Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Teaming up with RadioShack
ViceClown writes "Microsoft is teaming up with RadioShack in a sweeping 5 year deal to set up Microsoft 'stores' inside RadioShack brick and morter shops. Customers will be able to view demonstrations and sign up for MSN internet access. "
Another one bites the dust
I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed...
now Radio Shack has lost all of it's glamour that it used to have in my younger days....
Anyone know of any electronics parts stores other than Radio Shack? preferably in the columbus ohio area...
RadioShack was so handy, but expensive hmmm, maybe it was meant to be. :(
Has anyone else noticed how MSNBC gets to Microsoft stories first? (this is a very small example)
I remember back when MSNBC launched there was alot of assurance of Microsoft Corp having 0 involvement in it newswise...
hmmm...
I'd rather see MSN in radioshack than AOL. More power to Microsoft!
"EGA cards! Getcher EGA cards here!"
"Available now! 64-bit encryption! Show your proof of US Citizanship, these babies can't go overseas!"
-c.
--
Casey
More scratches on the cave wall, thanks be to anonymity.
RadioCrud must be hurting to pull this loser move.
Then again, who shops there? Most people I know order parts online or go to other electronic stores. Most RadioShack employees are clueless beings.
The Register mentioned this as well.
It mentions that MS are investing $100Million in Radio Shack's web site. Surely some mistake?
Now yopu can pick up some shoddy, over-priced software along with your shoddy, over-priced hardware.(*)
*Example, I got a package of 4 telephone wire spicers at Radio Shack for about $2.00. The next day I got a package of 25 for about the same price at Home Depot.
Companies that have relied on agreement with Microsoft winding up getting screwed: Apple, IBM, SCO, H-P. This eventually shows up in a drop in stock price. My recommendation: short Tandy. I mean, c'mon, are people really going to go to Radio Shack to surf Microsoft catalogs? Jeez. Short.
Every time i buy something at RadioShack, they make me tell them my name on phone number. Microsoft seems to support the same general idea, expecially with this new Windows 2000 pricing scheme of theirs.
...is, for me, mostly a source of 5.25" DSDD floppies, which are getting blooming hard to find. Just hope the stock holds out for a few more years.
This is the best news ever!
Here are two reasons:
1) It have wished and wished for an R/C Car that had a 'start' button. Maybe it will even shutdown and require a reboot every two laps.
2) I always hate being able to go to a store that has all the cool electronic bits and peices I want but never carries a good copy of "learning Win98." I mean, who in their right mind solders breadboard chips and circuits without their trusty Win98 for dummies books?
-Davidu
# Hack the planet, it's important.
Clearly Microsoft views Radio Shack as a competitor and by putting their mini-stores inside Radio Shacks the world over, they will attempt to drive Radio Shack out of business via negative association. Can we get Microsoft to open stores inside of Starbucks cafés?
--- Dirtside
"Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
Lets see:
Spyglass was to share the profits from the sale of Internet Explorer.
Digital was to benefit from NT. (Oh, and NT was going to be VMS done right.)
Sybase was going to benefit from its SQL partnership with M$.
Microfocus was offered a deal. M$ was to take 10% of its cash across the whole product line so Microsoft would keep selling its COBOL product.
Microsoft has a history of leaving its partners in worse shape than before they started.
Now, I'm waiting for Radio Shack to get the short sticky brown end of the stick. Cuz thats the end most EVERYONE else has gotten.
If it was said on slashdot, it MUST be true!
This is a good thing for Microsoft to do. Creating partnerships is a good way to benefit from the markets that the other company has.
Hopefully Radio Shack did this out of their own will and because Microsoft told them that if they didn't Radio Shack would be out of business in 3 years. Microsoft wouldn't violate anti-trust laws just after the Judge released the FoF documenting their transgressions in they past, would they?
Nah...
-Brent--
As a former employee of Tandy, I can say that WITHOUT A DOUBT, this will fail.
Tandy has a habit of blowing deals left and right. IBM sold their machines in RS, now IBM refuses to even let Tandy service those machines. Compaq has had much lower sales than expected in RS.
The incredible universe (iu), McDuffs (md), Computer City (cc)... all BLOWN deals.. one every 3 years.
RS market share is dwindling. MS just wasted 100M.. ohh well!
Pan
I said no... but I missed and it came out yes.
This is a good thing for Microsoft to do. Creating partnerships is a good way to benefit from the markets that the other company has.
Hopefully Radio Shack did this out of their own will and *not* because Microsoft told them that if they didn't Radio Shack would be out of business in 3 years. Microsoft wouldn't violate anti-trust laws just after the Judge released the FoF documenting their transgressions in they past, would they?
Nah...
-Brent--
Radio shack was gaining back some of its credibility by changing and improving its image and the quality of their products. For many of us, it is the only electronic component source in our area. Now they are headed down that long road to desolation at the hands of Micro$oft and their strip mining techniques.
I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed...
This is hysterical. Why did they sell Tandy computers out of Radio Shack? Because they were junk, with possible exception being the TRS-80. Why does Radio Shack sell Optimus equipment? Because they're junk. Why is Radio Shack selling Microshit equipment? You fill in the blank. Rat Shack may have all the components a hardware hacker needs, but noone reasonably informed (read: in their right minds) would buy any kind of consumer electronics from them. I find it hilarious that Radio Shack is carrying some more junk equipment. Or maybe Microsoft realized that in order for people to buy their stuff, they have to sell it at a place that only stupid people buy from (once again, with exception to hardware hackers in need of hard to find components).
Is Radio Shack a high traffic location for PC consumers and would-be netizens? Or maybe Microsoft sees this as a good way to conquer the imbedded systems market... ha!
So, the market leader of crappy components and the fabulous Tandy (TM) mark of excellence joins forces with Microsoft, world renound for bloated, crash happy software. Awsome!, sounds perfect to me. Maybe they would like to put the whole thing inside of a Dennys and throw that into a Wal-Mart or something. I'm glad I live 20 minutes from Frys...
--joe
Make that "splicers".
Also, does this mean that the RadioHack clerks will now ask for your email address too, so M$FT can send you junk email catalogs?
Microsoft to install kiosks in RadioShack stores http://ca.dailynews.yahoo.com/ca/headlines/cpress/ bs/story. html?s=v/ca/cpress/19991111/bs/business_1738042_1. html
Shall we be seeing a big "MICROSOFT" next to Radio Shack now?
-PovRayMan
----------
Check out my blackbox styles
Now all my happy memories of spending my childhood in Radio Shack, buying parts to build stuff, are ruined..... Oh, the HUMANITY!!! A Mousy Cow Herder
Now you can go there to buy overpriced electronics and software.
Microsoft to install kiosks in RadioShack stores http://ca.dailynews.yahoo.com/ca/headlines/cpress/ bs/story. html?s=v/ca/cpress/19991111/bs/business_1738042_1. html
Usually I would agree with you that something is going on but I seem to recall MSNBC getting the big anti-MS stories first and not putting on the kid gloves at all. I'm sure they wouldn't report about really bad stuff first, but then again none of the network news entities would report about bad news for the parent corps so they're not alone.
On a slightly related note, did anybody watch the "Smoke in the Eye" Frontline episode a couple of weeks ago? It was a pretty damming account of the Big Tobacco vs. CBS debacle. It showed pretty plainly that the 60 Minutes/CBS lawyers didn't want to report a bad story about the tobacco industry so CBS wouldn't have a huge lawsuit in it's books when the higher ups were trying to sell it to Westinghouse. An excellent example of what can/does happen when giant corps own the conduits of the news.
Great now Radio Shacks shit will be even more overpriced and even shittier!
Heh, I can't wait to get this in my mailbox:
Build Your Own Cable Descrambler and Windows Stablizer!
....For only 19.95 we will send you instructions that will tell you how to get hundreds of cable channels for free using parts obtained from any Radio Shack. New developments in the software world now make it possible for the same device to make your Windows computer run better than ever!! No more running all over town, get it all in one place!.....
Nose
-Common sense isn't.
Nose -Common Sense isn't.
Anybody remember when they used to hassle Bianca's Smut Shack claiming use of the word "shack" was a trademark infringement? Now, they shall get their just deserts. Mwa ha ha haha!
