Microsoft's Technical Glitches at CES Explained

Thomas Hawk writes "Sean Alexander is one of the guys on the Media Center Team at Microsoft who was involved in the CES presentation with Bill Gates. Sean also runs a very interesting blog called Addicted to Digital Media. Gates and Microsoft have taken a lot of heat over the course of the last two days for the technical glitches in Microsoft's presentation at CES. Sean offers us the rare glimpse on why the glitches happened and what it's like to be backstage at the big Microsoft presentation at CES. Very good follow up on Sean's part." Update: 01/08 19:03 GMT by T : Hawk writes with a static link to Alexander's story.

Comments

Never seen Steve Jobs in this situation

[JPyObjC Dude]

Has anybody ever seen an OSX box crap out on Steve? I have not heard of this or seen it.

Hmmmm.

Good excuses are still just good excuses.

JsD

Re:Never seen Steve Jobs in this situation

[peechdogg]

and i don't think i've ever heard of a Solaris box dumping on McNeally either. but when practical matters are taken into consideration, most folks can't even afford the hardware to run these OS'es, much less find the tools and apps they want to. i know Sun is working to make Solaris usable on x86, but that's a long way from being widely usable.

i don't have any difficulty finding several cars that meet my needs. getting the combination of good hardware and software seems darn near impossible.

i don't thing we're near as technically advanced as we would like to believe.

Re:Never seen Steve Jobs in this situation

[SCHecklerX]

Nor an OS/2 box on David Barnes...remember the shootout in texas? He mopped the floor with windows NT.

M$ has always been inferior, yet they are still on top. Hopefully it will change soon with the uprising of linux and osx.

Re:Never seen Steve Jobs in this situation

[schmaltz]

Steve Jobs has resorted to trickery for most of us presentations

Ah, that's good, make up some bitter anti-Apple FUD when your own platform gets some bad publicity. So defensive! When Microsoft already dominates computing into the high nineties percentage, in ways both good (broad market for those who create software, peripherals), and bad (poor security, rampant virii/trojans, many exploits), why is it so hard to accept criticism?

When a figurehead from MS has a very public failure, everybody focuses on it - it's as though it was a symbol for MS's other failures (security etc.) It gives people an outlet, where they otherwise feel they have no control over those situations where they feel victimized by MS's failures.

So, relax! MS will continue to dominate, and criticism will continue to flow. Just ignore it, think of it as primal therapy for hackers.

come together

[Doc Ruby]

The most interesting part of this story is that Alexander still has all his fingers left to type a report on the debacle.

The other most interesting part of this whole story is that the rest of us don't have Alexander, the MS Media Center Team, or the Windows source code. So when we get the BSoD, we're left scratching our heads. That's why we use Linux: with Open Source, we're as privileged as Bill Gates, to whom Windows is Open Source, because he's got the keys to the vault. His CES debacle should open everyone's eyes to the difference. Especially the "communists" in the global IT community who'd rather not spend more on Gates' closed source, and get less - and get hung out to dry with a crashed Windows app thousands of times a day, around the world.

Re:come together

[Doc Ruby]

I'm a Windows consultant, so problem solving w/ PCs is my job

So your vested interest lies in fixing the buggy nightmare that is Windows. You make your living off BSoD crashes. If it worked, you'd have to get a lot more creative than installing a patch rebooting 'til it kinda works. The OS shouldn't crash when running a USB repeater and/or a flaky Internet connection - that's a crappy OS at work.

Your Windows bias lets you excuse that prison in which we all work, while complaining that a specific Linux distro doesn't support a specific piece of hardware, or that a dinky little ".org" website is down at some particular time. If Windows didn't control the market though nontechnical superiority, more HW would be tested for Linux compatibility due to market demand, unconstrained by monopoly competition. And if you were a more experienced presenter yourself, as am I after 28 years in your business, starting when facilities often didn't even have 3-prong power outlets for grounded equipment cables, you'd have prepared a lot better. Gates, of course, has no excuse, except that monopoly makes you complacent, and sometimes you wind up with pie on your face.

