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Microsoft Operating Systems Software

Malaysian Police Not Roping Longhorn Rustlers 365

Posted by simoniker from the mechanical-bull dept.
Artifex writes "CNN/Reuters reports that an early release of Microsoft's next operating system, 'Longhorn,' is already being sold openly in markets in Malaysia, with local police doing little to stop it. Microsoft's response, of course, is that consumers should steer clear. I'm sure this chaps their hides, as crashing copies of this as-yet-unreleased product are sure to cause dilution of branding."
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Malaysian Police Not Roping Longhorn Rustlers More

Malaysian Police Not Roping Longhorn Rustlers

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  • Buggy Leaks (Score:5, Informative)

    by skajake ( 613518 ) * on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:30PM (#7600804)
    Most of these are simply the same Alpha leak build 4015 [winsupersite.com] that has been available on irc for months.
    They do NOT include WinFS, WinFX, and are extremely buggy.
    • extremely buggy.

      so then its pretty much par for the course?

      i know, i know, -1 flamebait...

    • Re:Buggy Leaks (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Buggy or not is not the issue... it is the "leak" part that is interesting.

      From Microsoft's view point, the more long horn leaks (and that too in poorer markets), the better it is.. it is all about market penetration and training future work force...

      Microsoft can get the government's attention in a flash, but it is much better for them this way... and, don't forget the sympathy points they will earn at home by crying foul about lost revenue (and hence taxes).

      • Re:Buggy Leaks (Score:5, Insightful)

        by arivanov ( 12034 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @04:28PM (#7602095) Homepage
        Ahem. I have seen this in at least several countries. Intentional leaks including leaks by authorized MSFT staff (on payroll). No persecution, nothing until the market penetration hits 90+% and Novell, Oracle, IBM and other companies stupid enough to ask money for software disappear into oblivion. And then comes Billy Boy to talk with the PM and starts tightenting the bolts. In three years the country is paying the standard MSFT rate and it cannot switch because there is no personnel trained in alternatives and there is no money for alternatives because all IT software budget money goes to MSFT. There is simply no free money around on the IT budgets for any conversions.

    • Won't it be the PDC build? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Zone-MR ( 631588 ) <slashdot@NoSPam.zone-mr.net> on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:12PM (#7601278) Homepage
      The latest build is 4051 not 4015. It was launched at the PDC two months ago.

      Here is a little review I wrote: http://www.betaone.net/index.php?showtopic=29402

    • Re:Buggy Leaks (Score:5, Funny)

      by the web ( 696015 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:28PM (#7601439)
      They do NOT include WinFS, WinFX, and are extremely buggy. The release versions WILL include WinFS, WinFX, and be extremely buggy, however.

  • It has to be said (Score:5, Funny)

    by RobertB-DC ( 622190 ) * on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:31PM (#7600812) Homepage Journal
    "It's not a ready product," [Microsoft attorney Jonathan Selvasegaram] said from Malaysia. "Even if it works for a while, I think it's very risky," to install on a home computer, he said.

    So how does that make the pre-release "Longhorn" version any different from, say, Windows XP?

    Longhorn promises new methods of storing files, tighter links to the Internet, greater security and fewer annoying reboots, Microsoft has said.

    Now that's truth in adversising: New, improved Windows! Almost secure! Less annoying than ever! Wow, whoever came up with that marketing line should get a promotion... to the mail room.

    (Hey, someone's going to get modded-up for taking cheap shots at Microsoft. May as well be me!)

    • Re:It has to be said (Score:5, Informative)

      by aborchers ( 471342 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:42PM (#7600950) Homepage Journal
      So how does that make the pre-release "Longhorn" version any different from, say, Windows XP?


      I generally hate to jump to Microsoft's defense, but have you actually used Windows XP? Just curious. I run XP Pro with a major mismash of hardware and have crashed it maybe twice in the two years since it shipped, fewer than the number of times I've crashed X on the RedHat 9 partition on the same machine. Admittedly, crashing the UI system shouldn't nuke the OS, which is what usually happens w/ Windows, but IMHO XP was an incredible improvement in stability over Windows 98 SE, which crashed a couple times a week and would never even shut down properly...