- FIRST POST!!!
- Micro$oft sucks
- Ha, Linux is better
- <FLAME>NO YOU FOOL, USE BSD</FLAME>
Then the comments likely to be caused by this particular topic...- The Whores!!! I'll never shop there again
- Ha! the place was overpriced anyway!
OK then, unless you have something other than these comments, try to make it amusing...You are not me, therefore you are not important
Wow, now hopefully they'll suffer the same fate as Tandy or any other P.O.S. computer stuff there.
Right ?
I wonder why MS simply doesn't set up an online store for all their software ? It isn't like stores will stop carrying MS product if they do. MS could catch some of that margin for themselves. Like they need the money.
Well, if Win 2000 is as crappy as the RC2 indicates it might be, then they may actually need every penny they can scrape up.
Win 2000's DNS server managed to destroy all the domain records on my intranet (Linux 2.2.5 Bind 4) when I started it...that was a neat trick. I know everyone on the Internet will want that feature. It is time to upgrade to BIND 8 people. Worse Win 2000 Server didn't give me the option NOT to install its DNS Manager. Win 2000RC2 also uses 30% more RAM on my system immediately after a system startup. (104MB with 2000RC2, 68MB on NT4 same hardware.)
Oops, this turned into an anti-Windows rant...sorry. Then again Win2K deserves it more than any Windows to-date. Beta or otherwise
Don't post innacurate information
If you do, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you.
When's RedHat, or ANYBODY involved with Linux, going to do the demonstration part????
That's the way buying computers used to work. You tried the Apple IIe, the Atari 800, and the Commodore 64 in your local department store, then picked the one you liked best.
Currently, consumers think they have no choice, Linux or no Linux, because they can't play with Linux in the store. If they could, then they could make an informed decision. Right now they have to go by the reviews on the Internet, which just isn't the same IMHO as actually getting down and trying the OS.
Now that all Intel instruction set based computers need not be the same, I think it's important to find a way to get Linux machines set up on display in major computer stores to help boost its growth even more.
Glückwünsche, haben Sie Slashdot ermordet, indem Sie zum korporativen Druck beugten und Subskriptionen einlei
Companies that have relied on agreement with Microsoft winding up getting screwed: Apple, IBM, SCO, H-P.
Radio shack is a retail outlet and might be a perfect host for Microsoft. Why would the software giant kill such a lucrative host that can push its warez? Radio Shack may be a poor place to buy parts (or anything else!) but they cater to the public and push credit so they may buy. Christmas shoppers and gift looking people for birthdays, etc., often find their catalogs attractive and take advantage of Radio Shack's offerings.
If you want electronics, there are many good places to find parts on the web. I'd rather take apart a television than go to the shack these days!
Who cares what Radio Shat, the worst hardware vendor on the planet, does with the worst software vendor?
-- SIGFPE
So, two mediocre companies are teaming up together. I think I'm gunna go take a nap now.
Seriously, why doesn't radio shack just die? Perhaps it's the same reason AOL is the biggest and most successful ISP? Oh well, it's not like anyone makes you go into radio shack while you're at the mall.
yeah... my first thought is that perhaps MS has an interest in msnbc reporting the "bad" stories about them first.
think about it, if the story is reported by them first, then other news orgs will be less likely to make a big deal of it (since they weren't first), effectively giving MS an amazing ammount of spin control
You mean they weren't already? Sure, they've got stuff there that no one else has... because no one else will carry stuff as old...
Have you read the Moderation Guidelines Addendum?
... but wasn't NT a joint venture between Microsoft and IBM? That's what I'd always thought, and that OS/2 was the other offspring of the project.
(The story wouldn't load for me in Netscape ;)) Anyhoo, was MSNBC or Microsoft using the term "store-within-a-store"? Just wondering, since it seemed to me that Apple coined that term for selling computers in CompUSA. Lawsuit?
To-do List: Receive telemarketing call during a tornado warning. Check.
What ever happened to Radio Shack being an electronics parts store for hobbyists? Now it's mostly a consumer electronics store. You can barely even buy resistors there anymore. Remember those electronics kits they used to have? Boy, those were the days. Now it's just another moronic consumer electronics store.
Figures M$ would set up shop inside.
Microsoft signing a deal with a retail store chain is news? They sell stuff in Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and just about any other department or electronics store you can name. So they're in Radio Shack now too. BFD! What operating system did Radio Shack install on the computers they sold before now anyway? Linux? Don't think so.
Sheesh. Might as well post "Coca-cola signs deal to put soda in every McDonalds," or "Hershey's puts candy bars in grocery store checkout lanes."
This turned out to be a big non event. It seems that the collective reaction has so far been: "So what?"
There was a lot of hype yesterday in the mainstream news. Both CNET and CNN were reporting breathlessly that some really really really big announcement from MS will be forthcoming tomorrow. Even Yahoo ran a little blurb.
It was going to be a major announcement about a mega-mega deal, I read yesterday, we promise.
And the announcement is ... [drumroll] ... Microsoft is going to sell stuff in Radio Shack.
Huh?
That's the big announcement?
By complete accident, I happen to find myself at www.radioshack.com earlier today (what a useless site, BTW). They had this splattered all over the home page. They had one of the fancy live webcast thingies going on.
Really, I must be missing something, but I don't see what the big deal is. The reason that only MSNBC is reporting on this, and only now, is because nobody else really cared about it, once they found out what was the big announcement.
--
Check out http://shop.microsoft.com to see for yourself.
For the most part, the content of hard news is of little concern--most people are intelligent enough to notice if there were discrepancies between an MSNBC article and a similar article on the New York Times. The problem is the articles that they do print. Look at the MSNBC Slashdot response article. As was pointed out in an earlier news post on here, they took a few relatively meaningless quotes off of Slashdot and represented them as the ideas of an average Slashdot user. The result? Someone that reads the article thinks that the Slashdot community is a pretty inarticulate bunch--the average 'net user won't take the time to hunt through /. to find the article in question.
This, of course, can be applied to any subject. A version of Netscape has a security flaw? You can bet they'll slap an article up. The fact that MSNBC posts a relatively harsh article on MS when every other site on the net is doing the same? Not surprising.
~=Keelor
sucks. Okay, maybe i can't back that up, but read their description of alkaline batteries... "All alkaline batteries come in Sizes AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, 6V Lantern, and button cell. They are also able to perform in both hot are subject to have a 5-year shelf life. Personal electronics in today's world tend and cold temperatures without a problem..."
Although this seems to make me an unusual Slashdotter, I actually liked Radio Shack. Yeah, their prices were often a bit high, but they had stuff I never managed to find anywhere else. Honestly, I challenge anyone here to give me the name of a store as widespread as RS that carries all the same stuff.
Now, Microsoft's ripping Apple off yet again (this deal looks disturbingly similar to Apple's Stores-Within-A-Store at CompUSA, Fry's, and Micro Center). It'll be interesting to see how they do this one.
So. The worst consumer electronics chain in the world (Radio Shack) is teaming with the company that makes the most bloated software in the world (Microsoft) running on the most bloated hardware in the world (Compaq).
This is actually convenient. I can avoid everything at once.
dragonhawk@iname.microsoft.com
I do not like Microsoft. Remove them from my email address.
The articles I've read seem to say they'll be signing people up for MSN, selling people WebTV units and so on... Not selling the usual software, books, etc.
This is a pretty smart move. Selling Win98 in Radio Shack would probably not be a bit hit, but nowadays at least my local Radio Shacks are havens for clueless people who for some reason desperately need cell phones. Great audience for pushing the consumer connectivity stuff.
/* The beatings will continue until morale improves. */
Yesterday I turned on the TV and caught the end of a news story, something about Tandy coming back or something..... anyone got info on that?