Re:come together

[Trelane]

I'm sorry Linux isn't working out for you as well as Windows. From what you've posted thus far, it sounds like it's really close; it's just hardware compatibility you're having a problem with.

Another day I get the fware, and follow a guide to config the card to (hopefully) connect to my home WIFI, no luck.

I don't know what to tell you here, due to lack of info. I use Linux to connect my cisco 802.11b card and the ipw2100 card to connect to my AP without issue; my guess is that you're missing a configuration detail. The folks at your lug may help you out here if you give them the details.

because FC3 makes it to much of a pain to connect to any of the 3 WIFI networks I need to use regularly.

I don't think this is FC3's fault here; sounds like you're missing some config detail that is keeping you from connecting.

XP OTOH remebers WEP keys for them all and connects right up.

FC3 remembers a variety wep keys as well, so I don't believe that XP is unique in this regard.

or the above, and several other reasons, it's far from ready for prime time for the small businesses I support.

Quite possibly, depending on your small businesses and their needs. OTOH, I think Linux is ready for a great many applications than it's currently given credit for (e.g. helpdesks, some secretaries (depending on the apps they need), etc.) I don't know your clients and their needs, however. Generally, I'd say that saying "Linux isn't ready for the desktop at all" is incorrect as a blanket statement; it highly depends on what the users need.

Re:Deja vu

[SCHecklerX]

And notice that despite that, M$ still manages to be the software that is everyware.

Re:Behind the Scenes at the CES Keynote

[Khan]

Excuse my ignorance but, wouldn't it have been better to use a RF remote as oppose to an IR one?

Post Mortems of the demo miss the point

[lildogie]

Explaining what went wrong in the demo, and how environmental factors contributed to the glitch/crash, misses the point that the audience so obviously got:

Microsoft products have problems with crashing. Everyone who uses them knows that. Conan knows that. Bill knows that.

The amusement factor is that even the leader of the company knows that and experiences it in the most sensitive moments.

If you need software to run critical proceses in a nuke plant or an airplane, would you use Microsoft products?

CES keynote, a bad infomercial at 2am?

[webdev]

Fake questions, with broken demos? Gates must of had a stong drink back at the hotel that night. I was laughing just like I do at those bad 2am infomercials where the blender doesn't work.

All year I read about how Bill Gates is the wealthiest, most successful businessman in the world. I don't want to hear about internet access challenges when you are showing off technology that uses the internet. At that point in the keynote I began to wonder why is Microsoft even at the show (nevermind the keynote address)? Shouldn't the keynote be given by a person from Sony/Apple or some other vender that can deliver reliable hardware and software?

The Forza Motorsport demo should have been a slam dunk. Who wants their console gaming experience to be more like a pc experience? With the Xbox Microsoft is introducing unreliability in the gaming console market. Bravo.

They should only have a small booth in the back of CES in my opinion.

That's live theatre, folks

[Dammital]

While I get a chuckle every time Microsoft is hoist by their own BSOD petard, in this case the production staff is due some kudos for staying cool under fire.

In my other life I do tech for a local community theatre group. Folks, anything can happen during a live performance. No matter how much you might prepare, stuff happens, and it happens in front of everybody. Power can fail, body mikes can break, lamps burn out, RFI can wreak havoc. You can't prepare for every eventuality, but you can handle the situation with grace.

It sounds to me like the Microsofties did fine.

Re:That's live theatre, folks

[oGMo]

You can't prepare for every eventuality, but you can handle the situation with grace.

You can also write software that doesn't suck. You can write programs that don't crash. You can make things that are secure. These are things you can control.

Things like mics breaking, lamps burning out, and other physical things happen, yes. Physical things break down, and you can swap them out during a presentation. But software is not one of these things.

