft Stock - Yet
,----[ Quote ]
| MarketWatch.com reports that Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's
| Entertainment and Devices division, sold $6.2 million of Microsoft
| stock just prior to announcing that Microsoft was going to have to
| extend XBox 360 warranties to three years because of extensive
| failures. The filings note that this was not part of any
| scheduled diversification or selling program; this was a
| conscious, unscheduled sale by the guy in charge of releasing
| news that could affect the value of Microsoft stock.
|
| [...]
|
| Insider trading is a very serious violation of the law; just
| ask Martha Stewart, who served five months in prison for
| avoiding losses of $43,000 through trades that just had suspicious
| timing (no insider trading was actually proven). This is $6.3
| million that went straight into Robbie Bach's pocket.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070713/40947_id.html?.v=1
[Mandriva CEO:] An open letter to Steve Ballmer
,----[ Quote ]
| Wow! I’m impressed, Steve! What have you done for these guys to change their
| mind like this? It’s pretty clear to me, and it will be clear to everyone.
| How do you call what you just did Steve, in the place where you live? In my
| place, they give it various names, I’m sure you know them.
|
| Hey Steve, how do you feel looking at yourself in the mirror in the morning?
|
| Of course, I will keep fighting this one and the next one, and the next one.
| You have the money, the power, and maybe we have a different sense of ethics
| you and I, but I believe that hard work, good technology and ethics can win
| too.
`----
http://blog.mandriva.com/2007/10/31/an-open-letter-to-steve-ballmer/
Microsoft's Accounting Under Scrutiny
,----[ Quote ]
| The company has still not made enough information public to provide analysts
| with detailed information on the profitability of its MSN Internet business,
| Mr. Galvin said, adding, ''There's still room for them to obfuscate.''
`----
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A03E1DC173DF932A35754C0A96F958260
Microsoft - Undeserving of Libertarian Praise
,----[ Quote ]
| One strategy that Microsoft has employed in the past is paying for the
| silence of people and companies. Charles Pancerzewski, formerly Microsoft's
| chief auditor, became aware of Microsoft's practice of carrying earnings from
| one accounting period into another, known as "managing earnings". This
| practice smoothes reported revenue streams, increases share value, and
| misleads employees and shareholders. In addition to being unethical, it's
| also illegal under U.S. Securities Law and violates Generally Accepted
| Accounting Practices (Fink). Mr. Pancerzewski claims he was forced to retire,
| for raising the issue of deferred earnings with Microsoft executives, thereby
| making plausible deniability more difficult for said executives. He has since
| sued Microsoft, who responded by settling out of court, but also sealing the
| records to prevent public disclosure (Fink).
`----
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/8/20/11034/3908
Microsoft Agrees To Refrain From Accounting Violations in SEC Settlement
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has agreed to refrain from accounting violations to settle federal
| regulators' allegations that it misrepresented its financial performance, the
| government announced Monday.
|
| Under a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the software
| giant neither admitted to nor denied wrongdoing. No fine was imposed.
|
| The SEC alleged that Microsoft's accounting practices from July 1994 through
| June 1998 caused its income to be substantially misstated.
`----
http://www.crn.com/it-channel/18819490
"Microsoft Tax," MSN Enters the Black Hole, New Names for NT
,----[ Quote ]
| The lawsuit, filed last year by Mukilteo City Councilman Charles
| Pancerzewski, alleges that he was forced to resign as Microsoft's general
| auditor in January 1996 after working for the company's internal auditing
| department for more than four years. The suit claims that a "significantly
| younger man" with little auditing experience was picked to replace
| Pancerzewski, who was finally forced out because he discovered Microsoft
| might have been violating government regulations. Once Pancerzewski left the
| company he was replaced by the younger man, who his attorneys believe
| was "less prone to raise issues of possible legal improprieties which could
| threaten or embarrass Microsoft or its management.
`----
http://www.msboycott.com/news/98_06_22.shtml
SEC Investigating Microsoft Practices -- Earnings Manipulated, Former Employee
Contends
,----[ Quote]
| "The CFO to whom Charlie was reporting his concerns about illegality was the
| biggest advocate for the very illegality that was going on," Vial argued in
| court a year ago.
`----
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19990701&slug=2969514
,----[ Quote ]
| Sadly, many of these brilliant people have been blinded by the stock
| price and unable to see that Microsoft is also the key architect of
| the greatest financial pyramid scheme this century.
|
| It is not uncommon for participants in pyramid schemes to lose their
| emotional bearings. My close friends who work at Microsoft are
| particularly upset over my work and it is possible that even Bill
| Gates and Steve Ballmer do not realize the implications of their
| financial practices.
`----
http://www.billparish.com/msftfraudfacts.html
,----[ Quote ]
| As with all pyramid schemes, it is important to get as close to tier
| 1 as possible. From a practical standpoint, usually only tiers 1 and 2
| will derive significant long-term economic rewards from such schemes.
`----
http://reactor-core.org/microsoft-pyramid.html
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