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Microsoft Battles Vista Perception With Prizes

Posted by Zonk on from the you-too-may-already-be-a-winner dept.

LambAndMint writes "In what can only be described as an act of utter desperation to overcome Vista's mostly negative public perception issues, Microsoft has put together an online "Fact or Fiction" quiz about Windows Vista. Every person who submits themselves to Microsoft indoctrination gets a free shirt and the chance to win a $15,000 prize. Some of the supposed 'facts' will make you feel like you're reading a document from an alternate reality. Get ready to get a job as a computer salesman for a mass-market retailer as you go through the quiz."

102 of 342 comments (clear)

  1. All I read was... by csguy314 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Woohoo! Free shirt!

    --
    This is left as an exercise for the reader.
    1. Re:All I read was... by irby0 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Free shirt for OEM system builders.

    2. Re:All I read was... by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I tried to play it because I'm certainly willing to have half an hour of laughs for a good shirt.. but the "australia" in the URL is scary since they're shipping things, and though I'd have been willing to install some activex control and take the quiz in IE, apparently the SilverLight installer is just some shady .exe.... so no way ~~~~

    3. Re:All I read was... by coolhaus · · Score: 5, Funny

      Woohoo! Free shirt!

      I dropped an "r" or two when I first read that. It made better sense at first, honestly.

    4. Re:All I read was... by edwardpickman · · Score: 4, Funny

      Great, a free t-shirt that...

      You have to type in Allow before you can put it on.

      Can only be washed in Microsoft approved detergent

      And isn't compatible with any other clothes I own.

      I'll stick with my plain white open source t-shirt

    5. Re:All I read was... by somersault · · Score: 4, Funny

      Meh.. I don't care if it's free - I'm not going to get one unless they provide access to the source pattern..

      --
      which is totally what she said
    6. Re:All I read was... by roc97007 · · Score: 2, Insightful


        --------- Woohoo! Free shirt!


      Yeah, you could always wear it inside-out.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    7. Re:All I read was... by harry666t · · Score: 5, Funny

      Would you like to see the questions?

      The first was: you're trying to get a free t-shirt. Cancel or Allow?

    8. Re:All I read was... by ozbird · · Score: 2, Funny

      You forgot one:

      Is far too big to fit on you.

    9. Re:All I read was... by durnurd · · Score: 4, Funny

      And you have to get a new torso before you can put it on, otherwise you can only walk really slowly... right? And when you do get your new torso, all of your clothes will become slightly transparent.

      --
      --Edward Dassmesser
    10. Re:All I read was... by plover · · Score: 2, Funny

      Woohoo! Free shirt!

      I dropped an "r" or two when I first read that. It made better sense at first, honestly.

      Fee shirt? I don't think that makes much sense, either.

      --
      John
    11. Re:All I read was... by totally+bogus+dude · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well they did say they were okay with ActiveX, and the Flash plugin for IE is an ActiveX control, so it's possible they at least have that installed. The real WTF though is considering ActiveX controls to be somehow different from "some shady .exe".

    12. Re:All I read was... by calebt3 · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's not free. You are selling your soul.

    13. Re:All I read was... by neonsignal · · Score: 3, Funny

      Opened up the quiz page, but all I saw was a black screen (with some funny logo up in the top left corner). Darn, must be that content safety filter...

    14. Re:All I read was... by Mahjub+Sa'aden · · Score: 4, Funny

      And you have to get a new torso before you can put it on, otherwise you can only walk really slowly... right? And when you do get your new torso, all of your clothes will become slightly transparent. This being the internet, I'm going to go ahead and tell you that slightly transparent clothes really flatter me. Women have commented, or should I say drooled, when I wear something sheer. And I own the Golden Gate Bridge. True story.
      --
      What is is all that is. Isn't that obvious?
    15. Re:All I read was... by srmalloy · · Score: 4, Informative

      Going to the URL with both IE and Firefox showed nothing but a black browser window and a button to download and install Microsoft Silverlight. "We're going to give you the opportunity to win something, but you have to let us install our latest proprietary extension." No, thanks.

    16. Re:All I read was... by timpaton · · Score: 2, Funny

      The free shirt identifies you as a "Windows Vista Advisor".

      If the label fits... I often advise people to avoid Vista.

    17. Re:All I read was... by ozmanjusri · · Score: 4, Funny
      Wanna bet I can find myself a free Linux shirt somewhere

      I've open-sourced my Linux shirts.

      Just copy the text below into a word-processor, scale it up to your shirt size, and print it onto the shirt.

      LINUX

      You can thank me later.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    18. Re:All I read was... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      >but the "australia" in the URL is scary since they're shipping things
      Yeah, ya gotta watch out for those Australians shipping things. Why, they might try to slip a kangaroo into the package or something.

      >apparently the SilverLight installer is just some shady .exe.
      As opposed to the rest of the software on your computer that just magically appeared and runs in some otherworldly fashion, I suppose.

      But, my goodness, you're quite the Slashbot - I especially admire the fact that you got modded up for bashing Microsoft when you use Windows on your computer. The hypocrisy here knows no bounds, apparently.

      I know, I know: "You must be new here".

    19. Re:All I read was... by totally+bogus+dude · · Score: 2, Interesting

      ActiveX controls are supposed to run in a sandboxed environment

      Do you have a reference for this? I did a quick Google for activex sandbox without much luck.

      The top hit is this rather dated page which says:

      ActiveX security relies entirely on human judgement. ActiveX programs come with digital signatures from the author of the program and anybody else who chooses to endorse the program.

      You have two choices: either accept the program and let it do whatever it wants on your machine, or reject it completely.

      That was written in 1997 and maybe (most likely) they've changed things since then, but it definitely wasn't written with a sandbox in mind. Actually, most or all of the links in that search date from the late nineties.