      • Re:It has to be said (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:18PM (#7601341)
        The secret to Windows 98 stability is to install it and not install a bunch of crappy drivers. My Windows 98SE never crashes. It always shuts down and I've never had to reinstall. I use it for MM Fireworks/Photoshop/Mozilla/Flash Development. All that in 96MB on a 200 MHz P1. A bit slow, but it works. Connects to my Samaba box with no problems.

        • Re:It has to be said (Score:3, Interesting)

          by GoofyBoy ( 44399 )
          Thats my exact same experience.

          I have RedHat 9 running on the same machine and although RH has a nicer UI, Windows runs faster and more integrated.
      • XP is an improvement over 98, but not over 2000. Your typical user with a typical machine will crash 98 every couple hours, at least, XP maybe once or twice a day, 2000 can run for days, at least. With heavy use.

        I think ME (never had ME last more than a half-hour without SOMETHING bad happening...but I only used it on 2 different machines) was New Coke....something absolutely horrible to make the replacement go over better.

        Regardless, there's not a lot of brand-dilution to be had here. The people in th

        • Re:It has to be said (Score:2, Insightful)

          by jrcamp ( 150032 )
          How the hell do you manage to crash XP once or twice a day? If that's the case it's a setup issue, not an inherit stability issue with XP. Puhlez.

    • Re:It has to be said (Score:4, Insightful)

      by NanoGator ( 522640 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:55PM (#7601746) Homepage Journal
      "(Hey, someone's going to get modded-up for taking cheap shots at Microsoft. May as well be me!)"

      The problem with cheap shots taken at Microsoft is that they're exhausted. It'd be nice if people here cracking jokes about Windows actually used it so they'd not only be informed about what they're cracking on, but also they'd be able to cook up new jokes.

      BSOD == Old news, funny back in 1998. Uncommmon occurance in Win2k/XP.

      "A problem has occured, but we'd prefer you just tell us back at HQ than actually tell you what's happening" == Modern XP, funny today.

  • Malaysian Police (Score:5, Funny)

    by JahToasted ( 517101 ) <toastafari AT yahoo DOT com> on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:31PM (#7600817) Homepage
    are, however, cracking down on the use of bad puns.

  • Crashing? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:32PM (#7600824)
    I'm sure this chaps their hides, as crashing copies of this as-yet-unreleased product are sure to cause dilution of branding.

    Yeah, I expect to pay for an official branded crashing product. Being able to get one for free seriously undermines their market position.

  • Windows is too stable for me... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Realistic_Dragon ( 655151 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:32PM (#7600827) Homepage
    So I'm going to run a knocked off version of a pre-pre-alpha with a hacked about XP core and an experimental interface from the company with the worst QA record in the entire universe.

  • What use could it possibly be? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by StyleChief ( 656649 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:34PM (#7600860)
    It seems that the utility of such a release would be limited at best. Perhaps the publicizing of this simply serves as more proverbial "egg on the face" of Microsoft than any other purpose.
    • None. The PDC build is unbearably slow, and there isn't much new from a user perspective. Without the beta Whidbey and the SDK there is no reason to run Longhorn as it is now.

    • Re:What use could it possibly be? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by nat5an ( 558057 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:40PM (#7600924) Homepage
      More than likely, it's simply a case of pirating whatever comes their way. So far as I can tell, the basic process for pirating stuff in SE Asia consists of making a good cover for the product with as many possible logos (DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, VCD, Windows, Microsoft, Logitech, Abercrombie, etc.), some misspelled/grammatically incorrect English, and then burning as many copies as the market will sustain. In my experience in the middle east, the copies were actually burnt on demand for customers. I don't think extensive market research and a serious analysis of product utility has much of a place in the business plans of pirates. Or of Microsoft for that matter.
    • Hey, but think of all the free testing microsoft is going to have performed! Before they had to release it to customers before any bugs saw the light of day.

  • Wishful thinking (Score:4, Interesting)

    by pvt_medic ( 715692 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:36PM (#7600876)
    Maybe this will cause the price of microsoft products to drop, just like we saw with Playstation [slashdot.org] in China.

