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Microsoft PR Rep is the Switcher

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the ann-onymous dept.

Here's a followup to our earlier story about Microsoft's "inverse switch" campaign. The AP tracked down the switcher and spoke with her: she's an employee at a Microsoft public relations firm but says she actually did switch from Mac to Windows. Microsoft's page is still 404 (but Google's cache still works). The interesting part to me is that the AP "tracked Mallinson by examining personal data hidden within documents that Microsoft had published with its controversial ad." Hmmmmmm. (Kudos to obidonn, the first to demonstrate the use of a stock photo, which piqued interest in this story. As of noon EDT Oct. 15, other stock photos are still being used in anonymous Microsoft "testimonials.")

124 of 737 comments (clear)

  1. Google cache still works? by Drunken+Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Maybe Microsoft will follow the Church of Scientology and try to get them to remove the page from their cache. They certainly have the resources to enforce any threat they could make.

    --
    Have you been stalked by Seth today?
    1. Re:Google cache still works? by timster · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Uh, this case would be Microsoft asking google to remove a _Microsoft-owned_ page from the cache, and has no correlation to the Scientology effort to remove other people's pages.

      --
      I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
    2. Re:Google cache still works? by scott1853 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think Microsoft just wants to ignore this until it goes away. Further actions that would end up in the news would not be in their best interest. By tomorrow most people will have forgotten about it, except the thousands of slashdot users that will make references to it anytime a MS article is posted for the next 2 years.

    3. Re:Google cache still works? by Duckz · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Wouldn't it be funny if they did ask/sue google.com for having that cache link and google responded by not caching or indexing any of microsoft.com's pages?

    4. Re:Google cache still works? by buck_wild · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ignoring it must work, 'cause gee, who remembers Microsoft 'Bob'?

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    5. Re:Google cache still works? by br0ck · · Score: 4, Interesting

      First they'll have to remove the story from their own site! It's always great when MSNBC mentions Slashdot. The story is currently number nine on the Yahoo! most viewed news page. A lot of people are going to be reading this story tomorrow.</grin>

    6. Re:Google cache still works? by einhverfr · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Off topic but just a reply to the parent post.

      I respect your opinions but understand this--

      My parents had a Windows 95 system which would break at least once a month, and my parents would need additional tech support at least another time every month. So every couple weeks, I would have to drive over to my parents' house and fix their system or help them over the phone. This was fine when I was studying for my A+ cert, but when I started going on to the MCSE and LPIC exams it became a problem.

      So I built them a new computer and put RedHat 6.1 on it. I carefully placed icons on the desktop so they could get to Netscape, KMail, KPPP, and StarOffice, and gave them a 5 min. tour of GNOME. Now they are on RedHat 7.2, but are using KDE because GNOME crashed. They still call me for tech support when something actually breaks, but hey, they don't know what root is for, so that doesn't happen very often ;) In fact the last two times were due to hardware failure.

      And as much as I love RH8, the homogeneity of KDE and GNOME is a bit of an issue I admit :P Looks good on paper until you think you are in one and are in the other, and there is some little tiny difference that is preventing you from getting something done...

      But regarding MCSE, I still consider it to have been very helpful in my technical development (because I only used braindumps on one exam). If you study for it well, you CAN get something out of it (aside from the Network Infrastructure exam, where some of the networks look like they were designed by a 5-year old). In fact I think it is an excelent compliment to the LPIC exams (I am MCSE and LPIC-2 certified).

      Good Luck!

      --

      LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
    7. Re:Google cache still works? by Misch · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No! Scientology would never doctor photos to make people appear that really weren't there!

      --

      --You will rephrase your request for me to go to hell. Goto statements are not acceptable programming constructs
    8. Re:Google cache still works? by rjung2k · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Why did MS do something this dumb?

      Because Microsoft leadership is a bunch of arrogant pricks who think that they're oh-so-brilliantly superior to the rest of the world, and thus believe they can pull a stunt like this and get away with it.

      Remember the doctored MS videotape in the antitrust trial that "proved" removing IE from Windows would seriously impact its peerformance? Same thing -- Microsoft figures, "hey, you're all morons, you'll believe whatever we tell you," and they get caught with their shorts down when a thinking audience shreds their efforts.

      Of course, it must work to some degree -- those Winlot zombies trolling the boards aren't being created out of thin air...

      --

      --R.J.
      Electric-Escape.net

    9. Re:Google cache still works? by hype7 · · Score: 4, Funny
      I think Microsoft just wants to ignore this until it goes away. Further actions that would end up in the news would not be in their best interest.


      Yeah, I can just see tomorrow's version of this story:
      ""The AP tracked down the switcher and spoke with her: she's an employee at a Microsoft public relations firm, but she says she actually did switch from Mac to Windows after MS offered her free hardware, and threatened the PR firm with loss of contract in the event she contradicted their fake story.

      After threats of termination of job, and physical harm against her family, Mallison relented and agreed to corroborate the article."

      -- james
    10. Re:Google cache still works? by Hater's+Leaving,+The · · Score: 4, Interesting

      So we've simply got to prove to them that you're not ignoring it to run salt into their wounds.

      They do have a website feedback page, and they promise a response within 24 hours.
      It's been 12 hours so far since they received this from me:
      {{{
      Why did you remove the "switch" testimonial?

      The story about that female writer (with the unfortunate name Don Funk according to that dialog box demonstrating how easy it was for her to do things in XP) who switched from Mac to XP was most interesting, but magically disappeared when I was half-way through reading it (I was going 'back' and 'forward' in the browser, which seemed to cause the page to reload)?
      }}}

      If they do reply, I'll post it here, and if they don't I'll write another one, asking why they also break promises about reply times.

      THL.

      --
      Keeping /. cynic density high since the fscking Kwhores/trolls arrived.
    11. Re:Google cache still works? by DJPenguin · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually... the Temporal Billenium Timeline Act of 2533 _does_ make time travel illegal for the purposes of copyright :)

  2. Hoax? by Trusty+Penfold · · Score: 5, Funny


    How do we know the Anonymous Poster isn't an employee of Linux and is just trying to discredit their biggest competitor?

    1. Re:Hoax? by scott1853 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Because the 13 year old script kiddie crowd wouldn't stoop that low.

    2. Re:Hoax? by evilviper · · Score: 3, Funny

      Last time I check, AI wasn't integrated into the kernel. So, it's unlikely that "Linux" went out and hired someone.

      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    3. Re:Hoax? by dodobh · · Score: 3, Funny

      Thats what Linux wants *you* to think. Take the red pill

      --
      I can throw myself at the ground, and miss.
  3. Good grief, where does it end? by Lethyos · · Score: 4, Funny

    Lies, FUD, bad software (let's not get started), breaking the law... Where does it end!?

    Microsoft have so much egg on their face that this they're starting to look like that nasty chick in a cheap porno!

    People still trust these assholes?

    --
    Why bother.
    1. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      People still trust these assholes?

      No they dont... but unfortunately.. most people still dont know there is something else out there.

      90% of the populace still think that Microsoft Windows is the only thing out there and there is nothing else available.

      which makes me think... Why doesn't redhat advertise on tv? ad space on tech TV is horribly dirt cheap, as well as almost every cable channel (USA, TNN, SCI-FI, MTV... etc...)

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by chris_mahan · · Score: 5, Funny

      I want them to advertise on MSNBC...

      --

      "Piter, too, is dead."

    3. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by Dalcius · · Score: 4, Interesting

      How about a Slashdot contribution fund to set up a commercial on Sci-Fi or thirty commercials on UPN?

      *snicker*

      I'm actually being serious, it's get my $10.

      --
      ~Dalcius
      Rome wasn't burnt in a day.
    4. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by gad_zuki! · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No they dont... but unfortunately.. most people still dont know there is something else out there.

      I don't know how true that is. I'm a student (again), but I still do consulting on the side and in the small to medium size business arena, at least in my experience, people just love the MS solution. They're usually already familiar with Outlook and Office and are ready to pay for a few Dells and an 2K server or two running Exchange and MS SQL.

      Frankly, the last thing I'm going to do is try to push an OSS solution for a small LAN when their primary needs are Outlook-like shared calendering, Office, and a few of the gazillion MS-only apps out there.

      Some of these people are pretty shrewd. They might have both an Apple and a PC at home. They might even know what linux is, but they also know their needs, prefer MS products, and don't mind paying. If a client wants MS and wants to pay for it, its fine and with the proper administration (proper permissions, quick to patch, antivirus scanning and attachment blocking on the email server, etc) it can be just as secure as anything else in corporate America.

      The question that geeks are expecting business to ask is, "How cheaply can we do this by using a no-name product?" Lets face it, linux has no brand, its more of a movement than a product. This is like assuming that cab companies are going to migrate over to the Kia Spectra (its a nice car at a nice price with a nice warranty) to save money. They're going to stick with the Caprice or Crown Victoria workhorse even if it costs a premium and if they continue to believe its worth it. Considering all their mechanics know the Crown Vic and the Caprice inside out and their drivers and customers expect a large American car, I doubt Kia will be getting any cab contracts anytime soon.

