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Microsoft's "Source Fource" Action Figures
RCanine writes "Microsoft is attempting to curry mind share with the 3-12 age bracket with their new event, the Source Fource, a series of developer-based action figures. Windows Vista Sensei, SQL Server Gal and some lame gender stereotypes presumably seek to rid the world of bearded, katana-wielding evil-doers. From the article: 'Between March 15th and April 15th 2007, the new super dudette will be offered and will be sent to developers who get their act together and attend at least two live MSDN Webcasts or two MSDN Virtual Labs, or one of each.'" I just can't figure out what to make of this, except that I hope someone can tell me if it blends. Or melts. Or burns.
Microsoft is the living proof that Marketing > Quality (as if anybody doubted that). They know that their marketing dept is their most important asset, and they can afford to pour cash at them. Hence their marketing people can afford to try out any wacky ideas and see what sticks.
That's the only explanation I can come up for this initiative. Anything else makes me want to obliterate humanity.
Misleading titles? Inflammatory blurbs? Keep in mind that Slashdot is a tabloid.
/. a bit behind the times I guess. I got Sql Server Gal at an event I went to over a year ago. Oh well, better late than never I guess.. wait, no.
Is Microsoft's answer to Tux and the Bitten Apple. M$ has never really had a Mascot, and I will bet dollars to donuts that some M$ marketing person had an epiphany that the reason everyone hates M$ was because they didn't have a cute, cuddly mascot or cultural icon.
So, their answer, of course, is to create not one, but LOTS, of cute, cuddly mascots. After all, if one is good, 10 must be better. Right?
"This is the coolest thing Microsoft has ever done and I'm not having anyone say otherwise!"
Unfortunately, in a sick, sad way, you're right.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
I don't think it's coincidence that it sounds a lot like SourceForge.
I don't know why, but if I wanted to muddle a name, that's something I'd do: Create something that sounds much like it, is a bit childish and ridiculous, and try to make it popular.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
My thoughts exactly. It can't be a coincidence that these figures are supposed to debut between march 15 and april 15...
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway. -- Andrew S. Tanenbaum
Hm. And it looks like these Source Force toys are from a few years ago anyway, not related to the {heroes} stuff after all.
And in the rules... (again, emphasis mine).
Either this is really really really old news (not unusual - it IS
This comic sounds like my job. Fighting off the Pointy Haired Boss who read about Teh Lunix in a magazine and wants to turn our IT infrastructure into a Munich-esque ruin, then combatting the invading hordes of Stallmanistas, clueless 18 year old FOSSies pretending to be in IT, and a mercenary army of Lunix consultants trying to plunder all our company's funds with their excessive fees and fraudulent claims of billable hours.
And let's not even get into the evil GPLv3 trying to seize control of all software ever made.
If you click through the links, you'll see that the apocalypse started two years ago, and that these pages don't seem to have been updated for nearly a year. Doesn't look like it was meant to be taken seriously, and obviously nobody did if it took two years to hit Slashdot.