      Changing the search to "activex security" and we get a nice page on MSDN that says:

      An ActiveX control can be an extremely insecure way to provide a feature. Because it is a Component Object Model (COM) object, it can do anything the user can do from that computer. It can read from and write to the registry, and it has access to the local file system. From the moment a user downloads an ActiveX control, the control may be vulnerable to attack because any Web application on the Internet can repurpose it, that is, use the control for its own ends whether sincere or malicious. But, you can take precautions when you write a control to help avert an attack.

      No idea when that was written or if it still applies. So, do you have any references on this subject?

      Time for some anecdotal "evidence". A week or so ago I was asked to upload a large (2+ gig) debug trace file to Microsoft's tech support site, and doing that made use of an ActiveX control (I tried using Firefox with the "simple upload" option but I just got a generic and uninformative server error). Given the way in which it sat there saying "Connecting..." 99% of the time with the occasional momentary change to say it was transferring data, I'm sure this wasn't using a plain HTTP POST file upload. Which means this control was able to read the zip file on my desktop and upload it to the site.

      Even more disturbing was the effect it had on my RDP session. I used 7-Zip to zip it with maximum compression and since that was gonna take a while I went home, and connected to my desktop later that night to do the upload. Set it going and started doing some other stuff and noticed my keyboard was being weird: almost every keystroke was being duplicated. I've got a Microsoft wireless keyboard and sometimes it does odd things like repeat a keystroke a bunch of times, but this was just twice and for everything. So I closed the IE window and disconnected the RDP session and re-connected -- back to normal.

      Started the upload up again and sure enough, same problem. Disconnected the RDP session thinking maybe it was just a bit confused by the crappy uploader ActiveX page and logging in again would reset it. Went to reconnect, and found the keystrokes were being duplicated even on the login dialog! At that point I gave up and just left it for the weekend.

      If an ActiveX control can somehow screw up key processing for the RDP login dialog, then I have a tough time believing it's actually sandboxed in any meaningful way. If you have references to the contrary, I'd love to see them.

  2. Propaganda by milsoRgen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Microsoft has put together an online "Fact or Fiction" quiz about Windows Vista. What's with the all the online based propacation Microsoft is using these days?
    --
    I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask where they're goin' and hook up with 'em later.
    1. Re:Propaganda by CSMatt · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'm assuming that question was rhetorical.

    2. Re:Propaganda by milsoRgen · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And the actual meat and potatoes of all this would be here, Silverlight required of course!

      --
      I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask where they're goin' and hook up with 'em later.
    3. Re:Propaganda by Ynot_82 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Why?

      if you're trying to win people over,
      why restrict the "facts" site to people you've already got (requiring silverlight....)

    4. Re:Propaganda by Divebus · · Score: 5, Funny

      Oh. It's just a way to seed Silverlight. Nevermind.

      --

      Most of the stuff on /. won't survive first contact with facts.
    5. Re:Propaganda by matazar · · Score: 2

      Only for australians?!
      I want a free shirt :(.
      Canadas never get anything.

      Also, vista isn't so bad.
      Don't like it, then don't use it.
      Bitching about it isn't going to make it go away.

    6. Re:Propaganda by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Bingo. that's absolutely correct. It's maddening when I have to hit their site (for work) and I have to click to remove that stupid silverlight full page cover.

      I don't want it, I don't need it, and please, for the love of god, stop mooning me with it.

      --
      _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
    7. Re:Propaganda by Nefarious+Wheel · · Score: 2, Funny
      hippocracy apparently knows no bounds...

      If we were discussing anything other than Vista, I'd correct your spelling.

      --
      Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
    8. Re:Propaganda by hullabalucination · · Score: 2, Funny

      Canadas never get anything.

      What are you complaining about? You Canadians have lots of stuff that Australians don't have, like maple syrup and Dave Foley.

      Say, while you're here, I've got a proposition. We'll trade you North Dakota and Michigan's Upper Peninsula for British Columbia. What do you say? OK, we'll throw in this set of steak knives, too.

      * * * * *

      Canadians are just Americans with better haircuts.

    9. Re:Propaganda by udippel · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Oh. It's just a way to seed Silverlight. Nevermind.

      And a bad one.
      Here:
      Black screen. Only. Okay, NoScript pops up. I *allow* Microsoft.com (pun)
      Now the black screen is still black, with a tiny icon on top: Get Silverlight. I *click*.
      A full screen pops up inviting me to download. "Install Microsoft Silverlight now for a
      better Web experience". I click. "Download Silverlight.exe" 'OK'. ... and I'm still waiting ...

      Yes, that's only bad. My browser identifies as "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; SunOS i86pc; en-US; rv:1.8.1.10) Gecko/20071230 Firefox/2.0.0.10". Any well-done site would inform me that I am not yet a convert, and point me to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/Search.aspx?displaylang=en for reference.

  3. Sheesh. by Divebus · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm glad they're not running an airline. They'd be in the side of a mountain by now.

    --

    Most of the stuff on /. won't survive first contact with facts.
    1. Re:Sheesh. by csguy314 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sure, you make that sound like a bad thing. But for all the people that *live* on the side of the mountain it'd be pretty darn convenient. ...
      Uhh... Don't mind the burning fuselage, it's a feature!

      --
      This is left as an exercise for the reader.
    2. Re:Sheesh. by Stormwatch · · Score: 5, Funny

      1990s called, they want their joke back...

      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

      What if Operating Systems Were Airlines?

      DOS Airlines
      Everybody pushes the airplane until it glides, then they jump on and let the plane coast until it hits the ground again, then they push again jump on again, and so on.

      Windows Air
      The terminal is pretty and colorful, with friendly stewards, easy baggage check and boarding, and a smooth take-off. After about 10 minutes in the air, the plane explodes with no warning whatsoever.

      Windows NT Air
      Just like Windows Air, but costs more, uses much bigger planes, and takes out all the other aircraft within a 40-mile radius when it explodes.

      Mac Airlines
      All the stewards, stewardesses, captains, baggage handlers, and ticket agents look the same, act the same, and talk the same. Every time you ask questions about details, you are told you don't need to know, don't want to know, and would you please return to your seat and watch the movie.