(think about it.... crappy tandy computers, with crappy microsoft software running them.... this could be why this teaming up thing is happening)
Wow- We all know who buys computers at Radio Shack, only the totally computer illiterate. Radio Shack targets low-income, uneducated people. Yeah, they're in malls, but they're always in poor neighborhoods, too. Until now, M$ has targetted the technically uneducated and the computer illiterate in their home products, that's where they make their bucks, and I guess that's fine. But now it's shifted to low-income. I hope in the long run it's a good thing, informative and all, but now folks can more easily shop for M$ products on their lottery ticket errands. So now you can buy a computer you don't have a use for on payments and sign up for MSN in the same store.... And with the new e-trade style add campaigns, the new vision statement of the internet is becoming... A SLOT MACHINE IN EVERY HOME! Now with porn! It's one low easy monthly payment, but you'll be rich soon, so don't worry... It makes sense, though, there are NO good deals at radioshack, and they never have more than 3 of the overpriced part I need ten of right then... And when I applied there in highschool they had an agreement that they have exclusive rights to all intellectual property of their employees, inventions, music, programs, writing, etc... Up to one year after termination of employment. The only really awesome thing they ever did was include schematics in their owners manuals, but I think they stopped... Damn... I'm fresh out of things to bitch about...
I've got to wonder what the real angle on this is. What's the point of a "Microsoft store in a store"? It was a wise move for Apple, the alliance with CompUSA actually made software and hardware more available to a lot of people. In just about every store I've come across that sells software there's already a highly visible display unit with oodles of Microsoft software stacked up. So any market share they pick up will be miniscule (hard to get market share in the consumer arena when you're already at 98% or whatever) in exchange for 100 million dollars.
From the miniscule press release it sounds like they're trying to sell MS wireless and internet access but how many computers does Radio Shack really sell? Radio Shack isn't exactly the first place most people run to for finding an ISP either.
Microsoft doesn't usually make unwise marketing moves, so there's got to be an angle, I'm just not seeing it. Were there any other people trying to get their software or services in Radio Shack that Microsoft is effectively keeping out? Red Hat? Apple? AOL?
Yes it was. And MS took as much from IBM as they could. When IBM would need specs from MS, MS would delay the deliveries or give out dated ones. Then MS came out with NT as a cometitor of OS/2. This wasn't suppose to happen, so IBM thought. MS specifically made it so apps will work better on NT then on OS/2. This is one of the many reasons IBM doesn't like MS.
Steven Rostedt
Steven Rostedt
-- Nevermind
I guess if banks can pop up inside grocery stores
than Microsoft can pop up inside of Radio shack.
No big deal I guess. Anyone know if MS owns or has interest in Radio Shack?
The comment that tells you what all the other comments will be about.
Steven Rostedt
Steven Rostedt
-- Nevermind
I heard Microsoft couldn't innovate .. but here they are, going further downmarket than I ever would have thought possible.
Obviosly, they're made for each other.
Of course, Microsoft is a completely different animal and Radio Shack is at least in the same ballpark of supply but I still don't think it's a really great idea. Maybe as a stepping-stone for Microsoft to open their own high-street stores, just test the water first?
On an semi-related note, when I was younger, I heard a lot about how RadioShack(USA) was so cool with all this electronics stuff to buy. Their sister-chain here (Tandy) is pretty disappointing with electronics components stretching to audio cables, a few resistors and LEDs and some chips (that you would have to go to a proper component store to get the support components for anyway). As such, I was really looking forward to actually visiting a RadioShack in the States but to my dismay, it was almost just the same. Oh well, maybe it's just one more thing where I missed the window on when it was good (Like I hear that MTV was actually something to enjoy watching once upon a time)
Oh well, at least now there's plenty of Maplins (though they've started to get a little to heavily into consumer electronics) and Frasers (a small shop in Portsmouth with excellent stock and prices)
Erm, relevance? What's that?
Rich
Ok well this news makes me pretty pissed at Radio Shack, but where else can I go when I need parts? Are there any other widespread electronics store chains out there? I'd hate to have to go there now everytime I need some hard to find component.
-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.12 GIT d? s: a-- C++++ UL++++ P++ L+++ E- W++ N o-- K- w--- O- M+ V PS+ P
I got up this morning and tuned into the MSNBC stock news like I usually do while i'm stumbling around getting ready for work. BIG NEWS was what the news guys were saying. MS is going to announce a BIG deal. Now I find out its nothing more than some stupid little display crap in Radio Shack to sucker more people into wasting money on MS. Yawn, so what. It looks like the only purpose behind the timing of this was to get a much needed blimp on the stock prices to give them a little boost until the next catastrophe from the DOJ, Caldera, or whoever else is out there. I bet we will see a whole string of these "BIG DEALS" in the near future, at least every time their stock starts to nose dive like it WAS doing early this week. All this is is more of the same manipulation of the public that MS has engaged in ever since they were founded. MS = More of the Same
Tell me about it.
True story, from about ten years ago: an electrical engineering student buys a beautiful old vintage ('40's) radio and finds that it works fine except for the power indicator light bulb being burned out. Uncertain whether this particular model of light bulb is still being made, he measures the juice flowing through the socket (60V AC) and takes the bulb to the local Radio Shack, hoping he can just pick something up without having to mail order it (waiting several days and paying shipping for a $0.60 part being a pain in the neck). He asks the clueless clerk whether they stock a replacement bulb; the clerk can't find anything with that model number in their catalog, at which point the customer mentions that it had 60V AC going through it. "Oh, that explains it," says the clerk. "We only have DC light bulbs." The student goes back to the dorm and tells his roommate (me) this story. I fall over laughing.
I think the really interesting point is not that Microsoft and Radio Shack are teaming up and Microsoft will now be everywhere. It is this:
... And customers gain end-to-end connectivity solutions from Microsoft and RadioShack -- brands Americans trust to make technology accessible and understandable."
/z ^4 198.162.1.1:24;=)
"...found a home connectivity partner, offering not just services but innovative technologies as well.
Where else in the country is there a place to go specifically for "home connectivity"? I know my house is connected, but I did that myself from hacking together DSS, Cable Modem and a nifty little p90 linux gateway. But what do you do when you're joe schmoe, and don't have the knowledge to do it yourself?
Now the average guy may have somewhere to go to get it all in one package. Sprint, Microsoft, RCA, etc... One stop shopping for all the hardware and software to wire your home. All run by a simple Microsoft interface.
This may actually be a good thing. Something my mother could do. What's easier to understand? This:
1) install linux
2) configure network scripts to run dhcpcd
3) Setup dhcpd sever on eth1
4) ipchains -q
5) debug terminal
6) and the list goes on...
or this:
1) push power
2) push start button.
3) Something bad happens, repeat.
Us dorks might have Architecture issues with the system, but the average guy just wants it to work.
"You want to kiss the sky? Better learn how to kneel." - U2
"It was like trying to herd cats..." - Robert A. Heinlein
Sig:
Barbeque is a noun. Not a verb.
I was always confused about their choice of words.
- ---------------
SHACK, after all, evokes imagery of a crappy,
run-down, outhouse type of thing. Well, it's
appropriate but not a very strategic marketing move.
I think Microsoft should change their name
to reflect the partnership. Junk-ass-stuff, or
Dubious-Morals-Software, Inc. Something like that.
------------------------------------------
You can find out more here, where you might then follow to this place over here. The whole idea of trademarking and imbuing goodwill into a word like "shack" is ludicrous.
"If one is really a superior person, the fact is likely to leak out without too much assistance" -- John Andrew Holmes
mortar
That should read:
3) If something bad happens then repeat.
I do not mean to imply that something bad *would* happen each time the box was turned on. =)
"You want to kiss the sky? Better learn how to kneel." - U2
"It was like trying to herd cats..." - Robert A. Heinlein
Sig:
Barbeque is a noun. Not a verb.
it seems to me that most people going in there already have internet connectivity. It'll probably be one of those "switcheroo" schemes like the $10 sprint thing Radio Shark is doing right now.
they always try and sell me a cell phone or get me to change my long distance service whenever I go in.
but i'm chuckling, cuz i remember that whole "Incredible Universe" fiasco -- where the employees were referred to as "cast members" and you had to have the stupid membership, etc.
"Radio Shack" and "Microsoft" are not exactly names that bring the phrase "oh, they won't fuck me here" to mind. More like "listen carefully to everything they say for catches, cuz they are trying to ream me by default".
maybe if they are lucky, a few former IU execs can brainstorm a few ideas. that should make the death quick and merciful.