      Of course things change drastically when you're dealing with larger medium sized companies and large companies, but most of these companies start small or small-ish and if BillG is already in the door they will be very skittish about kicking him out too soon.

      Don't get me wrong, I would love it if a client wanted to do something from the ground up as cheap as possible and using OSS. A Moz/OpenOffice solution running on Mandrake would really be nice, but no one wants to jump into that pool unless they have to. In the meantime, unless price becomes a major factor then business will continue using MS. Its no wonder that Linux has more potential for market penetration in academia, the public sector, and in embedded devices. MS has the office environment locked and many end-users wouldn't have it any other way.

    5. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "Why doesn't redhat advertise on tv? ad space on tech TV is horribly dirt cheap, as well as almost every cable channel (USA, TNN, SCI-FI, MTV... etc...)"

      Okay, I know I'm not going to be in the popular view here, but it's gotta be said: Redhat cannot do everything that Windows does.

      Do this: Go buy any old digital camera and try to download the pics on a RedHat system.

      Go buy a DVD-R and try to burn a disc.

      Go to any old website showing media (RealPlayer, QuickTime, Windows Media) and see how successful you are at viewing content.

      Buy a Firewire DV Video Camera and see how successful you are in getting the video off and editing it.

      Try to visit a site that's made for IE.

      Go to the store and buy a game.

      Buy a PDA and get it to synch up.

      Your network card doesn't work, find somebody you know willing to come over and fix it.

      A good chunk of these problems have been solved on Linux, and if you're willing to do some insane bs to get them running, you're fine. The steps to do any of the above in Windows are very easy, especially in comparison to Linux.

      Some of these challenges are a result of MS's monopoly + it's just plain a de-facto standard. Despite popular belief, there is some good for this. You can't go wrong with having a Windows machine. You're compatible with the internet, and you're compatible with nearly every game and piece of hardware available for PC's.

      The problem isn't that people are unaware of it, the problem is that Windows does the best job of being friendly to the user. Sure Linux has technical superiorities in some ways, that alone does not make a good OS.

      For that 90% of the people you mentioned, Windows is by far the best choice for them. Linux is a distant 3rd with OSX in 2nd place.

      If you want a simple internet machine, Linux does a wonderful job for that. But the moment you start getting peripherals involved, Linux has a huge uphill battle. It just doesn't make sense for that 90 percentile to run Linux today.

      You know what though? That can't be true forever. I do feel that Linux can overtake Windows. The first step is to get millions of people running the OS. That's slowly but surely starting to happen. Every time MS makes a misstep (like their SP 3 licensing BS), Linux has an opportunity to make an inroads. When a DVD-Burner manufacturer is swamped with "Uhh where's the Linux Drivers?" questions, they'll eventually realize "oh.. people use Linux too, we should support it...." When that starts to happen, Linux then can become a viable alternative to Windows.

      MS didn't get big by bullying people around, it got big because it made computers into something average people can make really good use of. That is why people are buying Windows machines, it's not because they're unaware of Linux's existence. Today, it is not ready.

    6. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Some of these challenges are a result of MS's monopoly + it's just plain a de-facto standard.

      Some? Huh? I'm sorry, but almost all--ALL--of the examples you listed are examples of cases where a third party supports Windows because it is the de facto standard.

      If MS didn't have their monopoly, and weren't a de facto standard, those companies would be supporting other systems as well, or better yet, SOME STANDARD that can be applied across systems.

      Despite popular belief, there is some good for this.

      I can't believe this--the benevolent monopoly is a ridiculous argument. There is no good in monopoly. There is good in standards, but that is different from a monopoly. The argument of standards through monopoly is an argument for laziness and complacency.

      You're compatible with the internet

      Fucking right--MS should be compatible with the internet. That's because, at least so far, the internet is largely based on open protocols that anyone can use.

      MS didn't get big by bullying people around, it got big because it made computers into something average people can make really good use of.

      I'm sorry, but this is too much. MS DID get big by bullying people around--thus their conviction on antitrust charges.

      The argument about usablity for the average person is a joke. If that were all that were driving things, we'd all be using Apples.

      Look, I'm not going to say that MS doesn't do some things well. I still maintain that their office suite is probably the best around, and has been for some time.

      Linux does have its problems. But Linux having problems in no way justifies MS. The fact that Linux isn't the best at all things doesn't mean that I would choose MS if MS weren't a monopoly.

      I am flabbergasted when I see individuals who fail to see certain things:

      (1) MS is a convicted monopoly. This means they coerced themselves into the marketplace. This is something that would be apparent to many even if MS weren't convicted.

      (2) Being a monopoly is wrong for any number of reasons: it means the monopoly has an unfair advantage with regard to a cash safety reserve, time to screw up and then try and try again until you get it right, customer "choice", and any number of other things.

      The bottom line as far as I'm concerned is that I don't know whether or not MS does make the best product, because there was never any chance for real competition. The truth is, the way things are, WE WILL NEVER TRULY KNOW if MS was the best available.

      I think it's time we all stepped back and really took a look at what's going on: MS's only competition is from a bunch of people who are developing systems in their spare time and, through copyright, made it impossible for MS to do anything but really compete.

      And MS has had competition? Fucking ridiculous. It's going up against fucking activists. Linux is a fucking activist OS that is being used because there's no way to get anything any other way.

      Cripes--the whole GPL might as well say "By the way: MS, and any other corporation that wants to take away my freedom, fuck off. I made this thing myself. It's mine. I say everyone can use it, not just you. Go fuck your monopolistic self."

      Do you really think we would have the GPL if it weren't for MS? The fact the GPL EXISTS is a testament to the problems with MS and Windows.

      MS has had competition? It's like saying that a dictator was elected because there are rebels banging on the door that the people could conceivably support if the dictator's guards weren't doing everything possible to kill the rebels in the first place.

      Damn, I'm mad about this. I have to go do something else now.

    7. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by evilviper · · Score: 5, Informative
      it can be just as secure as anything else in corporate America.

      You've got to be absolutely kidding. I was with you up to that point, but nobody with an ounce of sense believes that for a second.

      Even "Microsoft VP Jim Allchin [...] stated, under oath, that there were flaws in Windows so great that they would threaten national security if the Windows source code were to be disclosed." (http://security.tombom.co.uk/shatter.html)
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    8. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by stinky+wizzleteats · · Score: 5, Interesting

      First of all, with Rh8, almost all of the examples you mentioned are not only possible in Linux, but quite simple. The print driver for my HP photosmart 1215 does not hang the machine like the windows version does, just to cite one example.

      Second of all, if you think MS has won because of ease of use, you've already bought into the propganda. Ever since MSDOS was ripped off of CP/M, Microsoft has consistently been technically inferior to all of its competitors. From the GUI to groupware, every one of Microsoft's product efforts has been a poor copy of someone else's work. If you call Windows the easy to use solution, you have to say that BSODs and the regular cycle of format and reinstall are easy.

      I was a CNE in a past life, and I saw first hand how MS got their market share. They send a representative to the CTO, and suggest that a license audit of all their windows workstations might be less difficult than converting their servers to NT. If this fails, they bribe the CIO/CEO, or engage in character assasination. Poof. Instant market share. The company's history is a prime example of bully tactics and practiced world domination.

      You can argue this if you want to, but you would be opposing observation with opinion. I know. I was there.

    9. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by Dalcius · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I won't take this point by point, but I will give general commentary. Please correct me if I read something wrong.

      1) Microsoft gained some of their position through monopoly. This would include the browser, etc. IIRC, they did put in incompatibilities with other systems in the early days of Windows (read: 90-95), but I wouldn't say they were big enough to be called a monopoly -- Apple had a good chunk of the market until the AOLers (read: typical users) came onto the scene.

      2) Microsoft isn't *all* bad. Forced standards are at least standards. They suck, but it's better than outright chaos, at least in the short term.

      3) Settle down, Jimmy! I completely agree with most of what you posted. I'm a Microsoft and tech history buff, and what you speak is true for the most part. However, Microsoft is not as evil as certain other corporations (pharmaceuticals, maybe?). They're very, very stupid (read: the article this thread is in reply to), and they'll lie and cheat to sell their mother's eyes. And it boggles my mind. But it's not the end of the world, OSS will eventually win out. Why? Because it's a small niche right now and it can actually compete. But that's another thread...

      --
      ~Dalcius
      Rome wasn't burnt in a day.
    10. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by po8 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Go buy any old digital camera and try to download the pics on a RedHat system. Do it every day, works fine.

      Go buy a DVD-R and try to burn a disc. Can't afford a DVD-R, but I'll bet it works great. I know every CD burner I ever tried does.

      Go to any old website showing media (RealPlayer, QuickTime, Windows Media) and see how successful you are at viewing content. View RealPlayer and Windows Media regularly. Can do any kind of QuickTime except Sorenson, and could do that with either Crossover Plugin or a pirate solution if I actually cared.

      Buy a Firewire DV Video Camera and see how successful you are in getting the video off and editing it. Hey, how rich do you think I am? But I have software that claims to do this job fine, and I have no reason to disbelieve it.

      Try to visit a site that's made for IE. I can think of one site I've visited in the last 6 months that I needed IE to view. I can think of far more that could only be viewed with Mozilla, actually. Pop-ups, you know.