      Unix Airlines
      Each passenger brings a piece of the airplane and a box of tools to the airport. They gather on the tarmac, arguing constantly about what kind of plane they want to build and how to put it together. Eventually, they build several different aircraft, but give them all the same name. Some passengers actually reach their destinations. All passengers believe they got there.

      OS/2 Airlines
      The terminal is almost empty, with only a few prospective passengers milling about. The announcer says that their flight has just departed, wishes them a good flight, though there are no planes on the runway. Airline personnel walk around, apologising profusely to customers in hushed voices, pointing from time to time to the sleek, powerful jets outside the terminal on the field. They tell each passenger how good the real flight will be on these new jets and how much safer it will be than Windows Airlines, but that they will have to wait a little longer for the technicians to finish the flight systems. Once they finally finished you're offered a flight at reduced cost. To board the plane, you have your ticket stamped ten different times by standing in ten different lines. Then you fill our a form showing where you want to sit and whether the plane should look and feel like an ocean liner, a passenger train or a bus. If you succeed in getting on the plane and the plane succeeds in taking off the ground, you have a wonderful trip...except for the time when the rudder and flaps get frozen in position, in which case you will just have time to say your prayers and get in crash position.

      Wings of OS/400
      The airline has bought ancient DC-3s, arguably the best and safest planes that ever flew, and painted "747" on their tails to make them look as if they are fast. The flight attendants, of course, attend to your every need, though the drinks cost $15 a pop. Stupid questions cost $230 per hour, unless you have SupportLine, which requires a first class ticket and membership in the frequent flyer club. Then they cost $500, but your accounting department can call it overhead.

      Mach Airlines
      There is no airplane. The passengers gather and shout for an airplane, then wait and wait and wait and wait. A bunch of people come, each carrying one piece of the plane with them. These people all go out on the runway and put the plane together piece by piece, arguing constantly about what kind of plane they're building. The plane finally takes off, leaving the passengers on the ground waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. After the plane lands, the pilot telephones the passengers at the departing airport to inform them that they have arrived.

      Newton Airlines
      After buying your ticket 18 months in advance, you finally get to board the plane. Upon boarding the plane you are asked your name. After 6 times, the crew member recognizes your name and then you are allowed to take your seat. As you are getting ready to take your seat, th

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
    3. Re:Sheesh. by spir0 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      hey don't laugh. while _they_ may not be running an airline, their software most certainly is. And in time, if M$ get their way, all the _planes_ too.

      then woe betide anyone living on the sides of mountains. the gates foundation will be relocating thousands of tibetan monks.

      --
      The reason girls and Windows users don't understand UNIX is because all the documentation is in Man files.
    4. Re:Sheesh. by QuasiEvil · · Score: 2, Funny

      Have you priced natural gas during the winter? A burning fuselage close enough to provide radiant heat is definitely a selling point.

  4. And the grand prize...... by edwardpickman · · Score: 4, Funny

    is a free upgrade to XP Pro!

  5. I went to Camp Microsoft... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...and all I got was this lousy operating system.

    (But the T-Shirt wasn't half bad)

  6. Prizes by buyvalve · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The grand prize includes a multitude of Sony products. *sniff* I can smell the conspiracy theorists from here!

  7. What site? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    All I can see in Firefox is a notice that says "Get Microsoft Silverlight". I thought it was an ad for Vista... *confused*

  8. Little slanted by Protonk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is slashdot, but I find myself a little surprised to see this as a headline. Sure, microsoft is giving crap away in order to boost sales of their new lackluster OS. Same story happens in every business. Marketing gets told to go make some sales happen and they often ocme up with things like this. It's not propaganda anymore than any advertising is propaganda. How about we stick to decrying the main and major faults in the OS, rather than poking fun at a common business tactic. It's not like we are short on low hanging fruit.

  9. How Software Companies Die by lobiusmoop · · Score: 4, Funny

    Got to get some better packaging. Yeah, that's it.

    --
    "I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
  10. Good luck with your free shirt... by mythosaz · · Score: 4, Informative

    CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

    Instructions on how to enter form part of these Conditions of Entry. By participating in this promotion, entrants agree to be bound by these Conditions of Entry.

    You must be a Local OEM Channel Partner. Definition of a Local OEM channel partner ("partners") includes resellers and System Builders who resell other branded hardware (PCs and Servers) with Microsoft OEM Licenses or who build hardware to sell directly to end customers.

    Entry is only open to Australian residents residing in NSW, VIC, QLD, NT, or SA who are Microsoft OEM Channel Partners. The promotion commences at 09:00am (Sydney time) on Friday 14th December 2007 and closes at 11:59pm (Sydney time) on Friday 14th March 2008 ("Promotional Period"). The Promoter's decision in relation to all aspects of this promotion is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

    1. Re:Good luck with your free shirt... by vikstar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Had to install that Silverlight malware before I could read the terms and conditions. Damn, should've just read the /. comments first.

      --
      The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim.
    2. Re:Good luck with your free shirt... by neumayr · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Silverlight is malware? Does that accusation come with some kind of proof?

      --
      Truth arises more readily from error than from confusion. -Francis Bacon
    3. Re:Good luck with your free shirt... by snoyberg · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You forgot one.... You need silverlight to be installed. This one got me.

      You mean you're an Microsoft OEM builder in Australia, and you read Slashdot, and you were interested in the free shirt, but then after finding out you'd need to install yet another Microsoft product (after being an OEM builder mind you) you decided it wasn't worth it?

      --
      Thank God for evolution.
    4. Re:Good luck with your free shirt... by gmthor · · Score: 3, Funny

      exactly ;)

      --
      How do I uncompress my MD5 archive?
    5. Re:Good luck with your free shirt... by snoyberg · · Score: 2, Funny

      I tip my hat to you good sir. Truly you are one of a kind.