Cashier: So can I have your name?
Me: Cash.
Cashier: And how do you spell that, Mr Cash?
Me: Cash. I'm paying you with cash.
"If one is really a superior person, the fact is likely to leak out without too much assistance" -- John Andrew Holmes
Yeah, but Digital bought into the whole NT thing.. They even ported NT to the Alpha.. Digital, the once mighty minicomputer giant, then started losing a lot of money, and were bought by a PC company.
-joev, former DEC employee, who actually worked in Digital's NT marketing group...
I forgot the perdantic, "correction" post by a perfectionist like you 8^) (Just kidding)
You are not me, therefore you are not important
Hmm.
public class SlashdotRant
{
public static void main (String[] args)
{ String microsoft, radioshack;
if ((microsoft == overpriced_software) && (radioshack == overpriced_hardware))
{
microsoft + radioshack = worst of both worlds;
}
else
{
System.out.println ("It's still not worth it. Shop somewhere else.");
}
}
}
Woohoo. Posting in java. I feel like a geek, and I love it!
I always considered Windows to be a migraine in a box and RadioShack to be an invasion of my privacy- I'm sorry, but I shouldn't have to tell you where I live to buy a damned patch cable: it's not Plutonium or an AK47! Screw legality- if a company wants to be nosy, they're going to drag me kicking and screaming. I buy at RS, and when the inevitable question comes up, I do one of two things, depending on how generous I'm feeling:
1. Lie.
2. "Sorry, that's not something I have to give you. If you want to push it, I'll take my business elsewhere."
Number one has the effect of pissing off the schlepp that lives in my old apartment. Number two has always gotten me out quick, with item in hand.
Seriously, I fail to see how this is a good thing. Bookstores and computer stores are already swamped in MS books and paraphenalia- a partnership w/ RS is only increasing their reach into one area they don't control. Isn't this spreading the monopoly?
When I think "quality", MS is the last thing on my list- why RS would want to promote a substandard product is beyond me. Since the whole environment of the store seems to be more for electronics hobbyists and people trying to connect their cuisinart to their Dreamcast through their Amiga, one would think it an ideal environment for Linux.
Combining a desktop monopoly with the vast database of customers that Radio Shack has is a disturbing thought. Microsoft wanting to get their mitts into that, possibly? Ouch. "Sympathy for Microsoft!" junk mail, anyone? Anyone?
Only Death is Silence.
Acceptance is Surrender.
If MS made a stratiegic alliance with SuperCuts.
(o.k. a cheap shot, I couldn't resist)
- bridgette
Sorry no information -just speculation on the obvious overlap of their businesses. They need to announce something about their inexorable progression to owning and selling everything, so that was this week's ration of BS.
Also is mine the only Radio Shack where the employees think they know everything, but know nothing. I HATE getting into arguments with Radio Shack employees. I could go in there and say I am going to invent an Astral Demoleculizer to travel to another dimension and the employees at my radio shack would insist that I am buying the wrong parts to make it work even though they obviously don't know anything about Astral Demoleculizers they feel the need to be right. It really annoys me.
*NOTE*: If you are with a Government agency I do not know anything about Astral Demoleculizers and have by no circumstances built such a device and traveled to PS389 to read the blue book. Honest.
adb core
Windows 95/98 are based on the same kernel. Windows 2000 is based on the NT kernel. 2000 is the next version of NT, not the next version of Windows 95/98.
Radio Shack has always sucked, as has MTV. Ok, at one point back in the early 80's MTV sucked _less_ but it still sucked.
Microsoft has always sucked too, so I can see the commercials now:
Hey! You got your Microsoft in my Radio Shack. No, you got your Radio Shack in my Microsoft! (voice over) MS RadioShack! Two sucky things that suck tgoether!
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
did you just call, frontline, news? oy, no wonder why, we can't get our shit together. Later
I used to work at "the shack" and was always amazed at the boneheaded things they would come up with. First was DCC (Digital Compact Cassette) which lasted about as long as the VIS (Video Information System - roughly a 286 with a CD and some game controllers running Windows 2.x). Both failed miserably. The only thing RS has ever had in their stores the past few years that did anything was Sprint. They don't have a single thing (except parts - and not a whole lot of those any more) that really excites me in their catalog. I can run down to Best Buy, the higher end AV store, or the local ham radio store and get much better stuff in the long run.
I guess what I am getting to is this - just because it is Radio Shack and their 6000+ stores does not make this a good deal for either party. RS is becomming more and more of a K-mart/TG&Y like place. You ain't gonna find the top quality stuff there, and everybody knows it. If MS wants to be associated with that image, more power to them.
I used to live in Maine...do you know how many choices geeks in Maine have for parts stores? Hint: >2. Seriously, probably the only good thing about Radio Whore is they're everywhere...malls, plazas, big cities, little towns. Where ever I go, I can at least rely on having the Whore within a 1/2 hour. Maybe if they were bought out by Frys (which I have never seen) or become the physical frontend to digikey (which I have never visited), they'd be more reasonable. I mean, really, these other stores maybe great, but if they're not in my area (and I can't wait for mail order), RS is, by far, the most convenient solution.
"Nobody owns the fucking words man." - James Dean
$5 says those Radio Shack batteries stop working in my Palm Pilot, and will only work in a wince device.
Stability? Performance?
Get real!
Get Realistic OS!
;)
Somehow, this move does not come as a surpirse to me, but I am disappointed none the less. I remember Radio Shack fondly as a place full of *parts*, not a general-consumer targeted store of ready-made electronics. The chain, however, was apparently (and it's no surprise) unable to profit from such an operation, or at least saw greater oportunity in other areas.
The last time I walked into a Radio Shack was last year, and I was looking for some cat5 cable... I asked the man working the counter if they had any eternet cable, and he looked at me, puzzled, and asked "Internet cable? I don't think we have that."
Ugh. The microsoft deal seemed inevitable, or at least something like it was. Radio Shack is no longer the place it used to be. It's kind of sad.
we have "free" AOL disks^H^H^H^H^H^Hcdroms already...
Yes, but the nice thing about Incredible Universe failing is that the HUGE building in my area was bought by Frye's.
For a company in the midst of an anti-trust trial being presided over by a judge who seems to understand the issue and be willing to make an unfavorable (for MS) ruling, signing a 5-year, $100 million deal looks to me like a way to tell the public, "The DOJ can't touch us, and we're so confident of it, that we're going to put ourselves in 7000 Radio Shack stores nationwide." Am I the only one who thinks that's bold?
but at least its better than RadioShack selling Linux. Now that would be a nightmare. Cause Linux is a prime time OS the ignorant customers who go to RadioShackcould use. yeah...
Is there any connection with a seller of electronic parts called Radio Shack here in Chile?
PS: That's not a teamup, that's a buyout, disguised of teamup because the Antitrust case... Or not?
Well I'll say one good thing for Radio Shat. When I was a kid they used to have Trash-80s in the Tandy Store in Hammersmith, London. We used to hang out in Tandy because I and my mates could write cool graphics demos (like blocky pixels moving in lissajous figures - these were the early days) and as that was the most powerful micro I had access to I learnt quite a lot! Thank you Tandy (they're called Tandy stores in the UK).
-- SIGFPE
"Hi, I need a power strip."
"Sure thing. Can I get your name?"
"No."
"Ok, that'll be 8.95. Will that power strip be used to power an Intel machine?"
"What?"
"And is this PC running Windows?"
"Huh?"
"Would you like a cell phone for a penny?"
"No!"
"How about a Win98 upgrade?"
"Are you kidding?"
"Can I get your name, please?"
"No! What for?"
"I need to check the status of your Windows registration."
If I remember correctly, that sort of thing is of questionable legality. Considering that what RS actually DOES with the material is public knowledge, then the idea of relativism comes into play: I've lived in five apartments in the past two years- I'll just give 'em whichever one I can remember as long as its not the one I'm living at. Then I can plead that I DID live there. They usually ask for "address", not "CURRENT address". Still, I don't suggest lying about your address to anyone- just don't give it out.
