MS Youth-Culture App Gets Gushy Advance Reviews

geo writes "Newsweek first reported this new Microsoft beta, threedegrees. The surprise is, Steven Levy, well-known fan of the Macintosh (and unfan of Microsoft) wrote something almost entirely positive. So did CNET news.com.com.com.com.com. Is it possible that something good is coming out of Redmond?"

Comments

Yet more money for nothing....

[NZheretic]

"To use threedegrees, prospective testers must be running Windows XP with Service Pack 1, the new peer-to-peer update and MSN Messenger 5 installed on their computer."

[ With deepest apologies to Mark Knofler and Dire Straits ]

"Money for Microsoft" by Dire Warnings
Sung by Steve Ballmer, backing by Bill Gates

You must buy ... You must buy Win-XP

You must buy ... You must buy Win-XP

You must buy ... You must buy Win-XP

You must buy ... You must buy Win-XP

Now look at them bozo's that's the way you do it
You lock them always on the Win-XP
That ain't workin' thats the way we do it
Money for Microsoft from Dot Net usage fees
Now that ain't workin' thats the way we do it
Lemme tell ya them guys are dumb
Maybe get a licence on your little desktop
Maybe get a licence on everyone

They gotta install Media Player
Passport Dot-Net deliveries
They gotta take these applications
They gotta take these subscription fees

Look at that, look at that

See the little Win-Troll spreading spin we makeup
Yeah buddy thats our own fear
That little Win-Troll got them always complain'
That little Win-Troll makes us billionares

They gotta install Media Player
Passport Dot-Net deliveries
They gotta take these applications
They gotta take these subscription fees

They shoulda learned to use the Linux
They shoulda learned to use them Macs
Look at that user, we got it stickin' to the customer
Man we could have some fun
And their down there, whats that? Protesting noises?
Plannin' on me dancing like a chimpanzee
That ain't workin' thats the way we do it
Get the money for Microsoft get our usage fee

They gotta install Media Player
Passport Dot-Net deliveries
They gotta take these applications
They gotta take these subscription fees

That ain't workin' thats the way we do it
You lock them always on the Win-XP
That ain't workin' thats the way we do it
Money for Microsoft from the license fee
Money for Microsoft from subscription fees

David Mohring - Original author

Note: dancing like a chimpanzee - see http://www.google.com/search?q=ballmer+monkeyboy+m peg

If you have not already listened to, or read Lessig's speech on free culture. I urge you to do so ASAP. The flash presentation brings home just how much we, as a society in general, have to lose. http://www.eff.org/IP/freeculture/

Re:Misquote in the article.

[YorkshireONE]

When someone nitpicks to this minute level it makes me concerned for you.
We all know charlie ended up getting the factory so why do you have to be a wise ass and....jesus just get a life or if not end yours.

by next week

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess this means another 10 projects on sourceforge, all in planning stage.

Re:by next week

[colenski]

>3 will have web sites >2 will have mailing list >1 will have a developer 0 will have files

Re:Not bad, but it sounds too sanitized....

[LeiGong]

GEEZER ALERT! Psssssh. Everyone knows Blink 182 or (to the old folks Blink 42) is no longer in. That band Sum 41 is totally hot and was even cooler when they performed on TRL! OH MY GOD!!!! And the Bizzy D is like a total hottie! *faints*

What was I saying? Oh yeah, like all of my friends are on AIM. You don't have to use AOL to use AIM, I'm no computer dork and even I know that! Only losers use all the other stuff! DUH! Like all those geeks that surf for porn in class use MSNMessenger or IRC, I'm not even going near that! And since I don't get my own cellphone like Amy or Kelly, my stupid 'rents are forcing me to use AIM to talk to all my friends. This 3degree thing could really make hanging out online like totally easier. It's not like we have cars or anything that we can drive to our friend's houses with. :(((

Dang, gotta Brenda is having like a total breakdown over her break up with Steve. I never did like Steve...

ttfn! ^_^

Microsoft Reinvents Existing Technologies... again

[hacker]

"Here's how the software works. You invite friends to form a posse of up to 10 participants. Representing the group on your desktop will be a colorful image, either one from a set provided by the software or something one of the group has produced. (It could even be a digital photo.) If you're online and since threedegrees assumes you have broadband, you're probably online all the time, you give your friends a holler simply by sending the equivalent of an instant message. Everyone in the group will see it. "

Wait, you mean Microsoft reinvented... IRC?!

No, it isn't possible.

[chad_r]

Is it possible that something good is coming out of Redmond?

From the article:

The new software comes out of the Microsoft's 18-month-old NetGen division, which operates on a separate campus in downtown Seattle. Microsoft's main operations are location in Redmond, Wash.

There's your answer, Timothy.

what an insight

[sirshannon]

I can see it now... a million gullible teens buying and installing Windows XP so they can test a beta. What an ingenius marketing plan.

Re:For God's Sake...

[CynicTheHedgehog]

I think you mean "objectivity". We have subjectivity down pat, thank you.

threedegrees?

[rabidcow]

What, was sixdegrees too much?

Re:Nothing's so good...

[Poeir]

That's minutae!

Re:Nothing's so good...

[Tsunamio]

I suspect /. readers have not been the prime demographic for anything Microsoft has released, with the possible exception of some doomsday devices.

Re:Nothing's so good...

[Feztaa]

It's the continual forced upgrades for no good reason

No good reason? Why, there's a great reason for it! To make Microsoft more money! (augh... another alliteration attack).