      Go to the store and buy a game. Did it yesterday. They sell Linux games at Fry's now, you know.

      Buy a PDA and get it to synch up. I've never synced with anything but my Linux box.

      Your network card doesn't work, find somebody you know willing to come over and fix it. OK, you've got me there. All my network cards have worked :-). But seriously, I've helped a bunch of my friends with card problems under Linux: they don't seem any worse than with Windows to me. At least they don't ship outdated broken driver CDs for Linux: saves being suckered into installing them.

      Overall, I think you've made a pretty good case that Linux is ready for the consumer.

    11. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by mcrbids · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You know what though? That can't be true forever. I do feel that Linux can overtake Windows. The first step is to get millions of people running the OS. That's slowly but surely starting to happen.

      It's starting to happen. Just tonight, I was exchanging a faulty printer at the local Walmart. The gal behind the counter said that there'd been alot of printers coming back. I asked her why, and she said something like "They didn't have a Linux, or something like that".

      She had no idea what they were talking about, so I explained it to her a bit - that Linux is sort of like another "Windows", like Mac, only it works on normal PCs. She nodded blankly, pushed the barcode gun, and handed me my receipt.

      Maybe you don't remember the days when Apple "had the desktop" and PCs were "Hard to use" and "good for business and serious number crunching".

      Maybe you don't see the parallels here, but I sure do. Linux is "hard to use" but "good for business and serious number crunching".

      As I see it, Linux won't go bankrupt, won't just "go away" and gets better and better every year. Word of mouth is increasing, and people will make "free" work for them, eventually.

      --
      I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
    12. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by dbirchall · · Score: 5, Insightful
      "I still do consulting on the side and in the small to medium size business arena, at least in my experience, people just love the MS solution. They're usually already familiar with Outlook and Office and are ready to pay for a few Dells and an 2K server or two running Exchange and MS SQL."

      I do consulting too, in roughly the same segment. (Don't worry, we live in different towns. ;)

      In my experience, that's not love you're seeing; it's resignation. I have yet to meet any end-user who is passionate about Microsoft applications. People just don't go on about how great those things are. They're commodities.

      And the unlucky "in house" folks who really aren't qualified to fix stuff (read: can't tell a SCSI card from a parallel port card) yet get asked to do it anyway are definitely no fans of Microsoft. I enjoy nodding sagely at cluebies ranting about how if they turn their PC off, disconnect and reconnect the monitor, and boot back up, it gives them some sort of message about wanting a Windows disk...

      Do they upgrade? Sure! Not because there's some great new feature or capability, but because they keep hoping that maybe this time, unlike last time and the time before it, things will suck less.

      "Good grief, where does it end?" indeed!

    13. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by electroniceric · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well spoken! You've put your finger on something I've been trying to explain here for a long time. And in fact Microsoft prices their products at exactly such a price point as to keep them from being expensive in the individual. My most recent experience with this was when I looked at using MySQL vs MS SQL server. Since this place is already Windows shop, the cost for MSSQL would have been $2000 + CALS or something like that, with minimal training costs. The $2K or so they'd save by installing MySQl (even on Windows) is just not enough for them to bother with. If it was $10K, then more eyebrows would be raised. But it's not. And I do believe MS on this part of their TCO claims: it's cheaper to stay with MS than to switch. As to whether it's cheaper if you start with MS vs. Sun vs. OSS, I'd bet it's a pretty mixed bag.

      In the aggregate, however, MS products can get expensive, often based on the way they're bundled. Building an Access database is cheap and fast, until you have to buy Office pro for 20 members of your staff, 3 times in 8 years. And there are many situations where you need just one little bit of functionality contained in some other product, and then off you go again. This is where Open Source starts to pay off. Want your dev to do something semi-custom (a la Access)? The dev has his/her choice of 50000 libraries, all of which cost $0 as long as you're willing to accept the terms of OSS, so you can cobble together little bits from each of them without any incremental cost. All that's needed is some clever packaging of those bits so that they can be glued together quickly. Mozilla has a decent chance of doing just this.

      Another place where dealing with MS gets particularly onerous is dealing with licenses. Even in the place I worked, where everyone was just fine with Microsoft because it let them not think too much about IT, people resented having to waste time screwing around with licenses.

      Overall, I think your predictions for where you'll see Linux penetrate are pretty spot on, though I think once these public sector OSS projects start showing fruit, some slick boxed OSS solutions for smaller businesses will not be that far off, which will stir up the mix a bit.

      We live in interesting times...

    14. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by Arker · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Gah, calm down, take a breath.

      And, btw, the GPL doesn't have anything to do with Microsoft. Microsoft was a two-bit outfit that made software for toys when GNU started - the big bad evil monopolist of the time was SUN.

      --
      =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
      Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
    15. Re:Good grief, where does it end? by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Do this: Go buy any old digital camera and try to download the pics on a RedHat system.

      DID IT... KODAK DC120

      Go buy a DVD-R and try to burn a disc.

      Do IT EVERY DAY.

      Go to any old website showing media (RealPlayer, QuickTime, Windows Media) and see how successful you are at viewing content.

      Ok you GOT ME THERE.

      Buy a Firewire DV Video Camera and see how successful you are in getting the video off and editing it.

      DO IT EVERY DAY. Texas instruments firewire card and a JVC camera. now EDIT that video... there's where linux dies. nothing remotely useable yet.

      Try to visit a site that's made for IE.

      DO IT EVERY DAY... My Banking sites. I use mozilla that lies to the server.

      Go to the store and buy a game.

      I've got 5 on my shelf from the EB store. play them regularly.

      Buy a PDA and get it to synch up.

      I have 2! PALM PILOT and a Windows CE device... the WinCE device can synch.. but not to evolution... yet... the palm OS devices can synch to evolution or 10 other groupware programs for linux.

      Your network card doesn't work, find somebody you know willing to come over and fix it.

      I have yet to find a network card that isnt detected by redhat automatically. please tell me a chipset that doesn;t work.

      the whole point here is simple... microsoft windows does this same things you say here.. I fought for 2 weeks to get a Windows CE PDA to reliabily synch with a W2K workstation.. I had to download a 3rd party patch (NOT MICROSOFT) to get it to reliably talk every time the user drops it in the cradle. (BTW: corperate now forbids any PDA other than a Palm Os device to be connected to corperate PC's. due to the poor design of the windows CE and pocket windows connectivity software.. Palm just works, every time. and we can support it easily over the phone.)

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  4. And this is helpful how? by 403Forbidden · · Score: 5, Insightful

    All this info found will be of no use unless it can surface to mainstream media.

    I doubt any national TV stations other than TechTV read slashdot, this can be seen pretty obviously. Time Magazine just published an article on the music companies using glue to seal in unrelased songs for publications to read... I was in awe because it finally made mainstream about a month after it was on Slashdot!

    Excuse my rant, but it seems that Microsoft has done a pretty good job tucking this firmly under the proverbial carpet and I really doubt it will see the light of day again...

    1. Re:And this is helpful how? by Crispin+Cowan · · Score: 5, Interesting
      I doubt any national TV stations other than TechTV read slashdot,...
      I was just watching CNN Headline News on TV, and the woman reading the story on the guy busted for pirating AotC actually quoted and attributed the Slashdot story.

      Crispin
      ----
      Crispin Cowan, Ph.D.
      Chief Scientist, WireX Communications, Inc.
      Immunix: Security Hardened Linux Distribution
      Available for purchase

    2. Re:And this is helpful how? by selan · · Score: 3, Informative

      Funny you mention that on the same day that the New York Times does an article about Slashdot. Gotta admit, /. is becoming more mainstream everyday.

    3. Re:And this is helpful how? by jeffy124 · · Score: 3, Informative

      The AP article actually attributed slashdot for finding the stock photo of the person.

      This story is the type of stuff Consumer Reports Magazine publishes in their "Selling It" column. Things like the same person in the exact same pose promoting two completely different products, with different names of themselves. Or (I like this better) the company that advertised the same thing in two different magazines about a few months apart with "Steve Johnson Uses X", but two different people were "Steve Johnson." I liked the CR headling the best - "Would the real Steve Johnson please stand up?"

      CR would be in best position to publish this if MS published this as an ad in a magazine or newspaper, as they typically stick to glorifying published ads or physical products.

      --
      The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
    4. Re:And this is helpful how? by Aldurn · · Score: 5, Funny

      I want that job!
      Boss: Johnson! What are you doing?
      Jonhson: Reading Slashdot, sir!
      Boss: Good! I want your report on it by 5:00 tonight. And for the love of god, stop trolling those newbies!

      --
      char sig[120] = "\0"
  5. Misdirected marketing on both parts... by httpamphibio.us · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I fail to see how is EASIER than any other OS. A basic install of any operating system on any decent set of hardware is going to be equally easy to use. I use two Apple iBook's for music, not because I think the hardware is superior, but because my software isn't available for Windows yet. Most people that use Apple computers don't use them for what they are best at (multimedia, audio, video, etc) so they've basically spent anywhere from $500-$1500 more than a better equipped PC for absolutely no reason, they aren't benefitting from "ease of use," they aren't benefitting from the power.