Everyone who is making excuses needs to face it: the software is what they were presenting, and it broke down in the middle of a big presentation. Not someone else's hardware. The software. Their software.

Even if it was hardware, would it be excusable? If Intel was presenting their latest chip, and it melted during the presentation, wouldn't you be worried about its viability? If a manufacturer of hospital IV machines did a presentation, and in the middle their hardware died and stopped delivering IV fluid, would you consider purchase? Why then, with something that's not hardware, that's more fully controllable, do we make excuses?

We shouldn't. This is just another problem in a long line of problems from a vendor who is notorious for problematic software.

Don't make excuses.

Sean's Post

[Thomas Hawk]

Say what you will about Microsoft but I think it's really great the amount of communication that they are sharing with the public through blogs and posts like this. I think that to work somewhere where you can post a blog entry about technical glitches at CES and not get fired is pretty cool. Microsoft's most famous blogger, Robert Scoble, is often offering up posts that many might find to have "anti Microsoft" tones and he can do so without fear of losing his job. Sometimes criticism, even self criticism, can be a good thing and allows us all to improve. What impressed me the most about Sean's post is that it was allowed to happen at all. It adds a very human element to Microsoft and opens up a way for Microsoft and the public to directly communicate. I think the tollerance that Microsoft has and the willingness to be open about problems and issues with their software is refreshing and will make the company and the software that much better in the long run. Kudos to Sean and his team. They did a great job and pulled off a great recovery in one of those awkward technical moments that we've all been through ourselves in the past.

Re:Blooper Video

[AstroDrabb]

That would be pretty lame to get fired for a remote not working. Though it was Bill G. and he was in the spotlight.

I would like to know if there was any testing done? I didn't think the remote not working was a big deal, remotes break, batteries die, etc.

What I thought looked bad was the big BSOD on the XBox in the middle of a game.

Rigged demos?

[Tony Hammitt]

Whatever happened to running rigged demos for trade shows? Heck, Bill ran a rigged demo _during_ the antitrust case _in_court_. Are we to believe that they have forgotten how to do a rigged demo in recent years? Why would they put themselves through all this ridicule?

I know a salesman that tells a story of running a rigged demo every 45 minutes for 2 days straight during a trade show in order to sell pharmacists on the idea of getting a computer system. It's not all that uncommon a thing to do.

Sure, media center is a little complicated to rig a demo for, but it's a lot easier than putting up with the aftermath of 3 BSoDs. I'd rather have something approaching a slide show than have Conan O'Brien make fun of me. (too bad they don't have any rich-media slideshow software to write this in, like Hypercard or something)

But that's their problem. I really don't care. Any "media" PC that has DRM is something I don't care to buy. If it comes to not being able to buy some movie or whatever that won't run without DRM telling on me when I do so, I'll just pop in a VHS tape or a commercial-stripped DVD and enjoy myself anyway.

Re:Unrelated

[Anonymous Coward]

I've said this before many times... Apple isn't innovative, they are an early adopter. With a good track history of picking the right things to adopt.

Apple was the early adopter in the GUI/mouse controlled interface, 32-bit systems, 24-bit color displays, laser printing, powered serial bus, CD-ROM in every system, the sacking of the floppy, Combo driver (DVD read/CD writer) in every system, network capability in every system, 64-bit systems...

In none of these cases did Apple invent the technology, nor were they the first to market. In all cases Apple implemented the technology in their systems well before the technology/ideas started to be implemented elsewhere in the PC industry.

I'm just going to say... wow...