,to keep the thread on topic: you gotta wonder at the combined might of the records databases that MS and RS have. That's a lot of junk mail, and a lot of stuff to fuel the fire (if youve got a wood stove).
I really freaked a clerk at Best Buy when I slipped into a Bobcat Goldthwait impression- she asked my zip code. I was buying a damned Henry Rollins CD- who cares where i'm going to be listening to it?
Still
Perhaps they'll bring back the TRS80 and put a M$ "operating system" on it. Then the world would really be going forwards...into oblivion. On the other hand forcing M$ to make efficient use of 16K RAM at a pitiful clock rate (I don't remember?) could teach them a thing or three.
Where I work as a technician. We have several computers setup with Mandrake using either KDE or GNOME. So that way they can see what Linux looks like next to Win98 or Win95 all running on identical machines. Which are Compaq Professional Workstations with dual Pentium Pro 200 cpu motherboard.
It's kind of gone downhill from there.
...phil
...phil
"For a list of the ways which technology has failed to improve our quality of life, press 3."
Uuuh, didn't Microsoft write the OS for the TRS-80 Model I, II, III, and Color Computer? Their dealings go way back. Aaah, the good old days playing with the store demo models. 10 print "I am broken "; 20 goto 10
damn near every LUG I've ever seen does demo days and install fests; they're all over the place. I've seen Redhat, Suse, and Caldera people show up at some, and there are ALWAYS people demoing SOMEHTING... from the guy showing off LinQuake and streaming mp3 to the gal painting a masterpiece in the Gimp. Not to mention the "my desktop is sexier than yours" competitions that always seem to break out....
marquette is in the milwaukee area right? a 30 second browse of linux.org found this lug:
http://mlug.waukesha.tec.wi.us.
uncanny ? I don't think so... its a swirling vortex of every technologically half-assed idea of this century. a regular herberts museum The Last thing i ever bought of any great use from radio shack was a phonograph needle. This mecca of lame has to be more than happenstance.
While it's in Mansfield it may be worth the drive. They have a fairly decent selection of components, LCDs, etc. The place is like the way Rat Shack was in the '80s. We used to have one here in Wooster but they closed up unfortunately. They are a bit pricey though.
More or less. OS/2 was a joint IBM/MS project. MS backed out after version 1.0 (I think. maybe after 2.0?), and used the knowlege gained from that joint venture to begin work on NT.
Instead of avoiding RadioShack we now all have a reason to go there. I will never pass by another one without stopping in and asking the MS drone behind the counter for the latest copy of Linux.
Tell them you love windows but you need to be able to customize the kernel for some special software your developing.. and shucks..you love windows and all...but it just doesn't give you the flexibilty you need. Then maybe ask a bunch of innocent questions about support for the alpha platform.. etc.
Use your imagination but just keep telling them how much you love windows but it just doesn't meet your needs....
10) Transistors all run WinCE, quintupled in size.
9) Sound level meter now constantly asks "Are you sure you want to use that decible setting"?
8) RC cars now automatically attempt to seek and destroy nearest DOJ agent.
7) Old Tandy computers are back, running Microsoft BobCE (tm) as ther OS. Dual processor models availaible, in the BobCE Twin model...
6) Now asked for name, address, and full list of licenced Microsoft products in house.
5) Salesmen required to wear Microsoft Bob masks to appear more friendly.
4) Required to show proof of MSCE to buy most electronics.
3) Radio Shack computers now overpriced and unreliable - the more things change, the more they stay the same.
2) New Microsoft demo of Microsoft Laser Pointer 2000 accidentially blinds entire mall security force.
1) New toy of the year - RC Paperclip.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Overpriced, poor service, always trying to take away your privacy, horrible workmanship, filled with interesting ideas, no-name clones, and worthless pieces of crap.
Microsoft and Radio Shack: a match made in heaven.
seriously, doesn't anyone else see the real reason why microsoft is doing this? it's about access to lower-income and technophobic population brackets. Microsoft OWNS the PC market, why the hell would they sell computers or MCSE books in Radio Shack?
That's not what they're doing at all.
Microsoft wants to sell WebTV in Radio Shack. They want to get set-top boxes to people who are too scared or too poor to buy a computer. They figure that those kinds of people will go to Radio Shack. (I've seen WebTV at K-Mart too; when was the last time you saw WebTV retail at CompUSA?)
Never underestimate Gates at what he is so well known for: marketing.
The same kind of thing holds true for MSN. He is trying to beat AOL, remember. And to do that, he needs to get the attention of clueless people who don't know any better than to think there is only a choice between AOL and MSN.
And Radio Shack, despite my and no doubt other peoples' use of it as a place to get parts quickly (but at a high cost) should remember that most of Radio Shack's business is from people who hate electronics but want to get their kid a cheap RC car and don't know where else to go.
Microsoft already owns the PC-OS market, remember? This is about the ISP and set-top boxes, where they're still not yet on top.
unc_
Here's a typical shopping experience in a RadioShack, in the future...
Salesperson (min. wage teenager): Hi! What can I get for you? [pointing at Sprint's product]...we have cell phones...
Customer: Can you tell me about them?
Salesperson [grabbing the phamplet]: Let's see! The Qualcom 2700 is a great phone. I don't have one yet but my parent's said I can get one after I work here for a month...this is the phone I want to get!
Customer: Why is this good?
Salesperson: Everyone has them!!! Do you want a computer?
Customer: Maybe.
Salesperson: Well we have this nice Compac Persarios...this is a great home computer! My parents said I can get my first one as soon as I work here for a month.
Customer: Okay.
Salesperson: Do you need a DVD? We have this great DVD players. Everyone has one. I'm going to get one for my parents as soon as I work here for a month.
Customer: Okay.
Salesperson: Do you have an ISP?
Customer: What's an ISP?
Salesperson: Hold on let me check with my mananger, Bob. He's cool. [Salesperson talks with Bob, the RadioShack manager] Its Microsoft's.
Customer: What do you mean by that?
Salesperson: Its' MicroSoft's ISP. Its great. I have this at home already.
Customer: Don't you need a computer before you get an ISP???
Salesperson: Umm...no.
Customer: Sorry I need to go now.
Salesperson: Do you need any batteries?
The point being most Radio Shack employees won't enough to sell anything to a typical consumer.
-- ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space!
MS + Starbucks == World domination that Linus will never achieve
This deal kinda reminds me of the puzzle of what happends when StarWars Storm Troopers attack Star Trek RedShirts?
[RedShirts allways die, Storm Troopers allways miss]
How is this?
People who have set up similer partnerships with RadioShack [X10, Zoomer, IBM Aptiva] have ended up not doing so well out of the deal.
Microsoft has a habbit of screwing people over.
I don't actually exist.
I'm sure this will make no difference to the general public, but I have notified RadioShack that I (as a constant customer for electronic parts and PCB supplies) will be taking my business elsewhere. I'm sure it won't change anything, but it doesn't hurt to let 'em know what you think. You can be sure that they'll soon be offering more and more Micro$oft crap.... A shame too, as I remember Radioshack being the shop that I could always find a good bitmonkey to talk Linux s**t with. Oh well...There goes the neighborhood.
PRawk - TeamZero Production (Artistic/Devel Co-operative) BITMONKEY Extraordinaire
Actually, looking at Tandy's track record this makes a lot of sense.
Consdider:
1: The last year the Tandy Model 4D (64k CP\M) was still for sale it was priced at $4,000.00, right next to the 80286/12 which cost less
2: Tandy was the only company I know of that marketed a PC using the 80186 processor
3: Tandy was one of the very few that bought into IBM's MCA bus
And now this. Man, they need to back to basics and just sell leather goods.
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
Anyone else noticed how bad Rat Shack has gone down hill over the past 20 years? Used to, you could walk into the store and not be insulted. Last time I bought something at a Rat Shack, the manager called mall security because I bought-out their entire stock of non-polarized caps. Their manager called them because "I think this guy is making a bomb." What an idiot. First the crap consumer electronics, then the bad computers, then the junk toys, and now it just gets worse.
...and I must say, I feel dirty.
That means Microsoft's shackin' up with a rat? Sounds normal, at least it's not crossbreeding across species...