    And getting people to switch from their Mac to Windows? Why even spend money on that effort? Windows machines may have been more difficult to use 15 years ago, but they've caught up... anyone who still thinks they are more difficult to use hasn't tried one.

    In my experience as the "computer guy" in my circle of friends I find that 95% of their problems come from using crappy software (and stuff that installs spyware) or using crappy hardware (e-machines).

    If you can't figure out the "start" button good luck trying to interface with OSX... (how is clicking start -> programs -> microsoft word harder than clicking Macintosh HD then searching around for your software? hm...)

    --
    sig.
    1. Re:Misdirected marketing on both parts... by bnenning · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Most people that use Apple computers don't use them for what they are best at (multimedia, audio, video, etc) so they've basically spent anywhere from $500-$1500 more than a better equipped PC for absolutely no reason, they aren't benefitting from "ease of use," they aren't benefitting from the power.


      The combination of Unix with a great UI and mainstream applications can be a benefit to just about everyone. If you don't think it's worth the cost, that's fine, but don't try to claim there's "absolutely no reason".


      (how is clicking start -> programs -> microsoft word harder than clicking Macintosh HD then searching around for your software? hm...)


      It probably isn't. On the other hand, you can "uninstall" an app by dragging it to the trash, without worrying about what DLLs will remain strewn about. And you can copy an app from one Mac to another by dragging and dropping (or "cp -r" if you like), rather than hunting for the install CD.

      --
      How to solve most of our problems: 1.Lots of nuclear plants. 2.Cure aging.
    2. Re:Misdirected marketing on both parts... by namespan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Windows machines may have been more difficult to use 15 years ago, but they've caught up... anyone who still thinks they are more difficult to use hasn't tried one.

      It's not that XP is hard to use.. since Win 95, none of the Windowses has really been hard to use... although administration and installation of certain options hasn't been easy.

      The thing is the way that Apple tends to think of the little things. I configured dialup connections for my sister and my mother recently. They use XP and OS X respectively. The XP connection wasn't hard per se, but the Apple stuff was easy-breezy: orthogonal seeming, conceptually accesible, easy to find the appropriate controls, etc.

      Between these finishing touches and the hardware/software integration, I think it's likely I'll prefer using Apple stuff at home for some time to come.

      I've played with XP. Win 2k and XP do not suck. My opinion is that they're not as easy to use as OS X. And when things go south (they do on all computers), they're harder to fix...

      --
      Libertarianism is rich wolves and poor sheep playing gambler's ruin for dinner.
    3. Re:Misdirected marketing on both parts... by bnenning · · Score: 3, Interesting
      For instance the MacOS's file-type registry (you know, the thing that links the file type stored in the resource fork to the application that's supposed to open it?) would be inconsistant after such a delete


      I don't believe that was the case in 9, and I'm sure it's not in X.


      There are other things, like extensions being left around... and we all know that extensions NEVER, EVER, EVER cause system conflicts. Basically it's the DLL hell all over again, just renamed.


      Nope. Mac OS X uses "file wrappers", which essentially allow a folder to appear as a single file at the UI level. This lets you include localized resources, graphics, supporting libraries, etc. in (from the user's perspective) a single file. Drag it to the trash, and it's really all gone. The worst that happens is that you're left with a stray prefs file in ~/Library/Preferences, which is harmless. And Mac OS 9-style extensions are thankfully gone in X.

      --
      How to solve most of our problems: 1.Lots of nuclear plants. 2.Cure aging.
    4. Re:Misdirected marketing on both parts... by Refrag · · Score: 3, Interesting
      And getting people to switch from their Mac to Windows? Why even spend money on that effort? Windows machines may have been more difficult to use 15 years ago, but they've caught up... anyone who still thinks they are more difficult to use hasn't tried one.

      They are easier to use. Try doing a drag & drop install or un-install on a Windows box for most of your software. ...and I'm a recent Windows defector. I was a MS OS user since MS-DOS and MS Word 2.0.

      Oh, btw, I keep my Applications folder in my Dock which means I get a context-menu for launching applications just like the Windows Start Menu and it even speeds up my drag & drop installs because all I have to do is drop them on that folder in the Dock.
      --
      I have a website. It's about Macs.
    5. Re:Misdirected marketing on both parts... by Fished · · Score: 5, Interesting
      And getting people to switch from their Mac to Windows? Why even spend money on that effort? Windows machines may have been more difficult to use 15 years ago, but they've caught up... anyone who still thinks they are more difficult to use hasn't tried one.
      Buzz!

      The emphasis is no longer really on "easy to use." It is on "easy to setup and maintain." Windows installations (I don't care the flavor, it's true of XP, 2000 and 98) tend to slowly degrade, becoming more and more flaky until you're left with no choice but to reload.

      Drivers are also a bloody pain in the you-know-what. Every time I have to reload Windows, I spend hours hunting around the net for drivers, then updating drivers, the downdating drivers, all to get everything to work together. (Good example: ati video drivers require directx 8, which you have to download running at 640x480 before you can install the driver.) Yes, I could keep the driver disks on-hand, but that's truly a pain in the but. A pain that i don't have to endure with my Macs.

      The point being this: 10 years ago, the focus of ease of use was menus, mouses, and drag & drop. Today, the focus is on configuration and maintainability. And here the Mac clearly has MS beat. And yes, this IS because Apple owns the hardware - but I don't care so long as it works.

      --
      "He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
  6. Dead people? by evilviper · · Score: 5, Funny

    I remember this same thing happening with the antitrust trial. Soon dead people are going to be writing in to say that they switched from Mac to Windows.

    --
    Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    1. Re:Dead people? by RelliK · · Score: 5, Funny
      Soon dead people are going to be writing in to say that they switched from Mac to Windows.

      ... and died?

      --
      ___
      If you think big enough, you'll never have to do it.
    2. Re:Dead people? by ProfMoriarty · · Score: 5, Funny
      Soon dead people are going to be writing in to say that they switched from Mac to Windows.

      Of course they are ... what do you think they run in hell?

      I'd just hate to be the SysAdmin of hell ... running Exchange and IIS ... just think of all the hacking going on there ...

      :)

      --
      Karma? Karma? I don't need no stinkin' karma.
    3. Re:Dead people? by Alsee · · Score: 5, Funny
      Bruce Willis attempting to help a terrified 10 year old boy...
      The boy finally whispers "I see dead people using Windows".
      <gasp of horror!>
      -
      --
      - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
    4. Re:Dead people? by swankypimp · · Score: 3, Funny
      No problem -- that software makes it easy to guarantee five 9's... ...of downtime.

      Actually, it's three nines... upside down.

      --

      --All your stolen base are belong to Rickey Henderson
  7. Ironic... by CoolVibe · · Score: 5, Funny
    That I see the Visual Studio ad here...

    But on topic, if they tracked her down, how 'bout a real photo of this person? Just for comparison's sake.

    It looks like MS is trying to do a "save my face" operation here by spinning the story by (of course) a MS PR person.

    1. Re:Ironic... by CoolVibe · · Score: 4, Funny
      The irony is that Slashdot gets paid by microsoft to display that ad on slashdot through doubleclick.

      Man, I clicked that ad until I was blue in the face. I loved the irony of it. Hey malda! I just made you some more cash! Woohoo! Billy is paying for it :)

      *big grin*

  8. Man do I feel dumb. by nooboob · · Score: 4, Funny

    I went and immediately threw my g4 into a dumpster and bought an e-machine with xp after I saw that ad.........it was so powerful and convincing.

    1. Re:Man do I feel dumb. by sconeu · · Score: 5, Funny

      I went and immediately threw my g4 into a dumpster and bought an e-machine with xp after I saw that ad.........it was so powerful and convincing.

      Can I have your G4, then?

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    2. Re:Man do I feel dumb. by jnana · · Score: 4, Funny

      And don't forget about the 'History' feature that Internet Explorer has. Has anybody ever heard of such a revolutionary concept in a web browser?

    3. Re:Man do I feel dumb. by iankerickson · · Score: 5, Funny

      Why ask? All you have to do to restore his Mac is drag it out of the trashcan.

      --
      Democracy. Whiskey. Sexy. Pick any two.
  9. Please consider/remember by djupedal · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Microsoft spends big when it comes to it's PR and marekting firms. More than on any other single item in the budget.

    These firms have a mandate from MS to spread out and hit hard. They lurk here and on ZDNet, as an example, just waiting for opportunities to impersonate Joe/Jane Average user.

    They pump out hourly press releases that all have the same theme..."MS is best and who can fault a leader?...Join us in the fun and we will do all the thinking for you."

    It is all too clear what they think of their customers...brain-dead sheep, begging to be sheared.

    To understand the mechanics, it may help to first study a long standing 'marketing' ploy known as 'the big lie'. I don't normally use references like this, but the best manual I know is titled 'Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'.

  10. "astroturf" and "microsoft" by dpilot · · Score: 4, Funny

    Clearly not a candidate for googlewhacking. The combination gives about 1300 hits.

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
  11. What surprises me... by Powercntrl · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...is not that Microsoft has done this, but that they're so shocked and shaken over Apple's switch campaign that they felt this was necessary.