[ndnet]

This is directed toward Sean. Great explanation of the events leading up to the hiccups. All-in-all, it sounds like you guys did a bang up job. I'm a bit curious, however: Roughly how long was that USB extension, and how much did the USB repeater cost? I've been a bit interested in that. And, as said above, cell phone fan is being, at a minimum, unduly harsh. I could almost understand a post like that if the reason for a failure was "we forgot to test" or "the media center PC had spyware". It was a live show. I've done live shows and demos, I've taught multiple classes, and I know how things love to go wrong. (Ugh... that senior citizen's MS Office class.... bad memories...) None the less, it sounds like you and your team handled it gracefully, with a witty ad-lib recovery (which, I might add, was appropriate because of Conan's presence). And right now, you're doing what Microsoft as a whole should be doing: being open and transparent, and explaining everything that could get wrong.

It's unwise to use IR or RF in presentations

[Morgaine]

Whatever the reasons why the presentation failed in this particular case, in general it is a bad idea to use non-wired technologies for important presentations where reliability needs to be assured.

Infrared and bluetooth and wifi are great for use at home where the environment is stable and controlled, but in a major international event like CES, the conditions are exactly the opposite. If one could see in the IR band, I bet the CES stage would have appeared swamped in a blizzard of unwanted IR confetti from numerous sources.

Re:Grow a brain before typing!

[Doc Ruby]

Your brain is not getting the message that the OS needs to be stable enough to handle changes like that. The proof of the kernel crash is the BSoD, regardless what caused it. What happens to the thousands of home users who do something like that, call Alexander? It's not acceptable to peddle something that fragile to unsophisticated users who just want to watch their movie in their darkened living room. Especially when they will *have* to use that piece of crap, because their movie is sold with DRM forcing them to play it on a Microsoft rig. Drop the baseless Microsoft apologies, flamer, and leave the "troll" accusations for mods who can't even post a hollow attack like yours.

Re:Behind the Scenes at the CES Keynote

[FigWig]

That was more likely due to the large plasma TVs they were also powering from the same generator.

Re:Deja vu

[timeOday]

Unlike Apple, Microsoft does not have tight control over the hundreds of thousands of parts that go into the development of a PC.

They do when giving a demo at a huge trade show.

Re:Deja vu

[Feztaa]

Unlike Apple, Microsoft does not have tight control over the hundreds of thousands of parts that go into the development of a PC. At least Apple can maintain a high level of quality control over hardware along with their OS.

Ahhhh, that explains why Linux is so stable. Torvalds rules over the hardware manufacturers with an iron fist!

(if you hadn't noticed, linux runs on much more varied hardware than windows does, and is much more stable. MS has no excuse anymore)

Re:Deja vu

[IdleTime]

Wow...

So because you can't manage to install Linux or have hardware that for some reason is not supported by Linux (and I really would like to know if you are just trolling and what hw and problems you have had), you claim that the parent poster is wrong. Amazing!

I have used Linux since kernel 0.91 and as my main OS since 1995. I have installed it on a wide varity of hardware. Problems, sure... Not been able to install it? Never. And in the past few years close to zero problems. Currently running Gentoo on 2 P4's and and AMD64 box. The 2 P4's are Dell's, the AMD64 a no-name box.

Re:Actually, WinXP 64bit runs like crap...

[Your Average Joe]

Versions of Windows that have failed utterly:

Windows NT 3.5 for MIPS processors
Windows NT 3.51 for Power PC processors
Windows NT 4.0 for Alpha processors
Windows XP for the Itanium processor

Why? No one would write any software for these NEW NON-Intel compatible hardware platforms. Not even MS Office. Yes there was one version of Office for a RISC platform, Office 4.2 for the Alpha.

Re:Are we even slightly surprised it's down?

[rohanl]

$ blog.seanalexander.com 25
Trying 66.226.14.131...
Connected to blog.seanalexander.com.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 dedi312 Microsoft ESMTP MAIL Service, Version: 6.0.3790.211 ready at Sat, 8 Jan 2005 17:12:10 -0800
helo
250 dedi312 Hello [203.45.93.121]
MAIL From: bill@microsoft.com
250 2.1.0 bill@microsoft.com....Sender OK
RCPT To: test@xxxxxx.com
550 5.7.1 Unable to relay for test@xxxxxx.com