Radio Shack does a wonderful job of packaging 18 connectors you dont need with the one you do. No, the one you need is not sold seperately. This is simply an extension of the same policy.
Ex Libris Veritas
Speaking of which, has anyone checked out the MS retail shop in the Sony Metreon south of Market? What an underwhelming [and usually empty] place. I wonder if the retail employees get stock options.
Well, i gotta admit, i kinda seen that one coming, Radio Shack has always had that "Microsoft" feel to it. Everything i ever bought from there breaks within a few days of operation. The only question i had is how can a hand-held game get "blue screen of death" ??? =P Maybe i thought that it had some hope, but i guess not. HEre's a question tho, what if a big company like Radio Shack teamed up with Linux?? What would that mean to the community? Would it be too mainstream for some people? I guess that question has been tossed around a nice few times, but it's a pretty serious one. I know a lot of people who use Linux basically because no one else uses it, but what if all of-a-sudden more and more companies used it, and distrubuted with their new computers and the like? Would the popularity decrease? and that is my two cents.
tourettes
Beg to differ with the fellow who says RS always sucked. The original Radio Shack was a warehouse-type electronics parts store near MIT. As such it was run by, and catered to, hardware geeks back in the 50's and 60's. Of course it was bought out, marketed, franchised, and turned into the loathsome thing it is today.
But from my standpoint, the real game is relativism and playing with the truth- to a point. I never lie outright- just shuffle points in time, creatively exaggerate, and lop off last names. The fact of the matter is that the address in question is the truth, but "from a certian point of view" (cue blue lights and music).
Keeping things on track, if a fake name isused enough it can create a life and karma of its own- for many people online their nic is equivalent to a pagan name. I wonder if we'll ever see the day when the nic is so widely accepted that you can stop filling in "First" and "Last" blanks for registration?
The internet hasn't cost anyone their identity- it merely transfers the concept to the next level. And just like the real world, there is a vast innumerable silent majority of nobodies that either don't know, don't care, or both.
A lot of people could care less about a RS/MS partnership- what impact does it have on their lives? What impact does it have on YOURS, truly?
MS is nothing more than a high school bully, beating down and taking credit because it has the power, making friends when it needs them and discarding or steamrolling them when the goal is attained. Its power is threatened, so while MS is waiting in the principle's office to be suspended, it's attempting to make friends with the kids that are walking by outside.
The student body moves on, but the bully ends up either failing out or pumping gas at a unimart until he dies of stupidity or old age- such will eventually be the case with Microsoft, no matter how many partnerships it forges, how many incentives it cuts, or whatever economic incentives are offered. So it's a partner with RS now. As other have already pointed out, MS has a habit of abusing this sort of situation to its own advantage- repeatedly. Obviously RS thinks they have something to gain or they wouldn't have agreed to the bargian. "Give me your lunch money or I'll beat you up"? Maybe with Intel, but with Radio Shack, there's something else going on. Possibly something darker.
The immediate conclusion, based off of Radio Shack experience, is possible access to that vast database of addresses and names- legally. MS can plug the hell out of whatever they're selling at RS through RS advertising, and get it peddled to millions more customers than those who are laughing at the "where do you want to go today?" ads. I don't know about you, but junk mail for Windows would be used to light my next cigarette.
Even if Windows were open-sourced, do you really think it would be used? What are their true motivations in the Radio Shack partnership, and will it really affect us? Does it really mean anything to the end user, or is it just simply another piece of optic clutter on the windshield of our eyes, a testament to corporate greed and expansion?
Really. If it was a quality product, I doubt there would be this much hassle over anything MS does. We don't really need choices, we just need something that works, does everything we need, has comprehensive help, and isn't a pain in the ass (As a Mac user, it seems that Linux has nailed two of these.). Usually software is lucky to get one or two of these options. The proliferation of apps and OSes is proof that no one has hit on all four as yet. Widening the distribution of a universal product isn't going to change the fact that MS has nailed none of these.
I don't get this at all. Why do they need a to cut a $100 million deal just to dump a bunch of MSN dial-up cds at the checkout corner. ISP CDs are everywhere. You really don't even need them. The only logic would be that they plan to distribute broadband. How can they do that? Broadband access is controlled by pipes that they don't own nor possibly could. If they want to give me cable modems service, then that's fine by me. I just don't see how this is possible except for reselling DSL. The last thing we need is another DSL reseller. What we need is more DSL techicians for the the phone companies to lengthen the distance loop allowed for DSL. I won't be able to get Microsoft broadband access if I wanted to.
Newsflash:
...and we won't stop adding internet features to the TRS-80. You have my word on it! We'll take this all the way to the supreme court!"
:/"
In a move that shocked the industry, Microsoft has chosen once-leading hardware manufacturer Radio Shack to create retro-computers running The Windows OS Windows 2000. The new product will mesh the excellent hardware of Radio Shack with the world-class Windows 2000 to be released this November by Microsoft Corp.
Joe Blozzwell from Microsot states, "Users are looking for a new computing experience, and we think that should Radio Shack's old TRS-80 computer was ahead of it's time -- Users no longer want a white box, they want a silver and black box! They don't want a natural keyboard, either, they want a friendly, low-profile chicklet keyboard that the whole family can use."
Industry analysts praised the wisdom of this move today in a press conference. "We think that Microsoft's new TRS-80 venture will compete favorably with the new fashion consious computer users who have flocked to the iMac" said Zipp-Davis enterprise computing analyst Skippy Frotz.
"The Microsoft TRS-80 appeals to the users who want their computer to match their TV and home entertainment center" Gill Bates said "
The TRS-80, once known as the trash-80 was one of the very early home computers, and it included multimedia capabilites including 128X64 1-bit graphics, and sound generated via the cassete output cable. It featured speedy access to programs stored on tape at 300 baud, and an external power supply.
"Yeah, makes sense, a trash OS for a new trash-80!", said Boris Jorgenssen, a supporter of the Free Linux, a fringe operating system that was developed by the Finnish student Linus Torvalds. " anyway, Radio Shack hasn't carried any good stuff for like 15 years. Nobody with half a brain buys computer stuff at Radio Shack. Anybody who shops at Radio Shack deserves to suffer through endless windows reboots and BSODs. My grandma doesn't even shop at Radio Shack!!! Dude... Fry's sucks, but it sucks like 1000 times less than Radio Shack."
Stock prices of Microsoft were up 15 points in heavy mid-day trading apparently affirming their belief that Radio Shack customers will readily accept Windows 2000running on new retro-computers with 300-baud network access and a chicklet keyboard.
Radio Shack sales consultant "Bob" said, "I'm really excited about this partnership! I imagine that Radio Shack is going to be a lot busier soon. I'm going to have to run the carpet sweeper a few more times a day, but that's okay. We're kicking off the deal by bringing back the Battery-of-the-month club, too! Make sure you get the nine-volts..."
In an related story, Clarence Brumb, a policical science graduate student at UCLA, presented his graduate thesis documenting the correlation of his posting of random rumors about Microsoft on stock trading boards, and charting the stock's gain on untrue, undocumented, or non-sensical rumors. "My conculsion is that the US stock market has become a giant pyramid scheme, and Microsoft stock is the at the top - a trader buys Microsoft, then posts speculative messages which cause others to blindly buy the stock, which causes the stock price to go up, repeat - Over and over."
There is a possibility that Radio Shack will change it's name to Microsoft Shack. This is confirmed by an anonymous posting on the underground site of Linux, http://www.slash.org, "My kewl friend who's dad is like a manager at Micro$oft says that they're going to kick out all of the Radio Shack ppl. and change the name of the stores to Microsoft Shack! that sukz
Whatever the case, this journalist can guarantee that the future is full of exciting new services and service packs from the Shack. This journalist for one can't wait to enjoy the convenience of driving downtown to buy Office 2000 and Windows 2000 and to get the Microsoft catalog in the mail every month.
###
Almost all of the comments I have seen completely miss the reason why Microsoft is doing this deal...
It's the connectivity, stupid! Microsoft has invested millions already into companies that provide cable modems... they have also invested heavily in DSL companies such as Northpoint, who signed a deal with Tandy/Radio Shack to market their wares in Radio Shack.. what that means is that Microsoft's fledgling DSL service can work with Northpoint's national DSL service in offering high-speed connectivity across the nation, and of course the default ISP for these "great deals" will be MSN. Radio Shack will have their own install trucks and personnel to bring DSL to the masses, probably using the newest, most consumer-friendly type of DSL which allows respectable bandwidth and telephone calls over the same line. In other words, Microsoft wants to dominate your desktop, your web browser, your gate way to the net, and even make a profit off of getting you connected.
Contrary to what some people think, DSL is a good thing, and getting a lot better real soon. Sure there is the possibility of fast access on cable modems, assuming that all your neighbors don't want on the 'net too... but do you really want to share your bandwidth (and your "secure" network) with Billy down the street? Already, there is information showing that DSL is faster than cable modems during evening hours. Why? Because little Billy is watching that streaming porn again...
Personally, I hope a lot of you are right and that this flops, but I suspect that many drones will jump on the bandwagon once the price range hits about $40 a month... Hey! They can offer three months of free service with every upgrade to Windows 2000! Whee. The idea of using a good DSL modem to deliver MSN is kinda repulsive, no?!? It's like racing your new sports car with the great paint job over gravel roads. Pretty grating...
The Tandy 2000 featured an 80186, which is an 8086 with built in UART and DMA controller. The Tandy 2000 also featured a 640x480 color display at a time when the CGA was standard. All in all, it was about 4 years ahead of its time.
I remember a strange thing about the announcement: it was "85% IBM compatable." Huh? Who would make a "sorta compatible PC"? What software would it run reliably?
Well, it would run all this great new software for a new environment called "Windows." The slight differences in hardware would be hidden by "drivers." Cool, huh?
Except Microsoft didn't ship Windows 1.0 in time. When it did, it sucked. Worse yet, Microsoft decided to put Windows on the backburner in order to produce a new operating system with IBM called "OS/2."
The net result is that Tandy ended up with a warehouse full of Tandy 2000's they couldn't sell. It put them out of the computer business pretty much permanently.
The IBM PC didn't kill the TRS-80, Microsoft did.
>YOU choose to run a huge number of services or startup app
everybody know you're not supposed to run things like telnet and mail and smtp and dhcp on the same server! Jeez. that guy must be really dumb, huh?
I bet he probably tries to run ftp on his webserver, too!
those dumb linux users! no wonder they always say bad things about Windows! they don't configure it right!
...i think ac's are 0 by default.
i enjoyed this post, too.
the only thing missing is the dreaded :
"Would you like to buy an extended warranty with that power strip?"
"How about an extended warranty for that fine 50 ft. roll of RG59 coax cable?"
SGI: $7 per share, `Microsoft' Fahrenheit
Intergraph "workstations ar out, NT is in": oh. you don't sell computers anymore
SEGA: serves you right
Philips: NOBODY wants your CE crap. HAHAHAHA
Radioshack and Microsoft.
I'm staring at it for 5 minutes now, but I still don't get the joke. I'm sure it's in there somewhere...
It doesn't matter. In fact "everything is going to be okay". Here in the old world, Tandy is a byword for tacky product and the fact that they will now have large instore Microsoft concessions will only serve to reinforce this view and -hopefully- destroy what's left of Microsoft's cred. Heheh, you have to admit, it's a good match! I will still visit Tandy, to laugh at their hopeless, shitcart, "Realistic" branded goods and the queue of low-rent idiots that patronise the store, God rot the lot of them.
that IS a smart move - and will make purchasing easier than ever - just look for the MSFT part to get bigger and bigger while the ShadioRack part gets smaller and smaller over time (gobble!).
("Let's move this headphone display back here so I can move our Office2k display up front").
I guess the 25000 strong knowledgable sales force includes the one who recently sold an acquaintenance a wall wart/power pack with backwards polarity which fried her modem!
("Duh, is that center negative or center positive?")
I used to know a fairly wealthy older engineer who was interested in computers in the 80's and everything he bought was Rat Shack - need more memory, disk or a joystick ? pop into the shack and pay their outrageous prices for the 7-11 style convenience.
Chuck
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
A little expansion: IBM & MS teamed up in 1986ish to write a replacement for [PC|MS]-DOS - OS/2. MS negotiated on the same basis as for DOS - i.e. it was written to (mainly) IBM specifications for IBM computers (actually, the PS/2 range), but MS kept the right to sell it's own version for OEM machines.
IBM insisted on support for 286 processors, hence the abortion that was OS/2 V1.X with it's appalling DOS legacy support. This, together with vast resource requirements for the time period (4MB RAM bare minimum, 30MB Disk for the OS alone) prevented widespread uptake and directly led to MS-DOS's survival and even thriving for another 7 years.
Here's where things start to get sticky. Around about 1989, IBM finally agreed that 286 support could be dropped (MS never wanted to support this processor in the first place). This directly led to OS/2 V2.0 which because of the 386's Virtual x86 modes & MMU meant that at last OS/2 could support existing DOS applications. IBM originally wanted to basically graft this support onto OS/2 V1.x, retaining most original features such as the existing Presentation Manager (amongst other effects this would mean that OS/2 was still tied to Intel hardware), wheras MS was more interested in making OS/2 more portable.
For a time, IBM and MS had an agreement: OS/2 V2 would be a 386-only version built on the existing codebase, development of which was led by IBM, wheras MS would start work on OS/2 V3 which would be focused on multi-platform support. The MS project was codenamed New Technology (NT).
Quite quickly, MS decided that their work would benefit from a clean-sheet, rather than picking up OS/2's baggage. Additionally, they had found that a cut-down version of the OS/2 Presentation Manager API could be sold as a DOS extender / GUI in it's own right, and would have fewer resource requirements than a full-blown from-the-ground up multitasking OS like OS/2.
The result - broadly speaking Windows 2.x 386-mode, Windows NT, and IBM's decision to persevere with OS/2 thus OS/2 2.x - is history.
The last version of OS/2 written by MS was V1.2 which added REXX support, a "cleaner" GUI which looks & functions mostly like Windows 3.X, and major enhancements to the OS "integrated" applications Communications Manager, Database Manager, and LAN Manager. IBM then took this, cleaned it up significantly with the goal of reducing resource requirements (MS Bloat even then!), added some additional functionality like Dual Boot to DOS (think minimalist LILO here) and released OS/2 V1.3 which to your humble author was the fasted, most reliable, cleanest OS/2 ever - as long as you wanted to run only OS/2 16-bit applications, of course.
The on-topic bit: Where Microsoft really shafted IBM was in the handover of MS-generated technology for OS/2 V2.x (remember, although an IBM-led effort, base OS coding was still MS's responsibility). I have heard tales of promised kernel functionality and documentation being delivered in the form of "stub" header files containing nothing more than function names & parameters - no documentation, no code, just promises. Delivered late, of course.
As an aside, I actually used a beta version of V2.0, before IBM integrated it's new Workplace Shell interface on top of the existing Presentation Manager. It was the perfect OS for me: quick (the PM was from OS/2 v1.3, the kernel was 32-bit clean), DOS window support (running a slightly modified PC-DOS v5.0 in a window, playing Microprose "Grand Prix" in 1992 was Waaaaaay cool), and relatively lightweight. WPS took a lot longer to settle down....
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I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy
This is a surprise, considering how badly RadioShack/Tandy where burnt by Microsoft by the VIS fiasco.
VIS was a 80286-based "console" that RS/MS developed in the early 90s. VIS was to run "Modular Windows", what we now know today as Windows CE. It flopped so badly-- MS kept screwing things around-- that the burn required Tandy to jettison its Computer division just to stay afloat. As one Tandy designer put it, "Our job was to invest a lot of time and money, and then turn away so that Microsoft could stab us."
(Read Frank Durda's 23-Nov-1998 rant in comp.sys.tandy with your favourite usenet-searcher.)
Radio Shack will have it's name changed. It will be called: "Radio Innovations and Great Technology Shack". Though the word innovation or innovative may turn up more than once. Brad
RadioShlock and Micro$oft are partnering? Talk about two companeis that deserve each other....