    Without getting too offtopic, I owned a Mac for awhile and wasn't too thrilled with it. Yes, it was usable, but the thought that kept repeating in my mind was "I can sell this on eBay and use the money to buy MUCH better hardware for my PC." - so I did. Do I regret no longer being "biplatform"? Nope...

    It wasn't so much that I had anything against the Mac platform... I just didn't NEED it. My PC didn't give me any trouble and all the apps I use for doing what I like to do work fine on the PC. I guess if I felt the same way about the Macintosh to begin with, I wouldn't want to switch either and no amount of Microsoft fluff could change my mind. In the end, it just comes down to using what it is you like to use...

    As a side note, I think some of you Slashdotters agree that you'd be more than willing to go "biplatform" if Macs weren't so expensive... There's a $199 Wal-Mart PC for the curious Mac users, where's the $199 Mac for curious PC users?

    --

    ---
    DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
    1. Re:What surprises me... by Slur · · Score: 5, Funny

      As a side note, I think some of you Slashdotters agree that you'd be more than willing to go "biplatform" if Macs weren't so expensive... There's a $199 Wal-Mart PC for the curious Mac users, where's the $199 Mac for curious PC users?

      Same place they sell the $12,000 Mercedes Benz.

      --
      -- thinkyhead software and media
  12. Associated Press & Yahoo! News Aren't Mainstre by Carnage4Life · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This isn't mainstream?. Considering they broke this a few hours after it ran on Slashdot I'm not sure what else you expect. A CNN <blink>breaking news</blink> flash?

  13. Microsoft saved my job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hi, my name is Valerie G. Mallinson and I work for a Microsoft PR firm.

    One day I asked my boss for a new video camera for my Mac. He said "Remember, your paycheck comes from Microsoft, let's switch you for our new marketing campaign!"

    So I switched.

    And then my boss said "Hey, Microsoft wants to tell the world that you switched, but you're no prettier than those people Apple used. We wish you looked BETTER than Apple people."

    And so they used some stock photos to give me a make over.

  14. People have switched by scott1853 · · Score: 5, Funny

    There's been plenty of people that switched from Apple to Windows, they're just too embarrassed to publicly admit their mistake.

  15. Good thing ... by bizitch · · Score: 3, Funny

    No one is claiming the intelecual property rights on stupidity ....

    --
    ---- "Logoff! That cookie shit makes me nervous!" - A. Soprano
  16. But Why Did She Switch? by Spencerian · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Two things get me about this:

    1) The woman works at a PR firm--a business where Macintosh systems are fairly strong, albeit not quite as much as advertising and the graphic arts. So, what kind of Mac did she switch from? A crappy 6-year old Mac or something ancient? Hell, anything would make you switch from that.

    2) By being a contractual employee of Microsoft, this ad really doesn't give MS a lot of credit for their product. Can't they simply find a relatively honest person to endorse? I mean, really! Not everyone hates Microsoft, and I'm sure there are enough people to say, "Sure, it works for me."

    This can't be a good thing, and it only creates more alienation in a business where getting along still means a little something, if only to make friends before you merge your companies.

    --
    Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
    1. Re:But Why Did She Switch? by Dalcius · · Score: 4, Interesting

      "Have you ever thought that possibly every one of the "MS supporters" you see online are actually paid to astroturf?"

      Yes.

      --
      ~Dalcius
      Rome wasn't burnt in a day.
  17. Marketing 101 by zentec · · Score: 5, Insightful


    Microsoft is living proof that with enough creative marketing, you truly can wrap a turd in colored foil and call it candy!

    Some people may see this as insignificant in light of all the other corporate scandals in the world. However, it's just one more instance of Microsoft treating their customers and/or prospective customers as bafoons.

    Many companies have fallen on hard times because they failed to respect the intelligence of their customers. The *only* thing keeping people from ditching Microsoft like a bad habit is the lack of anything comparable. That day will come, and Microsoft will surely rue it.

  18. Valerie G. Mallinson in 20 Years by Twintop · · Score: 5, Funny

    Daughter: "Mommy, did you have your 15 minutes of fame?"
    Valerie: "Yes, honey."
    Daughter: "Did you like it, mommy?"
    Valerie: "No, honey."
    Daughter: "Why?"
    Valerie: "It was for Microsoft."

  19. "A spokeswoman from Apple would not comment" by bobdotorg · · Score: 5, Funny

    The best part of the article:
    "A spokeswoman from Apple would not comment"

    Yeah - because she was still cleaning up all of the millk that she laughed through her nose.

    --
    __ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
  20. Truth in Advertising, Breaking News on Slashdot by Hoarse+Whisperer · · Score: 4, Funny

    The ramifications of this are astounding, imagine if this sort of thing is going on in other industries. You know those housewives who give testimonials about the effectiveness of washing powder? The fast cars that are guaranteed to improve your sex appeal? How can we trust anything we see in advertising anymore?

    1. Re:Truth in Advertising, Breaking News on Slashdot by swankypimp · · Score: 4, Funny
      How can we trust anything we see in advertising anymore?

      That's why I only buy products endorsed by people who e-mail me "special deals". If it weren't for these fine gentlemen, I never would have found out about Cock-Enlarging Herbal Viagra (guaranteed to make her scream), nor would have believed that Nubile Webcam Wenches would be Sucking and Fondling just for me. I'm not sure what spirit of benevolence caused you to mail me this amazing offer, but thank you, Friend. I mean, if you can't trust getabiggerdick@hotmail.com, who can you trust?

      --

      --All your stolen base are belong to Rickey Henderson
  21. Ed Wood ad agency? by uncoveror · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Using stock photos in "testimonials" is something low-budget spammers do. Did Microsoft really think we wouldn't notice? They could do some TV commercials with stock footage. Do they use the Ed Wood ad agency?

    Advertisers don't "get it" why Gen X isn't buying their crap. We have figured out that marketing and lying have become synonyms, and we don't like it. Anybody remember the movie, Crazy People? Dudley Moore wanted to use honesty in advertising, and they locked him up in the nuthouse. The ads worked, though.

    --
    The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
    1. Re:Ed Wood ad agency? by x136 · · Score: 5, Funny
      They could do some TV commercials with stock footage.

      I can see it now...

      Quick fade into rocket taking off. Cut to two 70's crash test sedans in a head-on collision. Horizontal wipe to atomic bomb detonating. Crossfade to fat guy taking a cannonball in the stomach. Star wipe to garish orange screen with Microsoft logo and "Where do you want to go today?" tagline. All done to the tune of cheap, generic classical music.

      In a strangely Microsoftian twist, this'd all be done with iMovie, which would be revealed on Slashdot a few weeks later. The ad would be immediately pulled.
      --
      SIGFEH
    2. Re:Ed Wood ad agency? by scott1853 · · Score: 5, Funny
      Honest advertising would be nice to see. But what do you expect Microsoft to say about XP?

      "Look at the pretty colors"

      "It doesn't lock up as much as previous versions."

      "Look at the pretty colors"

  22. How they traced her down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Download "ShowOffYourSkills.doc" from the web page.

    $ strings ShowOffYourSkills.doc | less
    /* truncated... */
    Show Off Your Skills
    Normal.dot
    Katherine L. Trunkey
    Microsoft Word 10.0
    valmalgal.com
    Show Off Your SkillsTitle
    _PID_HLINKS
    _AdHocReviewCycleID
    _Em ailSubject
    _AuthorEmailDisplayName
    _ReviewingToo lsShownOnce
    Comments
    Valerie Mallinson (Wes Rataushk & Assc Inc)
    Microsoft Word Document
    MSWordDoc
    Word.Document.8

    This "switcher" had her privacy compromised by Microsoft software. Her web site is not yet active but you can look up the "Wes Rataushk" firm to find that it is in Redmond. The following blog belongs to a coworker of hers, perhaps you could ask him more:

    http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cache:ncxQ S-5T-OQC:www.pamkeesey.com/+Wes+Rataushk&hl=en&ie= UTF-8

    -s.

  23. Behind the Lines by pyrrho · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Fire another round, corporal."

    "But sir... we're running out of feet."

    --

    -pyrrho

  24. What is all this slashdot traffic? by AELinuxGuy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do you think that M$ gets pissed that 95% of their traffic for web marketing programs comes from slashdot?

  25. Some switch by Kostya · · Score: 5, Funny

    According to this site, she was helping this guy put together PocketPC solutions for use on his Africa biking trip. Sounds like she was a little more in the MS fold than the article said. I'm surprised she even still used Macs, being a PocketPC "solutions troubleshooter" and all!

    --
    "Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs." -- Switchfoot, Ode to Chin
    1. Re:Some switch by corby · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wha wha wha? The yanked Microsoft article includes this cliffhanger ending:

      *Editor's Note: Now that we've successfully converted our writer to a Windows PC, we will be working on getting her to try a Pocket PC. Stay tuned for more developments!

      Gosh, do you think they'll be able to get Valerie to 'try' a Pocket PC? After she's been a FREAKING PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT on the device? Too bad we'll never find out!

