Tag Archives | Microsoft

So, I’m plodding along, running the usual half-dozen apps on my machine (oh, and a webcam capture to AVI). I try to save the AVI after a half-hour (yes, a huge file) and the disk thrashes for a while. (Not surprisingly. It turned out the AVI was 1.4 gigabytes. May have to reconsider this as a video-capture technique). I try to cancel an Outlook Send/Receive session, since it seems to be stuck, and I get the “Unresponsive application” dialog and terminate the app. Microsoft’s Online Crash Analysis (OCA) tool comes up and asks if it can send the data to Redmond. Sure, I say, and I encourage you to do the same. Bill Gates recently talked about how often Windows crashes, and I recall Steve Ballmer mentioning a while ago that they were surprised at the data they were getting. Let’s get them to clean up their acts, at least on this point.

So, off my data goes to Redmond, and I get a dialog telling me that more information is available, click here. I click, Mozilla starts, and I get an html page informing me that I need IE 5 or higher and a Passport account to continue. I know there’s a trick to tell Moz to pretend to be IE, but I don’t know it off-hand, so I have to switch my default browser from Moz to IE, click the link, and get taken to the page.

Which tells me they have no idea what the problem is, but there’s a new Service Pack for Office I might want to consider.

Now, really, did I have to switch default browsers (don’t forget to switch back!) just to be given a dumb look? Honestly.

From Mike Gunderloy’s Larkware blog:

I’m sure I’ve ranted about this before, but remember, only two types of people brag about being in Microsoft beta programs: liars and cheats. Well, OK, maybe there’s a third category: careless people. Read the NDAs you signed, people. From time immemorial, Microsoft beta program NDAs have prohibited discussing the beta program, or even the fact that you are involved in the beta program.

Linked via Anita Rowland via Garrett

As always, Slashot provides the bazaar of interesting and informed comments mixes with hidden agendas and bomb throwers. Nonetheless, the XForms technology sounds appealing. XForms Becomes Proposed Recommendation From Slashdot

Q&A: Microsoft’s Eric Rudder outlines Longhorn server plans. Eric Rudder, senior vice president of servers and tools at Microsoft Corp., this week laid out the road map for the next version of the Windows server operating system, code-named Longhorn. [Computerworld News]

Update: Dell yanks Axim Pocket PC patch after hackers crack it. Dell pulled a patch for Axim handheld computers sold with Pocket PC 2003 after hackers cracked the software so they could snag a free copy of the operating system. [Computerworld News]

I disagree with Cooper here. From what I am hearing, Microsoft is in serious trouble. Credibility is at an all-time low. Confidence is low. Microsoft’s strong-armed licensing policies badly hurt some companies. Badly bungled security patches hurt others. The finding of improper business practices made others uncomfortable. Guess what? Microsoft won. “CNET News.com’s Charles Cooper says the ‘end of Microsoft as we know it’ crowd must face the post-antitrust reality that the software giant is more confident and stronger than ever.” From CNET News.com