      --
      Thank God for evolution.
  11. Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by milsoRgen · · Score: 5, Informative

    Windows Vista sold more copes than any other Microsoft Operating System (including Windows XP) In the first month following launch.
    (Fact) Fiction

    Windows Vista faces significant Compatibility issues with hardware devices.
    Fact (Fiction)

    Windows Vista faces significant issues in terms of integrating with other software applications.
    Fact (Fiction)

    Windows Vista delivers all new levels of security compared to previous Windows operating systems.
    (Fact) Fiction

    Windows Vista is expneisve to deploy and run.
    Fact (Fiction)

    Windows Vista hasn't been popular with businesses.
    Fact (Fiction)

    Windows Vista is unreliable and requires more technical support than Windows XP.
    Fact (Fiction)

    Microsoft has been swift to diagnose and rectify initial issues with Windows Vista.
    (Fact) Fiction

    Windows Vista can help deliver peace of mind for parents in terms of their children's online safety.
    (Fact) Fiction

    Windows Vista won't truly be ready until the first complete Service Pack is released.
    Fact (Fiction)

    Their answers, not mine!

    --
    I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask where they're goin' and hook up with 'em later.
    1. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by KublaiKhan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Cheat Sheet, Short form:

      Pick the answer that makes Microsoft look good.

      That sound about right?

      --
      In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
      A stately pleasure dome decree
    2. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Akaihiryuu · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Wow...every single one of their "answers" is exactly wrong. I figured they'd toss in at least one or two that were real...but no!

    3. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Dunbal · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Hey, McDonald's is suing a dictionary to try to get the definition of "McJob" changed. Corporate types thing they can push everyone around like they push their slaves. So in Microsoft's case, they are betting that the general public is just as greedy and dumb as their company is. Oh yes brainwash me for a shitty T-shirt made by kids in Malaysia and a one in a couple million chance of winning a $15k (retail) "home entertainment system". How about dropping the price of the OS to $30, and selling more copies?

      Idiots.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    4. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 2, Funny

      No kidding, it's like watching the White House press secretary.

    5. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Drewmeister · · Score: 2, Informative

      Here's the quiz: http://www.microsoft.com/australia/vistafacts/fact.aspx

      I filled it out and will be getting my free shirt sometime. I only filled it out because of curiosity and I want that grand prize. At any rate, a bum should enjoy the free shirt I'll give him.

    6. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by milsoRgen · · Score: 4, Interesting

      How about dropping the price of the OS to $30, and selling more copies? Truth be told they should be selling the ultimate version for $100 bucks, that seems to be the sweet spot. And considering that price point has been used atleast since Ballmer was hawking Windows 1.0. We'd still be seeing a price break, once inflation is factored in. Which would be good for us, and they'd be fine. As the are shipping far more copies now than in the past.
      --
      I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask where they're goin' and hook up with 'em later.
    7. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They're not all total BS. It's sold badly but compatibility is fine- blame Creative and ATI for being lazy and not making drivers on time.. Microsoft is definitely not at fault at all there, and anyway compatibility is fine now. Also (I work part time in Windows support), while Vista doesn't have anything like the massive toolset that developed over XP's unprecedented lifespan, Vista actually does tend to have less crazy things go wrong. I don't know why they're trying to discourage the myth of SP1 not solving all of vista's problem's though- since SP1 is coming out very soon they should probably be letting anyone who still thinks that continue to think that.

    8. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Timothy+Brownawell · · Score: 5, Funny

      Windows Vista sold more copes than any other Microsoft Operating System (including Windows XP) In the first month following launch.
      (Fact) Fiction

      Sold more copies of what? XP?

      Windows Vista faces significant Compatibility issues with hardware devices.
      Fact (Fiction)

      It's the hardware devices that have Compatibility issues with Vista.

      Windows Vista faces significant issues in terms of integrating with other software applications.
      Fact (Fiction)

      Similarly, it's the applications which have trouble integrating with Vista.

      Windows Vista delivers all new levels of security compared to previous Windows operating systems.
      (Fact) Fiction

      How low can you go?

      Windows Vista is expneisve to deploy and run.
      Fact (Fiction)

      Compared to the hardware you'll need, the OS is downright cheap!

      Windows Vista hasn't been popular with businesses.
      Fact (Fiction)

      Microsoft is a business, and they certainly like it!

      Windows Vista is unreliable and requires more technical support than Windows XP.
      Fact (Fiction)

      This one's correct, because it is reliable -- reliably slow.

      Microsoft has been swift to diagnose and rectify initial issues with Windows Vista.
      (Fact) Fiction

      Due to the size of these issues, this "rectification" has produced many goatse look-alikes.

      Windows Vista can help deliver peace of mind for parents in terms of their children's online safety.
      (Fact) Fiction

      You can't get in trouble online if the computer doesn't work.

      Windows Vista won't truly be ready until the first complete Service Pack is released.
      Fact (Fiction)

      I'd say it'll take until the second or third.

      Their answers, not mine!

      But the snarky comments are all mine.

    9. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Chysn · · Score: 2, Insightful

      > Hey, McDonald's is suing a dictionary to try to get the definition of "McJob" changed.

      I'm familiar with this story, but followed your link anyway. Where do you get the idea that McDonald's is "suing" anyone?

      --
      --I'm so big, my sig has its own sig.
      -- See?
    10. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Admiral+Ag · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ugh... now that's desperate.

      Even though I am usually a pitiless and fanatical member of the Apple Hyper Commando Flame Unit in their Eternal War Against Evil (TM), this has gotten so bad that it is hard for me not to feel a bit sorry for the programmers who wrote Vista. It has to suck when you spend five years on something and pour your heart into it (as many no doubt did), yet poor management turns all your work into that.

      --
      "by that I mean people who don't sit on slashdot all day wondering why everyone else isn't building robots" DECS
    11. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by milsoRgen · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Ain't that the truth, I read a pretty good article that looked into the windows source code that leaked a while back. It appeared to be pretty well written code, and a lot of the comments lead one to believe the programmers were treated fairly well. I think the code that leaked was Win2k stuff, so what's happened since then is anyones guess.