  26. "Hidden" Personal Data by Captain+Chad · · Score: 5, Informative
    In the MS Word document" (still available on the MS site), under properties, under the "Custom" tab, the
    1. _AuthorEmailDisplayName
    property is set to
    1. Valerie Mallinson (Wes Rataushk & Assc Inc)
    I guess that's hidden if you don't know much about computers.
    --
    Check out Chad's News
  27. AP == Associated Press by yerricde · · Score: 5, Informative

    How do we know the Anonymous Poster isn't an employee of Linux

    I don't see "Anonymous Poster" capitalized that way anywhere in the blurb or the article.

    If you're trying to draw a parallel between "AP" in the blurb and "AC" as a common abbreviation for Slashdot's Anonymous Coward, you're mistaken, but I forgive you: AP == Associated Press.

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  28. logic? by djupedal · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So, you'd also buy a Mercedes bulletproof limo and Gulfstream personal jet if they were closer to your budget as well?

    What kind of logic is that? We would be crazy to argue with that. It's a debater's tactic that puts the respondent in a no-win position, regardless of their answer. Would you do drugs if there was no risk? Would you stop ageing if you could? Would you fly if someone gave you wings?

  29. Spot the similarities by NewtonsLaw · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Have you ever noticed how much of the spam that fills your mailbox every day comes littered with testimonials from happy customers?

    "I was skeptical that FatAway(tm) would work but I've dropped 47 dress sizes in two weeks -- George from New York"

    Since I purchased my FastCash(tm) Work at Home Kit, I've earned over twelve trillion dollars in just one month -- Dick from Arkasas

    etc, etc.

    The interesting similarity between such testimonials and Microsoft's little works of fiction are:
    1. they're all effectively anonymous
    2. they all make outrageous claims which are at best gross overstatement and more likely to be downright lies
    3. they're all from unscrupulous marketers who e-thics are stupid people that use the Net.

    Like most consumers, I only have so much money to spend -- so will I buy the breast enlargement cream or Windows XP? Hmmmm...
  30. Be a Super-Sleuth! by corby · · Score: 5, Informative

    Hey kids!

    Want to engage in real-life Kompooter Forensics just like AP does? Follow these easy steps!

    1) Go to Google's cache of the article, since it has now been pulled by Microsoft.

    2) Now click on the link at the bottom of the cache page, which reads "Download the submission form in Word format." Whoops! Looks like those kid whizzes at Microsoft didn't actually remove everything!

    3) Haven't made the switch to Microsoft yet? Word still new to you? No prob. Go to the 'File' Menu and select Properties while you are viewing the Microsoft Word document. Don't worry! No chmod here!

    4) Peruse the tabs to uncover all of AP's 'personal data', including Valerie's zany new website. You go, girl!

    1. Re:Be a Super-Sleuth! by SurfsUp · · Score: 3

      1) wget http://www.microsoft.com/insider/downloads/ShowOff YourSkills.pdf

      2) strings ShowOffYourSkills.pdf

      --
      Life's a bitch but somebody's gotta do it.
  31. Reboot after Windows Update by yerricde · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Start, and maybe even finish

    That's part of the problem. You click the Start button to Stop the computer.

    I really can not think of any way that the OS could contribute to make me more productive.

    How about being compiled specifically for your processor's microarchitecture? Public-source operating systems (such as GNU/Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, and Darwin) can provide this, and operating systems designed to run only on one or two microarchitectures (i.e. Mac OS X, which runs on PowerPC G3 and G4) can provide this. Can Windows?

    I don't recall having XP crash (needing a reboot) in about a year now

    What about when it goes and downloads a patch to its networking stack, IE, the J?v? VM, or Outlook Express? Granted, that's not a crash, but it still needs a reboot.

    If you are really desperate, you can skin XP to make it look like Aqua.

    Go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  32. A freelance writer huh? by Trogre · · Score: 5, Funny

    From the article:
    "I am a freelance writer; I demand the best in mobile computing."

    But if you work for Microsoft PR, you can't be freelance now, can you?

    Perhaps she was misquoted:
    "I am writing promotion materials for Freelancer, a game which will demand the best in computing hardware"

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  33. Re:The truth be told by SparkyMartin · · Score: 3, Informative

    As for User Interfaces Apple and Microsoft have upgraded their User Interfaces considerably, but they need to give due credit to Amiga for pioneering UI-based operating systems, from which they obviously ripped off.

    Considering that the Mac came out a year earlier than the Amiga, and the Apple Lisa came out a year before the Mac, unless Apple had a time machine in the early 80's I don't see how they could have ripped off the Amiga UI.

    It's possible they could have used McFly's Flux Capacitor though...

  34. why apple will never succeed... by Dr.+Awktagon · · Score: 5, Funny

    I mean, look at the difference:

    Apple: spends the better part of a year looking for interesting, off-beat, photogenic people. Then they read hundreds of emails. They hand-pick a bunch of folks and pay money to fly them out, coach them, then tape them. They put the ads on nationwide TV.

    Microsoft: Somebody at Microsoft's PR firm picks up the phone and says "Hey, remember that writer, Valerie? And remember how the screen on her Mac Centris 610 finally died and she got that Windows laptop? .. What's that? .. Yeah that was funny.. though I probably I did the same thing the first time I used a CD-ROM .. But anyway, track her down and give her $500 to finish some copy for our new campaign. I've already got most of it written.. .. what?.. No, just put a stock photo like usual .. okay .. bye!"

    How easy! That's why Apple will always be a "niche" player. They give a shit about stuff like this. Like the guy in college who actually wrote all his lab reports while everybody else just copied one from last year.

  35. Re:Why Are You Guys So Obsessed Over This? by Dalcius · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Anyone find it ironic that the parent came right after a post talking about Microsoft trolls?

    On topic, I think it's very relevant. Complaining and laughing at a company as stupid as Microsoft is relaxing. =)

    --
    ~Dalcius
    Rome wasn't burnt in a day.
  36. Microsoft Word 10.0 by angst7 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This may have been pointed out already, but Microsoft Word 10.0 (the version stamped in the ShowOffYourSkills.doc file), is the Mac OS X version. So, apparently, she wrote this piece on a Mac.

    I love this world.

    --
    StrategyTalk.com, PC Game Forums
    1. Re:Microsoft Word 10.0 by InnovATIONS · · Score: 5, Informative

      Office XP, aka Word 2002 is listed as version 10 as well.

    2. Re:Microsoft Word 10.0 by nolife · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I believe Office XP is 10.0 also. What would really be interesting is compare the metadata or actual file raw data (strings, hex view etc..) between the Apple and the Windows versions. I do not have access to an Mac but I doubt that the two versions of Office would create the exact same file, meaning there is probably a trackable difference between the two.

      --
      Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
  37. water held by djupedal · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Was Firewire a commodity item when it showed up on Yosemite? Was the crush zone car body a commodity when Mercedes introduced it to the world?

    Just because these items eventually show up everywhere, doesn't mean that at one time they weren't exclusive to one manufacturer...and costly as well. That's the way it works. If you want the best when it first comes out, you have to pay for it. Ask anyone with a 60" LCD TV...or a home elevator, etc. Expensive now...commodity later.

  38. not the first time a .doc has betrayed its creator by CoughDropAddict · · Score: 5, Informative

    Bruce Perens nailed some of the puppetters behind the "software choice" campaign.

  39. * Breaking News * by Cheese+Cracker · · Score: 5, Funny
    Microsoft releases MS Mac User Converter®
    Monday October 9, 2:04 pm ET

    REDMOND, WA, Oct. 9 /PropagandaNewswire/ -- Microsoft has revelead their latest innovation,
    MS Mac User Converter®. MS Mac User Converter® is a product that converts a Macintosh® user
    to MS Windows XP® user. "Our internal tests has been more successful than we had expected," said
    Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft®. "If we can successfully convert all Macintosh® users to MS
    Windows XP®, we're going to dominate 96% of the desktop market." Ballmer said. "Next step is to
    convert all the Linux® users, but we still have some problems that needs to be solved. Linux® users
    tend to be tougher to convert." Ballmer said.

    Microsoft® can now add MS Mac User Converter® to their already successful list of innovations,
    such as:
    • MS Windows®
    • MS Excel®
    • MS Word®
    • MS Powerpoint®
    • MS DOS®
    Microsoft® clearly shows the world that they're ahead of their competitors. "None of the competitors
    have been able to launch a product like MS Mac User Converter®. This strengthens Microsoft®'s
    position on the market" said Blackie Lawless, industry analyst for Gartner Dataquest's Software
    Industry Research group®.
  40. I have three questions... by dcavanaugh · · Score: 5, Interesting

    (1) Ms. Mallinson may be the "switcher", but did she actually write the article? If so, who is "Don Funk" and why is it his folder that is shown in the screenshot?

    (2) Did she actually buy XP Pro and Office XP, or did she get that for free as an M$ contractor? That's some pricey software; she must be one hell of a freelance writer to afford it.

    (3) Was the "switch" voluntary or was it part of a requirement for the campaign?

    1. Re:I have three questions... by Ian+Bicking · · Score: 3, Insightful
      I am a little confused as well. I believe Mallinson's name is on the document at the bottom of the page, which is a solicitation for more submissions. In that context, it is completely okay that it's a MS employee that wrote the document.