    • Re:Wishful thinking (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Dr. Molf ( 586917 )
      Nice try. Except you bought the misguided premise of the other article (piracy has dropped cost of PS2 discs), which in terms of economics is completely off. It seems nice to try and relate these stories -- but in reality, they're not similar. The reasons that China has lower PS2 games has to do with: a) disposable income (less than US/Western Europe) b) comparable products (ie, VCDs/DVDs for $1) c) lax IP protection laws. It's possible that they might start selling Windows products overseas for very lo

  • Longhorn (Score:5, Funny)

    by nizo ( 81281 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:36PM (#7600878) Homepage Journal
    No. 1 software firm says operating system, not due until 2005, now selling in Malaysia for $1.58.

    Hey, now there is a price I might pay for Longhorn. Actually the reason M$ picked that name is to deter software pirates here in the U.S. If you steal Longhorn(s) in Texas that is still a hanging offence.

    • Re:Longhorn (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Deflagro ( 187160 )
      Still too pricy for me though...compared to the 0$ I'm sure I can get it for. Don't know why i'd want it but....

    • Re:Longhorn (Score:5, Funny)

      by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:44PM (#7600968) Homepage Journal

      ...says operating system, not due until 2005, now selling in Malaysia for $1.58.

      Hey, that's $697.42 cheaper than Linux! I proclaim this the death of Linux.

    • Re:Longhorn (Score:3, Funny)

      by mrtroy ( 640746 )
      Microsoft chose the name actually, because of the rumours only steers and queers came from Redmond. They are trying to trick you into thinking M$ arent the latter of the two, as most of us thought.
      • In which case they are only adding eunichs to the list... as a Longhorn has typically been releived of the burden of testicles.

        So I guess this version of Windows Server hasn't got the balls to be in my server room.

    • Re:Longhorn (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      This comment, nor any of the atttempts under it are funny. Why do you even try to be?

  • finally ... (Score:5, Funny)

    by nicodaemos ( 454358 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:37PM (#7600894) Homepage Journal
    Microsoft advises Malaysians to stear clear of the Windows operating system .... finally some good advice from Redmond.

  • Okay (Score:5, Funny)

    by iamdrscience ( 541136 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:38PM (#7600896) Homepage
    PUN CONTEST!

    Rustlers, Chaps their hide, branding and steer clear.

    Are there anymore? Anybody who can think of another pun gets a "Talking about computer hardware made my mother board" t-shirt!
    • Fortunately, even with this greenhorn product, kernel panic is unlikely to cause a stampede...

    • Re:Okay (Score:5, Funny)

      by Valdrax ( 32670 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:56PM (#7601095)
      You missed the "from-the-mechanical-bull-department" tagline, which I have a small beef with. I'll chip in with the observation that sales of Gateway computers have inexplicably climbed.

      So, do I get the shirt?
      Could I get it as a jersey instead?

      • Re:Okay (Score:3, Funny)

        by Artifex ( 18308 )
        *choking on my french fries :)*

        First person to follow my (wagon) train of thought.
        Does this mean there's not much herd mentality here, or is everyone just keeping their opinions in rein?

        • Re:Okay (Score:3, Funny)

          by Theaetetus ( 590071 )
          Does this mean there's not much herd mentality here, or is everyone just keeping their opinions in rein?

          I don't know, Bo', 'vine as all these puns might seem, they're tough four me to stomachs.

          -T

    • I didn't read the article, but it sounds like typical bullshit for the DMCA/RIAA crowd to butter up their claims that "The Steaks are High!" and "Just Cownt The Money We're Losing!", where in reality, nothing could be fodder from the truth. Or as recently herd on Slashdot ... "Moove on -- nothing to see here."

      That said, I do think taking the bull by the horns and running with Longhorn is a an udderly bad idea, even in Singapore.

      Should have really posted this as anonymous cow-ard instead of trying to milk

    • Death by Pun (Score:5, Funny)

      by HighOrbit ( 631451 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:53PM (#7601723)
      Enough puns already! Let's put this out to pasture before we all step in it.
    • I think Microsoft has a lot at stake. Of course on SlashDot we normally roast them, the EU is set to broil them. Despite all that, Microsoft is still it's own wurst enemy. Many customers are out for blood after having paid double dollars to be put out to pasture.

      I'll just be happy to see them turning on a spit, regardless of who out-flanks them.

  • What has more holes than a Microsoft product? (Score:4, Funny)

    by el_flynn ( 1279 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:38PM (#7600905) Homepage
    The article mentions that "software companies were working with the authorities on the problem, but the police were more concerned about controlling pornography."


    Nuff said.

  • Move along.... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by mrpuffypants ( 444598 ) * <mrpuffypants@gm a i l . c om> on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:39PM (#7600908)
    Look, if you buy alpha-grade software from ANYWHERE and it starts to crash or behave oddly then you don't get a chance to complain to somebody.

    When I played through Half-Life 2 a while back and monsters didn't render I didn't post my disgust to any online forums; I just realised that I was playing an unreleased, buggy version of the software and should be glad for what I saw at all.
    • "Move along, little doggies."

      Yee-hah.

    • Stolen Software Woes (Score:3, Interesting)

      by medscaper ( 238068 )
      Yeah, boy does that dredge up memories. I remember back in the BBS days I got ahold of a copy of "Chicago" from a BBS that was owned by a guy who interned at Microsoft in the summers. It was Win95, I think, in its infantile pre-alpha stage.

      I had a dual boot machine at the time with OS/2 and Win 3.1, all my school assignments, code, etc. all unprotected and un-backed-up on my one-and-only machine. Gee, Fred, can you see this one coming?

      So, I spent hundreds of hours over about 2 weeks downloading all the v

  • There is one solution to piracy: free software (Score:5, Insightful)

    by SexyKellyOsbourne ( 606860 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:39PM (#7600910) Journal

    The only solution to piracy in the third world is free, open-source software. Many countries being harassed by the various shady trade organizations for piracy, such as China, Brazil, and Vietnam, are switching over to open source as much as possible. There is no way that people who live on a dollar a day are going to be able to shell out hundreds of dollars every year for proprietary, closed-source software, and software companies are foolish to worry about it.

    In fact, the Malaysian authorities punishing such persecution, usually at the indirect prodding of US corporations and the US corporate government, will backfire. If there's no persecution Windows is 95% pirated, then Microsoft makes 5% -- if they are persecuted and forced to switch to free software, and FreeBSD gets used for everything, then Microsoft gets 0%. Supporting punishment of third-world pirates, thus forcing them to switch to free software, is actually good for the open source movement.

    • Yeah, people who have no respect for commercial products will definitely respect the GPL/LGPL. Countries with no respect for human rights or even copyright will definitely honor the GPL/LGPL, too.
      • respecting the gpl doesn't cost anything.

        respecting copyrights of properiaty operating systems and office suites can be quote costly. the point is that they can't satisfy the international treatys if they keep using expensive properiaty software, however they can do that if they switch to Free alternatives.

        -

      • Re:There is one solution to piracy: free software (Score:4, Insightful)

        by cduffy ( 652 ) <charles+slashdot@dyfis.net> on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:25PM (#7601406)
        Yeah, people who have no respect for commercial products will definitely respect the GPL/LGPL. Countries with no respect for human rights or even copyright will definitely honor the GPL/LGPL, too.
        Sure they will, because it makes economic sense to do so.

        So, you're building your own linux distribution (or piece of embedded hardware, or whatever). You want to use Samba, but you need to write a few patches. Fine. You write your patches, and then you have two choices:

        - Pay your programmers to port your patches to work against a newer samba every time one comes out

        - Release your patches back to the Samba project and let *them* front-port your patches for you.

        Guess which one is cheaper? No, really.

        Most (not all, but most) commercial compliance with the terms of the GPL happens not because it's the legal thing to do, but because it makes good economic sense.
    • If 3rd world countries won't respect copyrights, who says they are going to respect the GPL which itself is a copyright.
    • Most people just want something that will run out of the box. Since they cannot afford to pay the retail price, market forces will prevail and bring lower prices. If people want Windows, they're going to get it even if you wave a finger at them and say BSD or *NIX is better. Cracking down won't and hasn't removed piracy, its merely made the pirates (Arrrr) sneakier.
    • "The only solution to piracy in the third world is free, open-source software."

      Though Slashdot always appreciates a post that advocates both OSS and punishment against Microsoft, I must complain that it is a solution, not the only solution. Lower prices. That's it. Simple as that. Supply and demand. Yadda yadda yadda.

    • There is no way that people who live on a dollar a day are going to be able to shell out hundreds of dollars every year for proprietary, closed-source software, and software companies are foolish to worry about it.

      If they can afford the hardware then they can probably afford the software. The idea that people are only living on a dollar a day in china is ludicrous. The poorest countries in the world make about 200-300 usd dollars a month (if they are working) and most of those people DO NOT HAVE COMPUTE

  • about $1.58 (Score:2, Funny)

    by Cap'nMike ( 631536 )
    That's what I'm willing to pay for the next version of Windows. As well, the prototype Longhorn is supposedly buggy and unstable, possibly compromising your system. At least Microsoft is consistant.

  • What are the limits of piracy ? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by rcastro0 ( 241450 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:40PM (#7600931) Homepage
    I mean, the definition of the word "piracy".

    It is very obvious to me that this Longhorn system is not something people can use today, as it is. I mean, MS will still work on it for a long while before it can be trusted upon (if then).

    So, what use are they except as a "preview" of what MS is cooking ? And, as a "preview", how much different is it from an article about it ? And how much can it hurt ? Everything that looks good will be "wow", everything that looks bad will be "can't wait for them to fix it"!

  • no, no, no, it's all good business (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ciaran_o_riordan ( 662132 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:41PM (#7600935) Homepage
    Microsoft have to say "oh, we wish this wasn't happening". If they didn't say that, the west would get annoyed, and complain about unfairness. (because we all know how badly off the west is :-)

    Microsoft can get enforcement whenever they want, but in poorer countries, the market saturation is more important. (and that these illegal copies will train people to know Microsoft).

    When they want to flip the table, they complain to the US govt, the US govt threatens to put malasia on the 301 Watch List (list of countries where the US aren't happy with "IP enforcement). Once they go on this list, people are afraid to trade with them, the IMF stops loaning them cash, and the World Bank stops rolling over it's existing loans. This happened to Korea already (and it was Microsoft that made it happen).

    Add to this that the US delegation to the WIPO summits always contains Microsoft representatives (as "industry experts"), and you have a lot of control, without being visible, whenever they want.
    • If people want to find out more about the copyright and patent politics & tricks of global trade, I highly recommend "Information Feudalism", by Peter Drahos with John Braithwaite.

      "Information Rules!" has been recommended to me by the same person that recommened "Information Feudalism", so it's probably also very good.
      "Globalisation and it's Discontents" is an okay book. It focuses on economics though, and the malpractice of the IMF and World Bank.
      On my homepage, I keep a list of good books [compsoc.com], and on

  • My 0.02 ringgit on the issue (Score:5, Insightful)

    by GillBates0 ( 664202 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:41PM (#7600936) Homepage Journal
    He said software companies were working with the authorities on the problem, but the police were more concerned about controlling pornography.

    If, indeed, the police are treating this issue as secondary to illegal pornography, then I would say they are on the right track.

    Not that I am against pr0n as such, but a lot of human suffering goes into producing much of it, especially much of the cheap, street quality stuff. Most of the characters are drugged/coerced into performing by their overlords, any many do it out of necessity, in order to get their square meals. Most of them are prostitutes, who were forced in by pimps/etc.

    So, to end the rant, I think the police have their priorities right, if they're more worried about stopping the pr0n racket than protecting the rights of a multi-billion dollar company.

    • Re:My 0.02 ringgit on the issue (Score:5, Insightful)

      by bmajik ( 96670 ) <matt@mattevans.org> on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:59PM (#7601131) Homepage Journal
      I agree with you completely, and i work for microsoft :)

      If the police only have enough time to attack one evil, and they get to choose between going after people selling burnt CD's of Longhorn Alpha, or, they get to go after illegal porn (where $illegal is something like snuff films, or child porn, etc), i say go after the illegal porn.

      I'd guess that they aren't behaving so virtuously though, if they're anything like most US cops. They probably just don't care about software piracy. Maybe there's no money to be made raiding $1.58 piracy rings as compared to the money to be made going after illegal porn vendors.

      I sure wish american cops would spend more time solving problems like rape and murder as opposed to setting up speed traps on highways where the speed limits are set artificially low..

      but, speed traps give much better returns than arresting rapists only so that they can get out of jail in 6 months and do it again.