When I was a kid, one of my friends bought a 12V 3A transformer from Radio Shack. To test it, we put a 10K Ohm resistor across the secondaries, and watched the wee beastie boil its waxy guts out.
Microsoft sort of provides the same users experience in software.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Hmm...so...Microsoft has
1) the desktop client
2) the server
3) the proprietary protocols
4) the physical stores
that doesn't sound a like a recipe for choice to me...
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
Y'know, Radio Shack has had so many chances to be a really good, useful store, and they have screwed it up horribly every time. They could have been a great parts repository for people into electronics, a/v, and radio, but the substandard quality of the parts and their blockheaded sales staff truly makes the Rat Shack a last resort for even the smallest purchases (yeah, I'll grit my teeth and go in there for the RCA Y-cable, coz its faster than mail order...)
Likewise, Radio Shack has been around since the very beginning of the personal computer revolution - I wrote my very first program around 1980 on a TRS-80 Model III - but they've just never seemed to "get it". They could've made a killing if they'd jumped the gun selling good quality PC accessories rather than overpriced "Tandy" brand (aka Tandy crashtastic floppies for $30+ a box).
And I just can't resist adding yet another rant about their policy of polling customers for name and address. My last Rat Shack experience was as follows: I needed a pair of mid-range headphones in a hurry, and RS was conviently located. Bought a pair of headphones for ~$40 US, took them home, and one channel didn't work. Went back the next day for an exchange - this time I tested them in the store. ANOTHER defective pair! At this point, I wanted my money back, but had to argue with the salesbeing for a while because it wouldn't give me a refund until I divulged my name & address. When I finally revealed my identity as "Zarathustra Rosenthorpe", the salesbeing finally relented.
As far as the Microsoft partnership is concerned, the deal may get them a little more exposure with Random P. Consumer, almost certainly at the expense of a further tarnished reputation. I expect to see MS displays popping up in McDonalds and 7-11 any minute now...
Ohh Gwd.... Another Bad Move For ShitShack... not like I would want my name with MS...
2 mediocre companies coming together, a match made on earth
"Why is this news? It was (on some other site/on some news show/in some publication/already posted on /.) weeks ago!"
"Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgement." Job 32:9
I view this as an excellent move. They'll fit right in.
"You've got questions. We've got dumb looks."
1. 2.
All I have to say is AMEN! I owned a TRS80, as well as a TC2000 and a Commodore64K, so I feel your pain. I'd love to see M$ try and squeeze something out of any of those systems.
PRawk - TeamZero Production (Artistic/Devel Co-operative) BITMONKEY Extraordinaire
... they are NOT a monopoly, I assure you!
yeah
As someone who worked at RadioShack during the 80s, I understand why the hard-core geeks sneer at RadioShack, but the thing hard-core tech people need to understand is that RadioShack hasn't been aimed at them since at least the late 70s when the TRS-80 Model I came out.
RadioShack is now a full-on consumer electronics store. They do stock fuses and light-bulbs and batteries because those parts are incredibly profitable for the company. However, the salesdroid behind the counter doesn't make much money selling you six bucks worth of that stuff, so he concentrates on selling things which make him money: namely VCRs, stereos, cordless phones, satellite dishes, etc.
When I worked at RadioShack, I was one of the most knowledgeable employees we had regarding computers. As much as I liked selling computers at RadioShack, the money was better in supporting them, so I left to get a job as a network admin.
So, the point is: You don't go to RadioShack or any other brick-and-mortar store for good technical advice. You might happen to run into a college student who's working there part time and knows his stuff, or somebody who's between jobs and is working there for some cash in the meantime. For the most part, you're going to run into the same kind of people you find behind the counter in an auto parts store, a Fry's Electronics, a pizza place or a GAP.
Get over it. If you think their prices are high now, just imagine how much they'd have to charge if they hired only people who had legitimate tech knowledge.
BTW: As an aside to the people who think this just proves how much RadioShack has gone completely down the shitter, you might be right, but my Tandy stock has doubled, split, doubled again, split again and nearly doubled again in the last five years.
I used to work at a Radio Shack last year, and I witnessed something you would never believe: people came in actually asking for AOL disks!
I couldn't understand how anyone on earth could possibly not find an AOL disk. Anyhow, I promptly told them to go to any bookstore and buy *any* computer magazine. They would walk out with this confused, puzzled look.
As a former radioshack employee, let me say that this is one of Microsoft's stupidest mistakes. They will be spending a good deal of money on these "stores within stores" but will see little return. Why is this? Radioshack cannot sell computers. While being perceived as a computer store, Radio Shack is more or less incapable of marketing computers correctly. The reasons:
;)
1. Lack of knowledge of computer buyers. Radioshack tried to sell computers priced higher than same models because those "special" computers would contain "learning software", aka the "Creative Learning Series" computers. That software bundle was not terribly compelling. Most windows buyers I met in the store wanted Microsoft Office/Works bundled with the computer, not corel wordperfect and a bunch of outdated kiddie softare. Radio Shack also didn't believe in the concept of bundling the printer with the monitor and the CPU. Reality check: first time computer buyers who don't know much about computers like everything in a nice, tight bundle, with few details to think about.
2. General incompetancy at displaying the merchandise. The Radio Shack Compaq computers never run windows. There is a really crappy demo running on the Compaq's. That demo was not interesting and it didn't draw anybody's attention, especially when the store was loud. People buy computers, not demos. People want to point click around the GUI. The demo also will often freeze and be unresponsive to mouse clicks, which is not what you want to happen when you're trying to show off a computer to a customer. When they saw the demo lock up, they usually lose interest. Finally, radio shack did not display the price for the entire system (printer, monitor, cpu), they just displayed the price for just the CPU. When people saw the price, they assumed it was for everything. They got turned off when they found out the final price for everything would be much higher than the one on price tag. Especially with the warrenties the customer was forced to buy.
3. Complete incompetancy with computers in general. Our server in the back room, running windows NT, on a very, very, small amount of RAM. Swap was hit constantly. Move the mouse around, instant hard drive chatter. Even more stupidly, none of the computers behind the registers or the server in the back has a cd-rom! If we need to look at the cd which has technical specifications on a piece of merchandise or run any programs that make labels, we have to spend five minutes (which are very valuable in a crowded store)finding the keys to unlock the cabinets which house the real computers, which sit under the display computers. Oh, by the way, those display computers are just shells of the new models. The ones in the cabinets under them are 350mhz PII's running the demos, not the 500mhz machines they might be pushing. Another stupid thing that is done in Radio Shack--all the necessary paperwork for selling cell phones, the bread and butter of the store, is still done on paper in most stores. The contract is filled out and printed by hand, and credit checks must be done over the phone. Only at one store did they have a computer that would do credit checks and print contracts, and that one was a 486 running w/ '95 running Visual Basic programs with 16 megs of ram. Again, the refusal of Radio Shack to use computers for cell phone activation wastes time, and time in retail is money. Finally, they replace "upgrade" the store's software from a mostly user unfriendly SCO based system to a completely non-user friendly windows system. The only advantage the windows based system is Y2k compliant. The manager was not allowed to refer to bugs as bugs, but as "issues".
4. Lack of knowledgable employees. While I was the computer guru in my store, and there were one or two people who knew some stuff about computers, many of them really did not know enough to sell computers on the basis of their knowledge. Imagine when they try to push software.
How many will be able to understand what HTML is so they can push those deluxe versions of Frontpage?
5. Image: Radioshack is known as "that store that asks people for their names and addresses." Consumers find this threatening and annoying. Our president, Len Roberts, made the idiotic decision to force us to ask *every* customer whether they want to sign up for sprint long-distance. Is there any better way to tarnish a company's image then to have customers associate Radio Shack with the telemarketers who constantly harrass them at home?
The amusing thing is that Microsoft actually thinks that they are helping to spread their market dominance through this alliance. In all their other alliances, Microsoft usually ends up screwing their partners, but in this case it will be microsoft who will be screwed. And they think they're so clever
Damnation! I didn't tell RS my phone number, but I told them my address (wanted the catalog). Now that MS has access to RadioShack's databases, I want all my personal information removed. How can I accomplish this?
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"I already have all the latest software."