      It seems more likely that Don Funk wrote the article, though I'm not entirely clear on who Don Funk is -- donfu@microsoft.com? OTOH, searching Google his name shows up lots of places -- is it a name turned into a standard filler (like "foobar")? Or does he write lots of documentation, and uses his own name in example sometimes?

      Now I suspect Don Funk wrote the article, and Mallinson is taking credit for it because the entire article is obviously a complete lie if Funk wrote it. The other possibility is that Funk wrote parts of it as documentation, and Mallinson used that content to produce the "letter".

      The other thing that links Mallinson to the editing of the content, not the content itself, is the italicized comment on the bottom talking about converting the author to Pocket PC. Someone else referenced this site where this same Mallinson is referred to as an expert with Pocket PCs. Though, when I think of the possibilities, it again becomes likely that she already had all the content for a second article ready, and was setting it up for a followup.

      The whole Pocket PC thing makes it seem very likely that Mallinson is simply lying about converting from Mac (at least to XP). But it would offend people more if a man wrote an article, and then was turned into a woman in a cynical attempt to make XP seem more soft and accessible. Probably several people wrote the article, and then one person put it together -- Dun Funk seems like his name is attached to technical things, so I would imagine he would not have put the article together, but would have written some of the more technical material in the article.

  41. Re:Apple is easier to install and configure by megaduck · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Microsoft is attempting to do the impossible -- support every PC and PC peripheral that has ever been shipped.

    That's not true, actually. Windows has native support for a very small percentage of PC hardware and peripherals. They leave the majority of driver writing and device support to the hardware manufacturers, just like Apple does. Windows XP needs extra drivers for my scanner, just like OS X.

    Even when MS does support hardware, it's not as easy as a Mac. For example, both Windows and OS X include drivers for my HP Deskjet. In order to setup the printer on Windows I have to:

    1. Plug the printer in.
    2. Click "Next" a few times.
    3. Select my printer model.
    4. Tell Windows that I want it to be my default printer.
    5. Tell it I don't want to print a test page.
    6. Click "Finish".

    To set up the same printer on a Mac you:
    1. Plug it in.

    Macs aren't easier to configure because they support a more limited range of hardware. They're easier to configure because the OS behaves in a much more sensible fashion.

    --
    This .sig for rent.
  42. Name Change? by Twintop · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe M$ should become B$?

  43. AOL did the same thing by destinyland · · Score: 5, Informative
    In 1994 AOL published a slick 30-page promotional brochure profiling four new members. They also made them up -- prompting much derision in alt.aol-sucks.

    ---
    Destiny-land.
    The happiest blog on earth.

  44. M$ needs to rethink their policy by MalleusEBHC · · Score: 5, Interesting

    From the .doc on M$'s site:
    Microsoft will not share the information you provide with third parties without your permission except where necessary to complete the services or transactions you have requested, or as required by law.

    Yeah, and they most definitely won't distribute a Word document to a half million geeks on Slashdot that shows among other things your name, your email address, your website (for which the whois provides all your information), and the fact that you wrote the article about switching to Windows using Office X on Mac OS X.

  45. irony by jnana · · Score: 5, Insightful

    is it just me, or does anybody else find it hilariously funny that the woman was tracked down because her name was hidden deep in the Word file ShowOffYourSkills.doc, even though she had 'deleted' it (she thought). When will people stop trusting Microsoft with anything of importance?

  46. Valerie Mallinson is all these people? by Hyped01 · · Score: 3, Informative
    Valerie admits to being the secret MAC person... but is she also admitting to being the rest of the people?

    Valerie Mallinson (Wes Rataushk & Assc Inc) is also apparently the author of:

    MS EnCarta FUD Paper

    ... meaning she's a black male 7th grader. Or a white female married adult... or perhaps she is a group of 4 older people of varied ethnicities. Cant print? You're probably running MS Windoze XP and are pretty screwed!

    Either Valerie has multiple diverse personalities or all or most of these "submissions" are penned by her and falsly attributed to others.

    -Rob

    --

    WebMaster:
    BinFeeds
    XXX Thumbnailed Image Newsgroups but

  47. More about Val Mallinson by Slur · · Score: 5, Interesting

    She helped David Mozer to acquire, configure, and troubleshoot a PocketPC for his bicycle trip in Malawi, Africa "in October." (Last year?)

    http://www.ibike.org/bikeafrica/malawi/

    Frankly the Microsoft Switcher article was embarrassing for a host of reasons besides the use of clip-art and a hired PR professional who is obviously an experienced user of Windows.

    It's abundantly clear that Val has never used Mac OS X. All her raves about Windows XP were about features which exist - and are much easier to use - in Mac OS X.

    For example, her excitement about being able to get Windows installed and configured "in under a day" is laughable. In 90% of cases Mac OS X can be installed and configured in under an hour.

    Bringing up Netscape as if it was the default browser on Mac OS was likewise a foolish gaffe. Most Mac OS users (9 and X) use Internet Explorer 5 as their web browser. Why would Val have chosen Netscape? Could it be she had only used Mac OS 8/9 at work where Netscape was pre-installed?

    Comparing the FREE AppleWorks to the $300-$500 Microsoft Office is a staggering faux pas - especially since Office v.X is generally considered superior to Office for Windows. (And who in the world likes Office's annoying hide-and-seek menus? I like my menus to stay consistent, and keep that feature turned off on my Windows box.)

    Finally, all the step-by-step instructions for migrating documents and Favorites were a glaring exposure of the complexity of Windows XP. The instructions for the same migrations to Mac OS X are only half as long.

    Alas, this was an amateurish article by an uninformed PR-lackey. Microsoft should know better than to try to pull the wool over our ever-watchful eyes.

    --
    -- thinkyhead software and media
  48. leave M$ alone by b17bmbr · · Score: 5, Funny

    you know, with all their troubles with security, patches, linux, anti-trust trials, and everything, they just don't have the time to find people who have benefitted using their products. i mean, come on, there must be one.

    surely, you can cut them some slack. ballmer is up late at night thinking of more ways he can attack linux/open source. with 40 billion in the bank, they just can't aford to do the necessary research and investigation. give them a break will you.

    i'm sure there are plenty of people who'll testify that they learned how to program using "Learn Visual Basic" and are now working at a major software company.

    --
    My problem? I was perfectly gruntled, until some numbnuts came by and dissed me.
  49. You are so right my friend by codepunk · · Score: 5, Interesting

    But then again my company does not manufacture software and thus it is a expense of doing business. We do however produce a durable good and since I can get the job done with linux I will price your ass right out of the market with the money I saved.

    You see just how simple that plays out.

    --


    Got Code?
  50. 2 Years? by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I can't imagine it lasting that long, however, the bumbling way they continue to handle such faux pas is indeed timeless. It's like Microsoft needs to hire a few cynics to review what they're up to and weigh their gripes.

    I mean, Coca Cola is a popular drink, but you don't see them claiming it builds muscle or makes your penis/breats grow. Such a claim, besides immediately inviting scrutiny, would be so out of character with their product it would make people stop and question why they actually do drink it.

    The best marketing machine Microsoft has is dingbat leader types in public and private sectors who shove Office down the throats of companies, because everyone else is doing it (wow, such leadership!) Microsoft needs to cultivate these people (Repeat after me, "Nobody ever got fired for buying Microsoft") and less draw attentions to what they really are doing. For such a successful company, they sure can act foolishly and that doesn't help them any.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:2 Years? by jovlinger · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I know what you mean, but eventually, people DID get fired for buying IBM. IIRC, it was compaq that finally falsified that truism.

  51. The 13 year old script kiddie crowd is smarter... by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Because the 13 year old script kiddie crowd wouldn't stoop that low."

    The "13 year old script kiddies" are smart enough to remove not only the web page, but the files to which it links. Not Microsoft. You can still download the original files, using the original links, which I copied from the source of the original page (my italics):

    Do you have an idea for a story? We'd love to hear from you. How have you used Microsoft software to make your home or work life easier, more fun, faster, or simpler? Submit your ideas, and you could get published on the Insider Web site! Submit Your Idea Today! Note that, if you look at the binary of the .DOC file, you can see this:

    Comments To Valerie Mallinson (Wes Rataushk & Assc Inc)

    A google search says Wes Rataushk & Associates, Inc is located at 5904 105th Ave NE, Kirkland, Washington. If you are in the area, stop by to joke with them about their business ethics.

    It seems likely that someone downloading and submitting the form would have no chance of getting their story published because Wes Rataushk & Associates is paid to write them.

    I try to help people have a balanced view of Microsoft: http://www.hevanet.com/peace/microsoft.htm.
  52. who's that AP guy, anyway? by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 5, Informative
    I'm posting this so late, it's unlikely that anybody will read it. But I thought you guys might be interested to know just who, exactly, wrote this article for the AP.

    His name is Ted Bridis. I'll quote him here.
    I work in our Washington bureau, along with about 60 other reporters and
    about 30 photographers, and have been covering Microsoft as a technology
    writer since 1998 (I worked for the Wall Street Journal as a tech
    reporter here in DC from 2000-2001 then came back to AP). I was the only
    reporter to interview Gates during the antitrust trial, and I broke the
    story about Oracle hiring private detectives to dig through the trash of
    Microsoft's allies.

