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Fiat Joins Microsoft in a Wireless Partnership
bizpile writes "The AP is reporting that Microsoft and Fiat have gotten together to develop a system of wireless communications into Fiat's vehicles. The goal of the alliance, announced Thursday, is to create a flexible, easy-to-use telematics system (think OnStar from General Motors) for Fiat and its Lancia and Alfa Romeo brands sold in Europe, the companies said."
Does this mean that I can hack away at somebodies car? I hope it has a bit more security then the usual Microsoft products. And do I need to run Windows Update every week if I have such a system in my car?
Disclaimer: This opinion was created without the use of any facts
Driving around on a hot summer day in your Fiat, with your Windows wide open......
This Fiat/Microsoft article reminded me of an old gem:
For the sake of argument, let's nickname this service Pwn3d-Star, so I guess this is your Fiat updated version!
1. Every time the server-side software is upgraded, you'll have to buy a new car.
2. When your Fiat dies on the freeway randomly, you can now be told by a Pwn3d-Star agent that you have to restart it. They would also say nice things and pepper MS branding through the whole conversation.
3. If your car failed to restart after one weird maneuver (like backing up too quick), the new Pwn3d-Star agents will tell you that they will send a tow-truck to you for an extra surcharge, and that your engine will need to be replaced.
4. You can now have more than one person in the car, but they will all need their own license to use Pwn3d-Star, even if they are dying on the road.
5. Macintosh will not do this, but if they do, it will be 100x better and have a super-iPod built in. You'll be able to download music without leaving your car, which is great for many car geeks, although Fiats aren't that popular among car geeks.
6. (this one didn't change) The oil, engine, gas and alternator warning lights would be replaced with a single "General Car Fault" warning light.
7. (strangely this one didn't change either) People would get excited about the "new" features in Microsoft cars, forgetting completely that they had been available in other cars for many years.
8. We will have to get Microsoft gas to run the vehicle, or a Pwn3d-Star agent will tell us that the gas we are purchasing is not Microsoft Certified, and we may be in violation of our warranty if we continue to use said gas.
9. New seats will force everyone to have the same sized butt. Pwn3d-Star will warn you if someone's butt is too big or small.
10. The airbags will now say "Are you sure?" before deploying. (pretty much the same as the original)
11. If you were involved in a crash, you would have no idea what happened, but the Pwn3d-Star agent would tell you that techsupport is working on an explanation. Then you would get some excellent elevator music for about a half hour as you cling to life.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
Well you know what to do when the vehicle crashes... Close all windows and try a restart.
Brings a whole new meaning to blue windscreen of death
Possessed by the Church and at one point "owned" half the active landmines in the world.
Sounds like a good business partner for Microsoft heh?
whatever, I'm sure we'll soon be able to install Linux on it in any case :-D
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.
I don't drive a Fiat...
A Fiat with WiFi sounds like a really crappy episode of Pimp My Ride.
In Germany FIAT stands for
Für Italien ausreichende Technik
(for Italy adequate technique)
or
Fehler in allen Teilen
(Fault in all parts)
No better partner than Microsoft.
I can only imagine the synergy between these titans of reliability.
Warning: this car will shut down in 60 seconds because service xxxx has failed. Please pull off to the side of the road before this time, or you will lose all control.
FIAT was "Fix It Again, Tony"
Will they change it to RIAT? Reboot it again, Tony...
Although Tony the Mechanic will have much less work to do. Hell, you can do it yourself.
Roll down all the windows, then roll them all back up. Then turn off your car, wait 2 minutes, and turn it on again. Ta-da! Your problem is fixed.
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
Based on Fix It Again Tony's reliability record should that now be Fix It Again Bill.
You look at the story, and think 'wireless telematics? (a) why? (b) eek, scary.'
But in fact it appears this doesn't really have a lot to do with conventional auto telemetrics:
From the arcticle:
The Microsoft/Fiat system, expected to be available in vehicles next year, will be based on standard hardware and operate with Microsoft Windows Automotive software. Using the short-range digital wireless communications standard known as Bluetooth, it will allow motorists to integrate their cell phones and personal digital assistants with the onboard system.
Drivers also will be able to access digital music stored in personal electronic devices through a USB connection in the dashboard, as well as other information."
So what we have here is a way of ensuring that (presumably MS-based) music players and (presumably MS-based) PDAs will be able to link in.
It's notable that they are planning to use USB for music (so no iPods).
So in reality, not really as scary, or indeed as interesting/innovative as it could have been.
All the excellence of Microsoft's world class engineering together with FIAT's. Reliability, performance and longevity from both sides. Well done.
And not because of Microsoft (yet). The article states that they are hoping to halve their operating losses to 500 million euros this year. Which means their loss in 2003 was (gasp!) 1 billion euros. Which I guess is why Microsoft was able to 'partner' with them. Fiat gets the technology for free, and Microsoft gains an entry into the market.
And the technology is nothing revolutionary. It's basically a Bluetooth connection to "integrate cell phones and PDAs with the onboard system" (??) and an USB connection so you can play your iPod music on the car's audio system.
Despite what you may think, Onstar is not a General Motors product. It was simply their idea, which they then outsourced to none other than Motorola. Although most people don't know it, Onstar is completely built, designed and tested by Motorola. The only part of Onstar they don't run is the call center.
Considering the Italian cultural traditions of contempt for
authority and official standards, it seems like poetic justice.
OTOH, given the historical mechanical reliability of Italian mass-market cars,
the security and stability of Windows will fit right in.
btw, gives new meaning to the term "war driving"
I can already see the technician telling "Sir, we can not fix that, call microsoft plese if you want to activate your car".
"Fix It Again Tony!"
"Patch it again Tony" just isn't the same, and the company is unlike to rename itself "PIAT". "Reboot it again Tony" might work though.
In any event the original joke depends massively on your mechanics name being Tony. A huge comedic train wreck occurs when people start interjecting "...but Tony is my uncle, and he works in insurance".
${YEAR+1} is going to be the year of Linux on the desktop!
Look at it a different way; Microsoft is a billions of dollars a year company that wants to try out something new. They have the clout and (some might argue this) the expertise to try it.
New markets, new areas like this will have a lot of problems that need to be solved, and although we love to hate them, MS's millions being injected into this will be a good thing, make other people sit up and take notice and - most importantly - improve on it.
Nice!
jebus, can't MS have ONE ORIGINAL THOUGHT? Apple partners with BMW/Voltswagon and now MS has to find a car manufacturer to partner with.
Not bashing for bashing's sake, but man, can't they just come up with SOMETHING on their own once in a while?
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
This is good news for Formula 1 fans. Ferrari (a part of Fiat Group) is doing great in Formula 1. So great, that they have made Formula 1 very very boring for spectators. Everybody knows in advance that Ferrari wins every GP. The biggest advantage of Ferrari is its reliability. But not for long. Not after this.
this time, they are going to do car business. once they win the compitition, what is giong to happen, something similar to Internet Explorer? just hope they are not going to win... but I mean, with Microsoft's reputation who would want to buy the car that equiped with anything that is Microsoft? maybe I am just worrying too much.
1. ABS
2. Fuel Injection
3. Engine timing
4. Automatic Transmission (or ratios in stick models)
5. Airbag deployment
6. Cruise control
7. Door locks
And before you mod me down for being a paranoid tinfoil-hatted troll read about the Phillipine minister who was trapped in his BMW that refused to unlock and let him out? The HAL-in-a-car was very likely a Microsoft Telematic system.
They can mess all they want with the radio - I'll be switching it off listening to my iPoD anyway :)
See that long UID - that's what you get for lurking too long
Why the HELL would anyone want wireless communication in his car? Even better, why the hell from Microsoft, a company known for its appaling security record? MS products on computers I can imagine. I'd rather have my PC cracked at home instead of my Fiat's internal systems cracked on the highway.
Hate me!
Fiat and Windows.
Any one of those is a disaster in itself - now mix them and add wireless.
Uhh.... Scary.
Every complex piece of hard or software that is not there can't break. Actually German newstickers have a story about BMW that has to call back a lot of cars to the factory because a fault in the on board electronics can cause a loss of steering or breaking power.
Now just imagine a Windows(R) powered car. In the case of a crash I don't want an stupid clip to appear and ask me if I want that the airbag is released. And a steering that reacts to spoken commands will crash very quickly when my wife is driving since she sometimes mistakes "left" and "right". :-)
I am sick of all this crap microsoft is doing, when are they going to get their sh*t together and put out a REAL product, like some sort of breakfast cereal, with little marshmallow bill gates heads. yum
Realistically, anyone who has the discerning nature of an iPod buyer is never going to buy a new Fiat anyway. Their cars are cheap junk, a Microsoft partnership seems almost a perfect match....
/. would warn against Fiat cars even without this additional extra...
although given Fiat's history of electrical problems in all their modells, you'd never know for sure that it was a software fault that killed your audio feed.
This isn't something to be worried about, its just another idea we geeks should warn friends and family not to buy into. That's a geek tradition of very long standing. I dare say most readers of
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
Fiat has been well known about its infamous electronic design. so ...
Since 95% of all problems on a Windows OS are fixed with a reboot, and since I'm just going to hazard a guess that their OS will have to reboot every time the car is stopped and started, then if there's a problem, it really only lasts till they park and leave the vehicle...
...of course that would be the case regardless, I suppose, but one would hope when they come back that the issue is resolved. Since most people never bother to think of rebooting, despite having tech support tell them the last 10 FREAKING TIMES THEY CALLED that they should always reboot and see if that fixed the problem, before they call, most callers just assume that we didn't mean them, we meant the other, imaginary friend on the line with us...perhaps the call monitor...yes, them...ARGH!
Anyway. The very nature of a car losing power on a consistant basis will force a reboot and probably find MS Kars to be 95% less problematic than their moron-operated desktop counterparts. (Not that all MS OS's are operated by morons, just that the morons are the ones who usually don't think to reboot)...but not that I'm bitter.
Of the 5% of remaining problems, I'd say 4% are caused by the user downloading or installing something they really shouldn't have, or they went noodling around with files or registry entries they really didn't have any business playing with. Since I seriously doubt there will be that much in-depth computing by the user while someone is in their car, that should knock that percentage down a bit too.
So yeah, there's a potential for bugs, hacking, and MS deciding to rule the world with their SKYNET controlled automobiles, but as far as the MS Computers themselves, I think we'll see a marked improvement over their desktop counterparts.
-The Libra
"Please be patient--The future will begin momentarily."
to spread viruses! Just drive around your neighborhood. Honk and wave at your neighbors with WiFi as you turn their PCs into zombie mail servers!
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion, It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, The hands acqui
I can't believe they dared annouce this so soon after Apple's ipod your BMW link-up.
.... jokes....!
Apple went with a suave, sophisticated company with a reputation for engineering, quality, hi-tech but controversial design, and high prices.
Microsoft went for a monopolistic company with a reputation for bad electrics, bad security, and a history of dodgy dealings with their government.
Too.... many
A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
They already had a public image of "pooly designed" car ... now everybody will see them as anything but safe car ;-)
... guess what : you will have to reset your machine ;-) or press CTRL+ALT+DEL :))
You are in the middle of the motorway, then a blue screen occurs and that stop every subsystems
I've always loved Fiat + Alfa Romeo - have considered them the Apple of car manufacturers, beautiful designs, zealot users (or drivers) and not always the highest quality (in the past).
And now they go and do this??
*sigh*
Well.. at least this might make next years F1 season a bit more exciting... Might even the playing field out a bit if Ferrari are using MS tech in the pit, not even Schumi is safe!
There is never, ever, any need for MS Comic Sans
Cool.. maybe their flights will now be ontime. Oh wait, I thought you said liat
-
ping -f 255.255.255.255 # if only
This worries me - I really like FIATs and to date I've never owned or wanted to own a car built by another company - I've driven plenty, I just keep coming back to FIAT, partly because (in my personal experience) they're very reliable.
At this point those of you laughing and rushing to regurgite the "Fix It Again Tony" quips from the 70s might want to check your facts against the reliability index for some of the company's recent models - as an individual model my current car (built in 2001) scores better than the any of the over all makes in the top ten list - the (mis)perception of FIATs as unreliable simply doesn't match up with the records of their current cars.
Integrating my consumer electronics (cell phone, iPod, PDA etc) with my car is something I'm really keen on, but my experience of Microsoft products makes me deeply sceptical of this alliance. As someone else pointed out, it probably owes more to FIAT's financial woes and M$'s deep pockets than the merits of their system... here's hoping it remains a cost option I can avoid and that a decent 3rd party alternative surfaces before I next change my car.
... Fix It Again, Tony!
It's only fitting that they partner up with MicroSoft.
Man, this Tony fellow better start learning out to BSOD's quick. Pretty soon, it'll be "Format it again, Tony"...
Wise men say, "Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."
So does the car cease to function after 30 days if you fail to activate it?
how 'bout I give you the finger....and you give me my phone call.
Fiat doesn't market their products here any more! Before seeing this article I always thought they had gone out of business about 20 years ago!
"Just imagine the synergy between these titans of reliability!"
Read my online journal: http://chris.carline.org
I had a damn sight less trouble from my FSO Polonez (Polski Fiat) than one of my friends with the otherwise-identical FIAT Super Miafiori.
Don't forget that GM also owns a percentage of FIAT.
Now we can cite "If GM cars use windows"
-=-=-=-=
I know life isn't fair, but why can't it ever be un-fair in MY favor!?
Rover 827 workshop manuals specify that the timing belt needs to be changed every 32,000 miles. Honda say that Honda Accord 2.7 V6 models need the timing belt changed every 25,000 miles. Guess how many of each car you find in the scrapyards with broken timing belts?
Do the drivers of these cars need to be digitally signed by Microsoft?
um, as an iPod owning FIAT driver I beg to differ ;p
From Merriam-Webster:
fiat:
Sounds like a perfect match for Microsoft.
- Hail to our fearless misleader! Fool speed ahead!
That's a good alliance. Alfa Romeo owners should already be used to constantly taking their cars in for repair...
No thanks.
BMW chose Siemens and Java.
But then Ford and GM have chosen Java as well.
Those crazy Italians and their wacky ways. You've almost got to admire a group of people who say "With our standard of excellence in wiring and electronics, who should we get to do the software".
Oh and the BMW/SiemensVDO link up is real, not just a strategy.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
It's ASCII fart... I hate those trolls.
I'm sure the CEO of Sendo will tell you it's not always safe to dance with Microsoft.
s tory/0,10801,77242,00.html
http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/
Piat: Patch It Again Tomorrow
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
a wireless mesh network of Fiats ...
...
that catch colds (viruses) and spread them.
Be afraid, very afraid
(but not in the good old USA, since
Fiats aren't imported here any more:
they can't meet Federal safety standards.)
And speaking of safety, isn't Fiat the least
bit concerned about Microsoft's BSOD ?
(Blue windScreen Of Death)
FIAT has already been wireless for quite a long time.
Anybody who tried to start a Duna knows.
As we say in Italy: La FIAT di cazzate ne ha fatte più Duna.
For foreigners: the FIAT Duna is by far the crappiest car ever to exit Turin's assembly line (or the world's for that sake). Its ultra-low quality gave her a special status as the crappy car par excellence.
Victims of 9/11: <3000. Traffic in the US: >30,000/y
A Windows-powered Alfa-Romeo is the natural upgrade path for people who make brrrm-brrrrm noise when revving their mouse. Or who have an Acer Ferrari laptop.
--- Yx3 = Delilah ---
...and MS makes a deal with Fiat. Makes sense I suppose...
Ah, that's European fiendship...
I guess the BSOD doesn't match Ferrari red?
Hehe, one of my teachers used an analogy yesterday to make a point and help students relate to what should be common sense -
Upgrading your PC with the most expensive and top of the line CPU, motherboard, sound card, HD, etc. but buying the cheapest video card (or keeping your old one from 3 years ago), is like putting a $300 Aiwa stereo into a $150,000 Bentley.
In Microsoft's case, they found perfect partner to match their "quality"
And Microsoft partners with Fiat. Wow, Microsoft is just ... lame.
Rather than having to go get a tune up every time there is a performance decrease, one may simply turn the engine off and turn it back on. Just beware! It is possible that the engine may not crank after you shut it down.
...I guess they'd have to put those magical 3 keys on the steering wheel by the cruise control buttons, eh?
:)
Fiat should also look into incorporating a heads-up display similar to the Chevy Corvette, so that system messages may be displayed. Picture driving down the road and seeing this on your heads-up:
TRANSMISSIONDLL32.EXE has called has caused an error in TIRES.DLL
The TIRES.DLL file cannot continue to function.
Just then, your wheels lock up, your windshield wipers start working at high speed while intermittently squirting cleaning fluid, your power mirrors point straight down, the lights come on, the horn starts to beep, the power seats go into a constant state of motion, and the hubcaps shoot off. Then everything goes quiet and a big blue screen comes up on your windshield that says:
Windows has encountered an error. Please press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart your Fiat.
Just remember to carry your tools with you at all times incase you have to rebuild the system.
This message was posted using recycled electrons.
Actually, it'll add to the character of the cars. I remember with fondness how I had to turn on the headlights in order to get the cigarette lighter to work. Some of you have forgotten the other FIAT acronyms, which fit well with this story...
Fix It Again Tomorrow
Feeble Italian Attempt at Technology (now: Feeble Italian/American Technology)
Fix It All the Time
Found In A Trench
Failure in Automotive Technology
Fired Idiot Assembled This
If you confuse this with flamebait, then you're clearly not an American who has or currently owns a Fiat. They're really neat cars, but they're also really that bad. Draw what further comparisons you may.
One gotcha is that almost all (if not all) bluetooth mobile handsets currently sold in Europe only allow one active bluetooth connection. So, if you're using that bluetooth powered "hands free" kit (a lot of people do), this Fiat/MS thing won't get a look in. Besides, I thought Fiat had an agreement with Trafficmaster (see www.smartnav.com/demo) to do telematics services in Italy. Now, that would be impressive if they mixed the two; one head start is that the Smartnav Server (that remotely downloads the routes, and plots paths around traffic jams) is already built on Microsoft technology - not just Windows, but MapPoint too.
Take the world's most unreliable operating system, combine it with a manufacturer who's name is rumored to be short for "Fix It Again Tony", and what do you get? Probably the fabled car with the hood welded shut that Open Source fans (like myself) have talked about for years.
Congrats to Microsoft and Fiat - I was wondering who'd finally build a replacement for the Yugo...
There are two seasons in my world - Hockey and Construction
Fiat has hopefully learned how to correctly wire a car since the 80's or we are all in trouble. I had to mod the wiring of my '79 X1/9 just to get it to work like it should in a normal car. The way it is designed from the factory, all the current to the accesories, radio, headlights, wipers, etc. runs UNFUSED directly through the ignition switch. And the headlights have no relays, so a common problem is when the ignition switch melts and your car won't work anymore. If Microsoft's system truly knows what it is doing, then the first thing it will say to you is 'buy a toyota'
If they suggest putting MS software in Nissans or BMWs, that'll be the time to worry.
I have been waiting for This Prophecy to come to pass for some time! At last the world of Microsoft cars is upon us!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Driver: -comes across some pretty eratic traffic-
Driver: Presses brake pedal once
Driver: Presses Brake pedal twice
Driver: makes a quick left turn
Driver: Presses brake pedal a third time
-Brakes do not engage this time-
Herbie (the new Automotive assistant): it seems you are trying to evade a road hazard, would you like to enable the road hazard Wizard?
-driver presses the yes button on his steering wheel-
Herbie: Windows ASS has several new features, would you like to learn about them?
Driver: Presses NO
Herbie: Windows ASS is installing the road hazard avoidance system, this may take several minutes depending on the type of your Automobile
Driver: cursing in italian - "Hits Cancel"
Herbie: If you cancel the installation now, the road hazard avoidance system will not be installed, are you sure you want to continue?
Driver: presses YES
Herbie: You must restart your car in order for changes to take effect, or you can press cance to restart later:
Driver: Presses CANCEL
Herbie: Windows ASS has detected new hardware and is unable to find a driver for it
Policia: There goes another one of those damned cars into the Venice Canals.
...Fiat's Formula 1 team (Ferrari) are beating that McLaren-Mercedes like it's going out of style. Mind you, that isn't very hard to do since the German engine keeps exploding all by itself.
Is any antivirus program included in the FIAT package or that's a separate deal any FIAT dealer will throw in to entice? Do I get to download my own choice? Do I get a discount for that?
I'm telling you all these questions again and all this uncertainty so early in the morning...
Where is my coffee... aaahh here it is... I feel better now...
Yam, yam, uga booga, yam, yam, yade, yade, uga booga, yam, yam, yade, yade
You forgot about these:
FPOThink of all the crashes!
mbbac
I have owned FIAT's. I think it has been covered, Fix It All The Time, Fix It Again Twice, Fix It Again Tony and I am sure that their are many more pet acronyms from past and present owners. I also work in an environment where I use Windowz ... yep Fix It All The Time is about right. FIAT-s like to rust, I don't mean just a little rust or rusting out because it is parked on the street in Jersey I'm talking Vega rust. I think a FIAT will rust in a climate contorted storage area. Now FIAT's do have a better reputation in parts of Europe than here (in USA) but this could be relative, like compared to a PEUGEOT. My brother has and does own Alphas' and has had good experiences with them however he is an 'enthusiast' owner, not a turnkey operator.
About 15 years ago I use to get around primarily on my Shovelhead (A type of Harley Davidson Motor Cycle) and a friend of ming was selling a 1971 Motoguzzi Ambassador MC (that was running, incomplete partial restoration completed) I purchased it because it had a 50's look flared and streamlined. After I had it painted Bright gimmie' a ticket right now Red people would ask me "is that Italian" It does look cool. However when I bought it I figured it would be a FIAT, but I would be able to ride it around town a little. After I got it complete, repaired the breaks and painted it I found my self ridding it regularly to the local Harley Davidson parts suppliers to repair my Shovelhead. Hmmm go figure.
Also, I'm not sure exactly how thrilled I would be to turn my radio on in the car and get a message that the "required device is malfuncioning or has not been installed". Imagine attempting to use the horn in an emergency, only to be told that it is "currently unavailable"! You'd crash the car, and hours later, with the car on a tow truck, the horn would blare and scare the bejeesus out of the truck driver, sending HIM into a crash....
The possibilities are just endless!
MSNBC: Money pit
MSN/Hotmail: Money pit
XBOX: HUGE money pit
Fiat: ???
Profit!
I predit they're going to market this thing to the moon and back, and people will buy it, but it will only gain MSFT a few more red numbers. They're just probing for a new market. Nothing special. Maybe they CHOSE Fiat because they want to give people "the affordable OnStar". At least in the auto industry they can't pull stunts like they have with software. They can't just throw the beta into the cars and expect people to accept it.
Does this mean that I can hack away at somebodies car? I hope it has a bit more security then the usual Microsoft products. we all know that the products that microsoft sells are secure, it's the customer's that use it that is the issue.
And do I need to run Windows Update every week if I have such a system in my car? yup, it's just like checking your gas guage in your car. if it is getting low then fill it up. damn ppl, wake up!
...however, I quote:
"To date, Microsoft's telematics customers include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Citroen, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota and Volvo."
You can criticize the FIAT brand all you want, you might even be right (I myself am a Pug kind of guy. Just love those 205 and 106s!).
Fact is, though, that Microsoft are also making car computer systems for Mercededes-Benz and BMW - two of the most prominent German (read: best) car manufacturers in the world. Not to mention Volvo (the safest), Citroen (one of the biggest innovators, sister of Peugeot), Honda (some of the best engines: innovators of VTEC), Toyota (best selling manufacturer in the US) and Hyundai (uhm.. the Getz is sort of fine, I guess?).
Can you criticize all of these brands as well?
By the way, the new Fiat Panda is extremely cheap and also a reliable, fun to drive car. I get to see quite a bit of these here.
As an Italian, I always said: don't buy American or Japanese cars, buy Italian ones! Shame on the Evil Empire of Foreign Consumism! Weeell... that's the demonstration that I was wrong. Italy is once again in the front line to get the Village Fool title.
:)
I just hope I can hijack some Carabinieri's cars and actually erase all my speed fines before they can catch me... mmmh... well, for sure I type faster on telnet than them trying to disable some strange service in Control Panel, while phoning to Micro$oft wait-a-minute-please tech support.
Then, I think I'll go out and I'll buy a tricycle.
42.
MS and FIAT, a match made in hevean!
'FIAT' means "Fix It Alla Time", or "Fix It Again Tony". :o)
They may have created the "My Computer" icon, but if they place an icon on the desktop to represent your car and call it "My Car", I'll see them in court. :-)
...and I'm sure it's just a slight coincidence that Apple announced that BMW is integrated iPod connectors into new models as a dealer-installed option. Hmmm...BMW vs Fiat...Apple vs Microsoft. I really can't understand why anyone thinks there's a decision to make there.
We break often and our parts are cheap !
Are there any examples of companies not being screwed by Microsoft when they agree to work together?
The well known examples of Microsoft screwing business partners:
IBM with OS/2
Spyglass with Mosaic
Sendo, which accused Microsoft of terminating their partnership so it could steal Sendo's technology to use in Windows Smartphone 2002
Phillip
Wonderful,
The legendary mechanical reliability of a FIAT (Ex owner of 124 Spyder) with the legendary software reliability of M$ products.
This will make the USS Yorktown look like a Five nines operation.
What I want to know is where it will leak oil from
What next, Lucas wiring? (note: this is not regarding some motion picture producer, but british auto fans would understand.)
Too bad the name DODGE has already been taken.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Great. Now we know that computers in cars won't work for a another few years.
Couldn't Novel or IBM or anybody with access to competant programmers and management where the idea would be to ACTUALLY TALK to other cars in a secure fashion do this, instead of a suicidally competetive company who'll make a closed system, make sure nothing works with it, patent everything, and introduce huge bugs in a system without any security, such that we won't be able to have these computers control anything important in our cars (all the way down to the power locks) for fear of them LITERALLY killing us.
Damnit. The real problem isn't that Microsoft is a monopoly, or absurdly litigatious, or hypercompetitive, or out of touch with real computing or the problems of real users, or even that they're liars -- the real problem is that these all act together to make them INCOMPETENT.
And this stuff has such promise, too. Now we're screwed, and will have to fight them for years to get good systems in.
I always felt that Fiat's vehicles were of bad quality. Now, this will prove it beyound a shadow of a doubt. Bad move for Fiat... and Micro$oft.
Reminds me of an article in Schneier's Crypto-Gram:
The problem is, Bluetooth involves no authentication. So look out for people who walk 8 feet next to your car and mess with your onboard audio system - like turning volume to the max, and playing some ear splitting, deafening noise.
Hope your car audio system doesn't have enough power to make you deaf.
Wow, and I thought that admitting to being an alcoholic was the hardest thing a person could do. You have my sympathy.
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
Total rip off of an earlier post.
The problem is that german car makers are in bed with siemens, both in the assembly line and in car components & electronics & motor control. Siemens is a much worse monopoly than microsoft, with the same general level of reliability but worse documentation (for users and developers).
Germans car makers are not alone though: the same happens to french carmakers and italians (yes, even fiat).
Ex owner of 124 Spyder
Ahhhh.... That was a great 'looking' car, wasn't it?
I guess that pretty much sums up this proposed marriage - great looking but unreliable.
"Rocky Rococo, at your cervix!"
This almost too funny to be true.
Fiats excellent mechanics and MicroSofts fabulous software skills are a perfect match!
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
So methinks they'll make an ideal partner company for Microsoft :-)
My $15 "Road Gear" radio from Walmart does better. On the front, it has a simple headphone style in jack, so that the amp can be used by anything that has a headphone output. When you consider that it would be best to have a wire going to your device to keep it charged, why would you want a wireless interface or go through all the trouble of USB. All you want the dash unit to do is drive your speakers.
M$ and "standard" don't belong in the same sentence. This scheme has all the complications of Winmodems, the security of Winblows and benefits of DRM. I'll pass, thanks, and it's one more reason I won't even look at a FIAT when I want to buy a car.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Fix It Again, Tony!
What an appropriate partnership!
second society
So when the WinFiat crashes(daily), can I just hold down the horn, windshield wiper, and turnsignal to reboot, then start driving again?
"Sic Semper Path of Least Resistance"
:=0
"Getting Microsoft technology for free" does not adequately express what's happening.
Fiat are obtaining poor technology with a doubtful future and with pretty nasty strings attached. They'd have done far better by bringing in either an open-source technology integrator (there are many) or joining the Symbian club of mobile device manufacturers. Instead, now they have all their eggs in the same iffy basket, and it's pretty easy to see that some of them have already broken and are starting to smell. Microsoft was never in the lead in integration nor in anything else except relative desktop prettiness, and now even that's in the past because others have caught up.
For what it's worth, I've had a Fiat, but I won't be buying any more if they're integrated with MS software. Even if it's not in life-critical systems, I'm not going to put up with poor technology. The crashed bank cash dispensers displaying their Windows logons may be funny, but the malaise actually runs very deep.
And I'm sure I'm not the only one who has just sworn off Fiat either.
"The question of whether machines can think is no more interesting than [] whether submarines can swim" - Dijkstra
reputation (Fix It Again, Tony).
Hey, here is another patch for you, Tony.
Well, my company car is actually a lancia lybra... I now understand why the radio and inboard computer crash when I block the engine... This is no joke and seems reproductible on all lybra's... But I now know that if I choose another Lancia in a near future, I could expect engine to crash when changing radio station :D
I gave up with the idea of an useful sig...