      --
      I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask where they're goin' and hook up with 'em later.
    12. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Eskarel · · Score: 4, Insightful
      I've been using Vista for a while. So I'll weigh in on those.

      1) Don't know, don't care, the PC market now is vastly different than it was even when XP was released, comparing 1st month sales figures matters to accountands, but up or down don't say much about whether an OS is good or bad. You might possibly be able to compare 1st month non OEM sales, but even that wouldn't make a lot of difference.

      2) I haven't used every piece of hardware on the market, but personally speaking I've experienced more hardware incompatibility on Linux than on Vista. A couple of things didn't work right away, and a couple of things required work arounds, but the same has always been true of my Linux system, and at least Microsoft didn't shaft driver developers simply because they disapprove of the way they license their own product(see the whole GPL export debacle a few years back). Hardware compatibility is really a hardware vendor thing anyway.

      3)I do Integration work for a living and I don't even know what they mean by this one. I don't really want to integrate my OS with applications, I just want them to run. Do they mean that older applications don't take advantage of Aero or something? If you can explain this one to me, I'd be happy to hear it.

      4) The Vista security model is substantially better than the XP security mode, and if we stopped blaming the UAC nags on Microsoft and instead pointed the finger at the lazy software developers who won't right their Windows App code to run in user space instead of as an admin we'd be a lot closer to the truth.

      5) In a business environment deploying an new OS or OS version is expensive, and licensing is rarely the largest portion of that. I suppose if you were running your XP machines with Automatic update on pointing directly at windows update instead of at a SUS server, the activation requirement could be expensive or tedious, but that's a relatively small subsection of businesses really.

      6) Any new version of anything is unpopular with some parts of business, making a major change to the environment is expensive and risky. My company is just upgrading to XP now, so it's relative popularity in business is really only important to accountants.

      7) Haven't really noticed this much, there was a period back last year when they patched it a bit and it got less stable, but aside from the fact that your regular IT people are less familiar with the interface and so it's a bit harder for them to find stuff, it's not been much more difficult for me. In my experience the OS is rarely the cause of support calls anyway. Most issues are with third party apps, spyware, data corruption etc, and 2000 and XP had plenty of wierd it's easier to wipe the system than fix it bugs too.

      8) Matter of opinion really I've never found anyone who believed that a developers response time was quick enough, and as I've not been sitting waiting with baited breath for a patch on Vista yet I can't realy talk about the response time. SP1 is taking a while, but that's a big patch set.

      9) Total garbage, but no more garbage than any other claim by any government, third party vendor, OS manufacturer, or anything else. No content filtering system is effective, and unless you plan on running your home network like a corporate LAN you're not going to stop your kids from looking at what they want to look at, and even then you're not likely to stop them.

      10) If you're not running a bleeding edge environment(which applies to 99% of the corporate world) waiting for a new version of anything to get patched a few times isn't a bad idea. Vista's not worthless pre SP1, but it'll presumably be better post SP1.

      A lot of this quiz is marketing spiel, and I hate market droid speak as much as everyone else, but Vista has been the victim of the greatest FUD campaign I've ever seen for software, so maybe they needed market spiel.

    13. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by MichaelTheDrummer · · Score: 5, Funny
      No, you have to look at the wording of the question more carefully:

      Windows Vista won't truly be ready until the first complete Service Pack is released.
      Clearly, this means there will be at least a second service pack before Vista is actually ready! :P
    14. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by spir0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      or, more appropriately,

      pick the answer that is blatantly wrong.

      --
      The reason girls and Windows users don't understand UNIX is because all the documentation is in Man files.
    15. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Tolkien · · Score: 4, Funny

      Their answers, not mine!
      Wow. They got every answer wrong on their own test!
      --
      how is babby formed?
    16. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by SanityInAnarchy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      4) The Vista security model is substantially better than the XP security mode, and if we stopped blaming the UAC nags on Microsoft and instead pointed the finger at the lazy software developers who won't right their Windows App code to run in user space instead of as an admin we'd be a lot closer to the truth.

      How about also at those lazy Microsoft developers who enabled this behavior?

      But more relevantly, if they were going to break so much compatibility anyway, why not go whole-hog? Wrap the old Win32 API up in a compatibility layer like Wine, require new apps to include the I_AM_VISTA_COMPATIBLE flag (or whatever). Then, nag once for the old apps before you sandbox them (to encourage developers to adopt the new standard), and pop up as many nag screens for the new apps as you like (as they won't generally popup nag screens in the first place).

      Also, if I understand it, Vista's security model is, at a low level, identical to XP. At a high level, it's a ripoff of the Unix sudo model (as used by OS X and Ubuntu), only much more annoying.

      I've never found anyone who believed that a developers response time was quick enough, and as I've not been sitting waiting with baited breath for a patch on Vista yet I can't realy talk about the response time.

      Fair enough, but you can't really call it "swift", considering the things which still haven't been patched. It's been a year, right? Do they still have that audio-slows-down-the-network bug? What about the bug where disabling the indexing service will cause the start menu's instant-search to bring the machine to a grinding halt? Or maybe everyone's favorite, the click-drag-move-or-copy-can-run-out-of-RAM-while-estimating-how-long-it-will-take bug.

      I haven't paid attention, so I wouldn't be surprised if some of those were gone, but last I checked, they were still happening, for months. How the hell is this thing not caught in testing? Maybe a lot of them were caught in the public beta, and ignored?

      When any ONE thing of this magnitude happens with an open source app, the latest version is temporarily taken down, preventing people from upgrading (unless they want to compile it themselves) until the problem is fixed.

      9) Total garbage, but no more garbage than any other claim by any government, third party vendor, OS manufacturer, or anything else.

      "Everyone else does it" does not make it less garbage, however.

      A lot of this quiz is marketing spiel, and I hate market droid speak as much as everyone else, but Vista has been the victim of the greatest FUD campaign I've ever seen for software, so maybe they needed market spiel.

      "FUD campaign" implies a deliberate attempt to spread misinformation to cause fear, uncertainty, and doubt. I don't think Vista needed any help doing that, and there's really almost no organized FUD behind it, anyhow -- unless you count the "You are coming to a sad realization" Mac ad.