    I decide which stories to cover based on what's newsworthy, in my
    judgment and in the judgment of our editors. Ideally, a story we latch
    onto will end up on the front page of many of the world's newspapers.
    (In this case, although I anticipate the story will get pretty
    reasonable "play," it's doubtful it would end up on p1 anyplace).
    So this guy, who's evidently been around the block a few times, thought this story was worth covering. That's saying something, I think.

    He also says that the story could contine developing in the morning. He asks us to stay tuned.
    --

    I write in my journal
  53. PR Mania by Jason+Earl · · Score: 3, Funny

    From what I have seen of Microsoft's PR mania I would actually be surprised if they could find someone in Western Washington that wasn't a Microsoft PR person.

  54. MS Doesn't Get To Let This One "go away"... by Omega · · Score: 5, Insightful
    By tomorrow most people will have forgotten about it,
    No, actually I think the mainstream media will pick up on this one tomorrow. C-Net and Ziff-Davis are a little slow on the uptake. Give 'em a day, it'll be smeared all over the print and online mags. Give the New York Times and the Washington Post a little bit more time on this one. They'll get around to it (incidently, did anyone see the slashdot article in the NY Times today?). But no, Microsoft doesn't get to let this one "disappear." They tried to be clever (though it was pretty suspect from the beginning) and they found themselves caught in a lie. I think this is just the sort of thing that everyone needs to know.
    except the thousands of slashdot users that will make references to it anytime a MS article is posted for the next 2 years.
    Damn straight. Just like the bit about the USS Yorktown. It's called upfront disclosure. Microsoft calls it the price they pay for being #1. Don't think slashdot will let them skip out on the check.
  55. I'm Bored by shepd · · Score: 5, Informative

    Waiting for a DVD to rip.

    So:

    Go buy any old digital camera and try to download the pics on a RedHat system.

    Go buy a DVD-R and try to burn a disc.

    Go to any old website showing media (RealPlayer, QuickTime, Windows Media) and see how successful you are at viewing content.

    Buy a Firewire DV Video Camera and see how successful you are in getting the video off and editing it.

    Try to visit a site that's made for IE.
    Go to the store and buy a game. (I'll give you these -- VmWare and other solutions are a serious bitch to setup, and don't work well except in certain Distros)

    Buy a PDA and get it to synch up.

    Your network card doesn't work, find somebody you know willing to come over and fix it. (Huh? If the card is broken, even your God(s) ain't/aren't gonna fix it.)

    >The steps to do any of the above in Windows are very easy

    Uhhh, sure... I mean, I mean, if you want to have every two or three DVDs come out as coasters (happens with Prassi Primo DVD for me) sure. Or if you want to use crappy outdated camera software that just lets you easily download one picture at a time through a slow ass serial connection, great (Fuji MX-1200). I've never done DV, but Kino doesn't look too hard. Or you can try Cinerella, which seems more full featured and easier.

    >When a DVD-Burner manufacturer is swamped with "Uhh where's the Linux Drivers?"

    DVD-R in linux doesn't use "drivers", unless you count the built in generic SCSI support built in linux (since well before DVD was available for most PCs) as a "driver". Try saying that about windows. Especially windows 9x...

    HTH. And take it from me, there's NO software in windows that lets you use a Celeron 300 to burn DVD-R at 2x and surf the 'net at the same time.

    Linux's motto should be "Spend some time now -- Then do more, quicker".

    --
    If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
  56. Theft of Trust Should Be a Crime by serutan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Trustworthy Computing is the highest priority for all the work we are doing."
    Bill Gates, Jan 15, 2002.

    Really, Bill? Is that why you are disguising advertising as customer feedback? To promote trust? Or is it that customers trust each other more than they trust you, so you'll just pretend to be customers and steal some of that trust?

    "Theft of trust" - that has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Or how about trust infringement, or trust piracy?

    This isn't just a Microsoft thing, it's a good illustration of the absolute contempt people with a lot of money often have for the rest of the world. We are nothing, and lying to us means nothing. If you own enough of the law, getting caught doesn't even mean much.

    Corporate America is cutting its own throat day after day. Whether it's inventing demographic data or telling accountants what to make 2 and 2 add up to, every crooked move blackens another tooth in the shining smile. Trustworthy Computing isn't going to be a commercial product, Bill, because you guys just can't be trusted.

  57. not original by kscd · · Score: 3, Funny

    I knew MS was bad at designing software, but it looks like they can't even be orginal at designing an ad campaign...

  58. You can VOTE for this story. by VValdo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Check out the bottom of the story--

    Would you recommend this story?
    Not at all 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

    Yahoo members, you can mod this one up!!!

    W

    --
    -------------------
    This is my SIG. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
  59. That was -too- funny by Aqua+OS+X · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wow, I that artical made me laugh -so- hard. Does Microsoft have ANY shame?

    It's as if Microsoft's shamelessness was so huge that I can't single out a witty smart-a** comment to toss up here. My brain doesn't quite know which was funnier, the stock Getty Images, the 8 year old kid that can write at a college level, the woman who works for MS PR, the fact that anyone would find a Windows box easier to use.

    I'm going to archive that google cache and print it up for my "Wall of Shame" at work. The *nix geeks will love it ;)

    --
    "Things are more moderner than before- bigger, and yet smaller- it's computers-- San Dimas High School football RULES!"
  60. MacOS and Linux are closing in on M$. by Qbertino · · Score: 3, Redundant

    I've allways seen it come. I have no doubt that by now M$ has serious problems appearing on their horizon if they really want to keep up the inhouse software only strategy.
    People don't by PCs a dime a dozen anymore, and to all sides those who professionally deal with computers are switching to Mac or Linux so to use their older Hardware and have all software for intercomputer work in one package rather than shelling out bundles of bucks for M$ software addons. Just the other day a friend of mine got feed up and ditched XP for SuSE Linux Pro.

    All you'll ever need in one box.
    No license issues.
    High performant and cheap.
    No need to ever learn to handle yet another new OS.

    And for design jobs?
    Well of course you take a Mac.
    M$ will either buy RedHat some day or move to appliances and an AOL like 'community' - but they're not gonna sustain a serious Software buisness - not this way at least.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
  61. I can see the *next* ad now. . . by kfg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Switch to Windows, more Microsoft employees chose it than any other brand!

    KFG

  62. Re:not the first time a .doc has betrayed its crea by Des+Herriott · · Score: 3, Informative

    Reminds me of a small company I used to work for, where most everyone insisted on using MS-Word format for email, much to the annoyance of us Unix operational types. Still, strings worked pretty well to get the gist of the text (this was quite some time before Openoffice etc.)

    One day, we received a fairly innoccuous memo from our CEO. However, running strings on the document showed an interesting little "hidden" addendum: details of annual pay increases for pretty much the whole company.

    My boss pointed this out to him in private. A few minutes later, a decree was issued: plain text is the standard email format, and thou shalt not use Word. A good day, that was.

  63. What Small Businesses are YOU talking About by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I too do a bit of consulting for small businesses. The ones I generally deal with want absolutely NOTHING to do with the technology. They just want the damn thing to work.

    My clients are generally sole proprieterships who are getting on the web. Very few have the $60k to dump into "An Exchange Server, a MSSQL server, and a Dell Rack Mount running Win 2k." Their budget is a white-box athlon running RedHat and MySQL.

    They will pay for hardware, because you generally purchase it once and it has a clear ROI. Most small business owners I deal with are delighted to find they don't have to pay for the software, beyond my time to customize it. Very few if any actually have any IT staff, so training is less of an issue than "can this machine run unattended for months at a time?"

    --
    "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
    --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
  64. The story has made it to the BBC by deepstephen · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's appeared on BBC News now, and there's a link back to /. too. Is this a first? Are they trying to give Slashdot a taste of its own Slashdotting medicine? :-)

    --

    --
    Karma: Chameleon (you come and go)
  65. "not a real person"? by jon_eccleston · · Score: 3, Funny

    This BBC News report claims:

    "...the picture of the woman used to illustrate the story was a stock image from the Getty Library and unlikely to be that of a real person." (emphasis mine)

    I hope she doesn't have an inferiority complex already, because this kind of talk really won't help...

  66. Ask Val? by Quixote · · Score: 4, Interesting

    What we need is an 'Ask Slashdot' on this topic. Collect your questions, and then ask Val what the real deal is.

  67. Re:Certification... by einhverfr · · Score: 3, Informative

    I think honestly that pursuing the certification is still worth it. And although I will be going for the Windows 2000 MCSE, it is for an entirely different reason. The NT Server in the Enterprise exam taught me how inadequate NT4 was for the enterprise ;) But with Windows 2000, I can learn strategies for deploying LDAP-based directory services in general. My point is that I pursue certification not for that piece of paper but rather for the learning opportunity.

    And lest you think I am supporting Microsoft consider this-- my organization has made the decision to build its network infrastructure entirely on RedHat 8. This includes the desktop computers, but I can still apply what I have learned in both the NT4 and Windows 2000 MCSE exams to this environment. I just have to make sure they are the right lessons. ;-)

    This is getting sort of off-topic. Please write me if you want to continue this conversation.

    --

    LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP