Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Found Guilty of Misleading Advertising
gtoomey writes "The UK Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints that Microsoft misled consumers by running advertisements claiming Linux is 10 times more expensive than Windows. The print advertisements used "independent research" to compare the cost of Linux on an expensive mainframe to Windows on a PC."
I'm tired. It's early.
:)
Morning M$ bashing article.
Microsoft did something stupid. *sip*
Ooh. Megatokyo has a pretty cool DPD up!
^^^Life with AADD. Gotta love it.
I wish I had linux on a mainframe!
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
" all marketing people are evil. Perhaps we should enact the death penalty for marketing droids?"
Douglas Adams had it right. I have my rifle ready for when the revolution comes.
Linux is as cheap as Windows. Windows is as cheap as Linux. They both cost ~one CD-R.
I think Slashdot needs an "Obvious" tag.
I'm surprised Microsoft didn't go ahead and factor in an SCO license to the "cost" of Linux.
MS compared server 2003 on dual 900 MHz Xeons to Linux on an IBM z900 mainframe.
By my own similar method of comparison I can conclude Apples Mac OS X is 2000 times cheaper than MS server 2003*.
* Mac OS X running on a dual G5 Xserve. MS sever 2003 running on a quad quantum cyberdine systems X-9000 with gold plated tri-lithium cooled case and diamond studded cup holder.
I don't think windows will run on a mainframe.
GETPKG - Package Management for Slackware
Marketing Dept.
Microsoft UK
Reading
Dear Microsoft,
Go stick your head in a pig.
Signed your chums,
The Advertising Standards Authority.
"First, kill all the lawyers" .. then we can do the marketing dept and then, just for fun, lets go after the accountants. They're like fish in a barrel anyway.
I'm waiting to hear back on my grant application which will allow me to study why Slashdot Posters can not close tags properly and are incapable of using Preview. I'll let you know how it goes!
In related news, usage of statistics is up 60%. After a fall last year of 40% on the usage of statistics this came as quite a surprise to the Internation Statistics Council (ISC).
"We are delighted with the increase of the usage of statistics, " said Chris Banana, the CEO of the ISC, "after the decline of previous year we have campained 150% more to encourage a 76% increase in statistics usage."
Independent inquiries with the goal of producing statistics have also risen 45% according to an independent study issued by the ISC.
"We are extremely grateful for the 5000% increate in funding we received from Microsoft in order to make this all possible", according to Chris.
"If anyone needs me, I'm in the angry dome."
In Windows 98 setup it said,"You simply plug in a USB device and your system automatically configures itself. You don't even have to restart your computer"
I've plugged in USB devices that prompted for a reboot.
Windows 98 setup also said that "Windows 98 is Year 2000 ready." But later Microsoft issued two patches to correct y2k problems in Windows 98.
The outcome makes sense. Microsofts claim is very similar to claiming that Diesel is 10 times as expensive as gas/petrol to travel 100km, when testing a 40 tonne Diesel truck and a 650 Kg Nissan Micra.
To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
Microsoft has a history of funding "independant researchers" itself, which coincidentally always come out in favour for Microsoft.
This isn't exactly true. Let's say you funded 50 studies of yourself, to find out all kinds of interesting things. 25 come back positive, 25 come back negative.
Which ones will you tell women about when hitting on them at the bars?
DDDDDDuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
Finally we have proof that government does watch TV.
Oh, right the Jackson thingy, well I guess now we have proof that the governemnt watches TV even when boobs are not on display.
BJD Enterprises has a new penis-envy gel called "Micro/Soft." Rumor has it, their advertisement is misleading, but I highly doubt it.
- Gentlemen, start your hybrids!
His lips are moving.
(Or, in this case, his fingers are typing.;)
Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
Score: -1 100% Flamebait
Hell, Microsoft was guilty of false advertising when they released Microsoft Works.
"Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. 14% of people know that."
My favorite marketing examples take place in movie advertising:
You see quotes like,
"Fantastic!" -- Boston Globe
Then you see the movie, and you realize that the critic said, "Fantastic waste of money!" and the marketing types couldn't be bothered to include the entire statement in their ad blurb.
Marketing pukes that do this stuff should be taken out to Death Valley during high season and left there. Tell them to be creative, and maybe they'll get out alive.
-- No sig for you!
Let me get this straight, you fund studies about yourself to be able to pick up women in bars? What's your line, "I know I might seem like a geek, but these studies clearly state that I'm a stud and you should come home with me"?
So will Microsoft now be made to re-run the ad with an apology for misleading readers?
Yeah, didn't you know that for loops run in the other direction in the southern hemisphere?
Oddly enough, only 14% of people know this.
Yaz.
I've seen the same ad. running on Slashdot in the recent past
MOD THE CHILD UP!
"By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or marketing, kill yourself. Thank you, thank you. Just a little thought. I'm just trying to plant seeds. Maybe one day they'll take root. I don't know. You try. You do what you can. Kill yourselves. Seriously though, if you are, do. No really, there's no rationalisation for what you do, and you are Satan's little helpers, OK? Kill yourselves, seriously. You're the ruiner of all things good. Seriously, no, this is not a joke. "There's gonna be a joke coming..." There's no fucking joke coming, you are Satan's spawn, filling the world with bile and garbage, you are fucked and you are fucking us, kill yourselves, it's the only way to save your fucking soul. Kill yourself, kill yourself, kill yourself now. Now, back to the show."
""You know what Bill's doing now, he's going for the righteous indignation dollar, that's a big dollar, a lot of people are feeling that indignation, we've done research, huge market. He's doing a good thing." Godammit, I'm not doing that, you scumbags, quit putting a godamn dollar sign on every fucking thing on this planet!" ~ Bill Hicks
"Studies indicate that 74% of women find my equipment to reliable, durable, and ultimately worth the investment of time, energy, and booze."
Because the higher the voltage at the outlet, the faster the electrons in the CPU go.
--Rob
Towards the Singularity.
It is definitely false advertising. I charge way more than 10X for my Linux consulting.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one the bus load of girls just went down.
Agreed, the only times linux gets on slashdot is when there's something new or positive to talk about. Why can't we do that too wi...? ooow...
Damn, that's either a real cheap mainframe, or Windows is a helluva lot more expensive than I remember it to be.
If it weren't for fog, the world would run at a really crappy framerate.
WINDOWS
really sucks, but if you need an operating system for grown ups then GNU/Linux
IS REALLY GREAT AND
as opposed to this proprietary redmond crap
SAVES YOU A SHITLOAD OF MONEY
Sigh, I miss Don Martin...
ich bin der musikant
mit taschenrechner in der hand
kraftwerk
Come on all, didn't you see that M$ commercial where the 19 year old looking IT kid saved the company a million dollars and ran the entire IT department with 1 windows 2003 server. All the managements were looking at the kid like "wow, can I worship you". This kid saved the company and $$$. I don't think even Linus himself could save a company with 1 windows license.