      --
      Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
    17. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by ncc74656 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It's sold badly but compatibility is fine- blame Creative and ATI for being lazy and not making drivers on time.. Microsoft is definitely not at fault at all there, and anyway compatibility is fine now.

      Try telling that to my parents, whose HP printer and scanner won't work with the copy of Vista that was preinstalled on the Dell they bought a few months ago. There's nothing wrong with the hardware, but because the Win2K/XP drivers for those devices won't work with Vista and HP hasn't gotten around to writing Vista drivers for them (and, in the case of their ScanJet 4p, probably never will), they're stuck with some POS Dell all-in-one that should work with Vista, but usually doesn't because of the craptastic drivers that came with it.

      (If there's a silver lining in here, it's that they won't ever buy a Dell again. I tried talking them into buying a Mac, but they wouldn't listen to me. Dad was worried about not being able to open Office files; that there are plenty of apps for the Mac that open Office files (including...um...Office itself) didn't appear to register.)

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
    18. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by chromatic · · Score: 2, Informative

      What pieces of the Linux kernel are contained in hardware drivers?

      That would be Linux-specific headers and all executable code in them that isn't strictly part of POSIX, Bobs.

      Take an out of tree kernel driver. Compile it against Linux kernel headers. Then compile it against a clean-room reimplementation of the same headers. Now compare the resulting binaries.

      If the binaries are bit-for-bit the same, then the binary is not a derivative work of the Linux kernel, and you can make the legal argument that you can redistribute it without any GPL concerns. If there's even a bit of difference, then the binary is a derivative work of at least the kernel headers, and their copyright terms apply to the binary.

      The derivative work status of the driver source code is another matter -- but if companies distributed that source code, few people would complain.

      --
      how to invest, a novice's guide
    19. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yup. Microsoft signficantly overhauled for the better a lot of antiquated interfaces like the audio stack.. there's no way old drivers are going to just work. Hardware vendors are welcome to choose to not support vista at all, but they're going to have no OEM customers since a lot of the system builders are going Vista-only. But if a hardware vendor doesn't make vista drivers, it's their problem not microsoft's.

    20. Re:Cheat Sheet! No Silverlight Required! by Jesus_666 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, we have to admit that Vista does offer improved security. (You are trying to insert a line break. [Cancel] [Allow])
      There is a faint chance that someone will be able to tell a bad application's UAC warnings apart from those of a good application. (You are trying to insert a line break. [Cancel] [Allow])
      (You are trying to insert a line break. [Cancel] [Allow])
      I think UAC might reduce the danger posed from worms etc. by at least an infinitesimal amount. (You are trying to click a button. [Cancel] [Allow]) (The button you have clicked might do something, such as submitting data to a remote server. [Cancel] [Allow]) (UAC will display a warning message now. [Okay]) (You are possibly trying to submit data to a remote server. If this is not the case, please click Cancel immediately. [Cancel] [Allow])

      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
  12. Vista isn't so bad by LM741N · · Score: 4, Informative

    I've got a triple boot laptop: Vista, FreeBSD, OpenBSD. I only ever had one problem with it and it was fixed- the USB subsystem blue screen. Most of my old programs run on it unless they have some funky driver.

    But I customized it so perhaps I just don't see any of the problems. My screen looks like Win2K and all the eye candy and crap is turned off. And I have yet to see any Ultimate Extra that is anything more than a screen background.

    One thing that is useful is to download "Server Tools". With it you get a utility that will make bootable iso DVD's. Otherwise I just make DVD's in FreeBSD.

    Instead of Gates doing the "Wow" thing, he should have just stuck to the features.

    1. Re:Vista isn't so bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So you took away everything (that you could) that made it vista, and it's not so bad.

      That sounds about right.

    2. Re:Vista isn't so bad by Tom · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Instead of Gates doing the "Wow" thing, he should have just stuck to the features. He did. So much that he couldn't let go of them and that's why none of them was actually implemented in Vista.

      Didn't someone post a list a while ago, where it shows that the number of features removed from Longhorn before it became Vista is actually longer than the number that remained?
      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  13. It's like one of those "best mix" radio stations by Fear+the+Clam · · Score: 3, Funny

    that secretaries listen to that suck so much that they have to give away money every hour to get people to listen.

    Microsoft: The most free money every hour!

  14. Fact or fiction by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    This test is interesting enough to clog your system with silverlight.

    [ ] Fact
    [x] Fiction

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:Fact or fiction by Jugalator · · Score: 4, Funny

      This quiz will change people's perceptions of Windows Vista.

      [ ] Fact
      [x] Fiction

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  15. but wait! its all true! by mugnyte · · Score: 2, Insightful


      All of the "facts" are true, and yet Vista is still a slow giant that doesn't play well with others and needs an uber-machine to accomplish basic feats.

      Comon' guys, the market isn't saying these criticisms based on fictional accounts - they bought/used Vista and it sucked as an experience.

      And PLEASE, give up on the Aero-is-cool stuff. You are playing catchup on the desktop - by far. You've simply been in GDI for so long you can't see the irony of cheering about abandoning it now.

      Give your user support offices that "quiz" and listen for laughter.

  16. Re:Why do they care about perception? by QuantumRiff · · Score: 4, Informative

    Because the preloading on non-apple x86 customers is only a small piece of the pie. What they really want is large corporations to start rolling it out by the truckload. Major companies don't want to do that, largely because of the perception (whether true or not) that it is a crappy product. Many large companies are flat out telling Dell and HP and their ilk that they will not mass order machines without XP on them, or that they better ensure that they can revert to XP, and still have working drivers and support. Then Dell, HP, and their ilk get mad, because they have to train employees how to troubleshoot problems on model X in two os's, driving their costs up.

    --

    What are we going to do tonight Brain?
  17. No, 100% safe. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If Microsoft Marketing was running an airline, it would be 100% safe! Zero crashes. Because no Microsoft aircraft would work well enough even to taxi on the runway.

    Have you ever talked with Microsoft marketing people? Every day they have to go to work and pretend that they are doing something positive for a company that pretends to sell quality products. They pile fantasies on fantasies. They live in a world of unreality.

    Microsoft marketing people are far scarier than zombies. Zombies have more respect from the universe; they were at one time at least allowed to die.

    Like zombies, MS marketing people also have no will of their own; they are automotons of corporate speak, which is a language that no one understands, including themselves. But they wander the earth undead, believing that they are human, believing that they have jobs.

    Okay, some of this may not be completely true. However, I'm not sure what or how much.

    1. Re:No, 100% safe. by Otter · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Okay, some of this may not be completely true. However, I'm not sure what or how much.

      I'll give it a shot:

      • That you've ever met a Microsoft employee, or anyone in the computer industry besides a Best Buy cashier: Fiction
      • That you sincerely think you're impressing us by providing a Wikipedia link to "zombie": Fact
      Do I win a t-shirt?
      --
      What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
    2. Re:No, 100% safe. by canuck57 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Have you ever talked with Microsoft marketing people?

      Sure did, and was sharp that day.

      We were at an internal technology presentation, showing off what we do. Being security, we had our BSD, UNIX loggers and appliances on screens for everyone to see. We had a "tail -f syslog" and other logs just a moving every bad event across the screen in real time. Many called it similar to matrix.

      Along comes the CFO and the Microsoft sales guy. And asked me, I haven't seen that before what is it. I said it was OpenBSD firewall logs on the vendor net. He said "OpenBSD what? That isn't an OS, is it? BSD what? Is that LSD?" with a smile (He knew).

      I looked at our CFO and said, OpenBSD, the operating system we use to keep our Microsoft systems from getting wormed, infected and controlled by others. We also use it for firewalls, detection and system login because they cost less, run longer and don't requires the costly hand care to keep them going as does Microsoft Windows. We don't have the staff, software or capital budget for Microsoft.

      Rubbed it right in. My manager heard from the CFO 2 days later, he was impressed and got a second tour with my manager. And a budget increase and authorization to use BSD and open source, in writing to the executive staff.

    3. Re:No, 100% safe. by David+Gerard · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You must read this.

      --
      http://rocknerd.co.uk
  18. Re:Why do they care about perception? by QuantumRiff · · Score: 4, Informative
    Sorry to reply to my own post, forgot the second point....


    By not having large corporations move to vista, one of the major incentives for moving to Windows server 2008 is evaporated, meaning a huge financial hit for MS. One of the biggest selling features of 2008, is how well all the new features are supposed to work with vista. Yes, that and server core, and Hyper V.

    --

    What are we going to do tonight Brain?
  19. It's a Silverlight app by schickb · · Score: 5, Funny

    I love how the silverlight download wants me to run silverlight.exe to install it... on my Linux box. Probably not going to work. How about some better user-agent checking with a message like: "For your own good, please go away. We are only planning to provide half-baked implementations and lip-service to non-Microsoft platforms".

  20. Help by robertjw · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Can somebody help me? I'm trying to complete the quiz, but I'm having trouble installing this sliverlight stuff on my Linux box and getting the site to work under Firefox.

    If I could just finish the quiz I might ditch Slackware and move to Vista!

    --
    Find coupons in Greeley
  21. Fun by whitehatlurker · · Score: 4, Funny
    Okay, so I went and installed silverlight to try this out. They won't let you give a "wrong" answer.

    Q: Vista faces significant compatibility issues with hardware devices
    A: Fact!
    MS: Are you 100% sure? We supported 1.4M devices at launch and have doubled that number since then. Are you sure
    YES / NO
    A: YES
    MS: You're wrong WRONG! WRONG! Too stoopid to have a computer TRY AGAIN
    Q: Vista faces significant compatibility issues with hardware devices

    I'm sorry Dave, I can't let you do that.

    --
    .. paranoid crackpot leftover from the days of Amiga.
  22. The shirt's source pattern? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    You want the shirt's 'source pattern'?  Here you go.  I ... uhh ... reverse engineered it:

    ####
    ####
    ####

    1. Re:The shirt's source pattern? by Crunchie+Frog · · Score: 2, Funny

      Dont listen to this AC, it's a stitch up!

      --
      --- Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity
  23. Silverlight by Kamineko · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm not too familiar with this 'Silverlight'.

    Is it equally devastating to both werewolves and vampires?

    1. Re:Silverlight by geekoid · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes. Also Browsers.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  24. Re:Why do they care about perception? by Threni · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm waiting for the next one:

    http://www.vistaforums.com/Forum/Topic13358-8-1.aspx

    Vienna - coming out next year. I think Vista will be swept under the carpet as soon as Vienna is out. In the meantime, SP3 for XP will be out soon, which apparently will make XP even faster than Vista on the same hardware. I still can't get over how slow Vista is at copying files off of USB drives, DVDs and networks.

  25. Fact or Fiction? by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 3, Funny

    Where's the CowboyNeal option?

  26. Very misleading by Infonaut · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Fact or Fiction site was put together by Microsoft Australia for "technology professionals" and aims to help Windows tech experts sell Vista to their customers. This is not oriented toward the general public, and frankly it doesn't look "desperate" to me.

    Sure Vista has been a disappointment, but not everything Microsoft does is evidence of this.

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  27. Yup, real experience. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've met Microsoft Marketing employees, that's what I was talking about. I was just trying to describe what I saw. My sense of horror was stronger than I am able to put into words, however.

    Suppose you had a job, but what you did in your job didn't actually benefit your company. And your company was adversarial toward its customers, as much as possible, so that, even if you did benefit your company, you would being doing harm in the world. How would you describe that?

  28. First prize is a copy of Vista by sizzzzlerz · · Score: 5, Funny

    Second prize is two copies.

  29. Vista is FAIL! by readgs · · Score: 2, Funny

    Vista is FAIL - http://wwwfail.com/?url=microsoft.com%2Fvista

  30. An Ignorant Buffoon has qualified by david_craig · · Score: 5, Funny

    I actually did this a while back (the promotion has been running since December 2007 IIRC). They send both a shirt and a certificate (as a Vista certified salesperson) to whatever name you fill in the form. I did it several times with the names "A Retarded Monkey", "Someone Brain-damaged", etc.

    I have a certificate on my wall that states "This certifies that An Ignorant Buffoon has reached the level of excellence to qualify as a Vista Certified Salesperson".

    (I'm paraphrasing as I'm not in the office at the moment).

  31. Translations: by SanityInAnarchy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Windows Vista sold more copes than any other Microsoft Operating System (including Windows XP) In the first month following launch.

    Fact. Translation: We've gotten better at force-feeding upgrades to people. In the past, it was actually possible to buy a computer with the previous version of Windows in that first month.

    Windows Vista faces significant Compatibility issues with hardware devices.

    Fiction. Translation: We consider any hardware that doesn't have a "Works with Vista" sticker on it to be insignificant.

    Windows Vista faces significant issues in terms of integrating with other software applications.

    Fiction. Translation: Windows Vista is not an application, it's an operating system. Therefore, we squeak by on a technicality.

    Windows Vista delivers all new levels of security compared to previous Windows operating systems.

    Fact. Translation: We're more secure from bad press, because we can always say "They clicked allow at some point! Don't you know you were supposed to click 'deny' on that one?"

    Windows Vista is expneisve to deploy and run.

    Fiction. Translation: There's no such word as "expnesive". Alternate translation, in case the typo was only the parent post: It's only expensive once you actually want to use it for something. But if "deploy" counts as part of a new computer, and "run" counts on booting up, it's dirt-cheap!

    Windows Vista hasn't been popular with businesses.

    Fiction. Translation: It's been popular with some businesses, like MSN and NBC! No one said anything about Vista being popular with all businesses, or even a majority of businesses!

    Windows Vista is unreliable and requires more technical support than Windows XP.

    Fiction. Translation: The only tech support you need with Vista is "Here's a copy of XP!" That's a lot less time on the phone! Ok, yes, Vista is unreliable, but didn't you notice that's an AND statement? If either half of the statement is Fiction, the whole statement is Fiction!

    Microsoft has been swift to diagnose and rectify initial issues with Windows Vista.

    Fact. Translation: "Swift" is relative, but yeah, we have been working our asses over here -- mostly because there were so goddamned MANY initial issues with Windows Vista!

    Windows Vista can help deliver peace of mind for parents in terms of their children's online safety.

    Fact. Translation: Parents are so easy to fool. Heh heh.... Wait, did I say that out loud?

    Windows Vista won't truly be ready until the first complete Service Pack is released.

    Fiction. It will take much more than one service pack to fix it.

    *vomits*

    Seriously, how can anyone write this bullshit and not actually throw up? I'm having a hard time holding my dinner down, and at least I'm writing satire, not outright lies!

    --
    Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
  32. Not all wrong... by Ken_g6 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    This one was right:

    Windows Vista delivers all new levels of security compared to previous Windows operating systems.
    Vista includes new levels of security for the both the MPAA and the RIAA!
    --
    (T>t && O(n)--) == sqrt(666)
  33. Holy shit by Fordiman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Dude, the waft of bullshit coming off that quiz is unbearable. I couldn't get past the first part because I couldn't stop clicking the wrong thing.

    Almost none of the statements on that quiz were 'fact' or 'fiction'; they were mostly opinions that differ based on your needs for a computer.

    Security, for example: Sure, Vista has the 'protect the user from himself by continually asking if he really wants to X' features, but I'd be happier with licensing agreements for bundling in AVG and Spybot, both as low priority scheduled tasks (better integration, of course, but basically the same system I use to keep my friends and clients from calling me every twenty minutes saying they've contracted a virus).

    Compatibility: sure, Vista supports '2.2 million products', but that's still less than what XP supports. Why don't they have a compatibility layer for legacy devices? Is it that damned hard?

    I could go on.

    The point is, if you value intellectual honesty, you can't even pass the first question.

    --
    110100 1101000 1101000 1100110 0 1101111 1101000 1100011 1
  34. Where was I? Australia. by LrdDimwit · · Score: 2, Funny

    Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.

  35. Re:Why do they care about perception? by totally+bogus+dude · · Score: 3, Funny

    Huh? Didn't you read Microsoft's answers to the Microsoft Vista quiz??!

    Windows Vista faces significant Compatibility issues with hardware devices. Fiction! It's just not true!
    Windows Vista faces significant issues in terms of integrating with other software applications. Also fiction!!!

    I think whoever did your planning needs to re-take the quiz so they can learn the real truth. Microsoft's own quiz proves you wrong. Smackdown!

  36. What to do with your shirts. by gnutoo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Donate your shirt to charity. Your feelings will go like this:

    • Actually receiving your shirt after suffering through 30 minutes of Silverlight dribble - neutral.
    • Cleaning your closet of dated shirts that make you look old or gullible - satisfying.
    • Giving those shirts to charity so some kid can groove on the pretty colors and designs - very satisfying.
    • Seeing all the local pan handlers in MSFT shirts - priceless.

    Living well is good revenge. Being kind can be better. You will never get back the time you wasted but someone can make good use of the results.

  37. It's called propaganda. by edunbar93 · · Score: 2, Informative

    I seem to recall a particularly interesting technique for indoctrination done to prisoners of war in some communist country somewhere, whereby the prisoners would be rewarded (with a better meal, I recall - a big deal when most everyone is malnourished) by competing in a competition to come up with the best communist slogan or advertising campaign, or what have you. The contest would be held on a regular basis too, and so the inmates would compete with ever more ferocity.

    This didn't just turn the winners into good communists (and coming from their enemies in war, that too is a big deal) but *everyone else too*! It was a particularly effective method of indoctrination.

    --
    "No problem. I have the capacity to do infinite work so long as you don't mind that my quality approaches zero."-Dilbert