      • but, speed traps give much better returns than arresting rapists only so that they can get out of jail in 6 months and do it again.

        no, it saves the lives of arrogant idiots that think they dont have to obey speed laws.

        we had an idiot in a BMW shot to death last month, It seems that the bmw driver was too stupid to understand that tailgaiting is not only dangerous but can cause someone that is unstable to kill them... Interviews from many mentioned the BMW was driving inches from other drivers and forcin
    • This is going to get really off topic.

      >but a lot of human suffering goes into producing much of it,

      Much? How do you define much? Lots are made in the US where there are laws and a whole lot of police and D.A. willing to work over-time to crack down on this stuff. Is the industry clean, Hell no. But "alot"?

      > especially much of the cheap, street quality stuff.

      Its all "cheap/street quality". Just because I spend money on better film and soft lighting doesn't mean that its not "cheap/street qualit

    • Re:My 0.02 ringgit on the issue (Score:4, Funny)

      by microcars ( 708223 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:06PM (#7601208) Homepage
      "..Not that I am against pr0n as such, but a lot of human suffering goes into producing much of it,..."

      as opposed to Windows, where a lot of human suffering goes into using it.

      Do you think the Pirated version has "new" Longhorn Startup Sound [poormemphis.com] in it ?

      (sorry, repost, but I like it, :P )

    • many are prostitutes
      Had to laugh at that part, it's all a form of prostitution -your superstar bombshell U.S. porn actress is just a whore. sex for money, just on film. Streetwalkers get picked up & thrown in jail, but then if you *film* it, why that's adult entertainment. hahahaha

    • If, indeed, the police are treating this issue as secondary to illegal pornography, then I would say they are on the right track.


      If it wasnt for illegal pornography why would anybody bother with computers at all? ;P

    • During a business trip to Malaysia, I was unfortunate enough to see the dark underbelly of the sex trade. It was just one block off of Jalan Sultan Ismail, which is one of the main roads in the city with big malls and many 5-star hotels. One of my business associates wanted to eat a duran, which is a horrendous smelling tropical fruit. He saw a fruit stand selling duran on a side street while we were walking down Jalan Sultan Ismail. I wasn't going to eat anything served by a street vendor as a number of t

  • Cowboy references? (Score:5, Funny)

    by worst_name_ever ( 633374 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:41PM (#7600939)
    I'm sure this chaps their hides, as crashing copies of this as-yet-unreleased product are sure to cause dilution of branding."

    What is this, Subliminal Cowboy Reference Day on Slashdot?

  • not so sure... (Score:3, Funny)

    by theMerovingian ( 722983 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:43PM (#7600953) Journal
    crashing copies of this as-yet-unreleased product are sure to cause dilution of branding

    Yeah, I bet they will think twice about buying burned copies of the Longhorn release version, once they see how much this one crashes.

  • Can of worms (Score:5, Interesting)

    by OMG ( 669971 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:43PM (#7600956)
    Well, what will happen if some folks already use Longhorn and a new worm attacks Windows and Longhorn as well. Of course Microsoft is NOT going to provide a patch until Longhorn is officially released. I guess this will become a serious problem any time soon.
  • That way rather than trying to collect the cows now that the gate has been left open, Microsoft would have several thousand free employees helping to fix all the problems with Longhorn.
  • to be Malaysian!

    *sniff*
    *sniff*

  • You Get What You Pay For (Score:3, Funny)

    by TypeMRT ( 678353 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:49PM (#7601025)
    Anyone who thinks $1.58 is a good deal for a pre-alpha Microsoft OS deserves that "experience"

  • Rumour? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by t_allardyce ( 48447 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:50PM (#7601027) Journal
    I heard that the reason longhorn won't come out til 2006 is because there was a judgement in 2000 that Microsoft had to share certain source code with certain companies for 5 years (ie until 2005) and that they dont want to write the bulk of the DRM in until after that? Can anyone confirm or is that total crap?

    • Re:Rumour? (Score:5, Informative)

      by advocate_one ( 662832 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @05:35PM (#7602814)
      You're partly right...


      MS/DOJ: Judge accepts most of settlement agreement [infoworld.com]

      "The "remedy" ruling is in effect for five years unless the court chooses to extend it, and orders Microsoft not to retaliate against computer makers who offer competing software products with the PCs they sell."


      Judge Goes Easy on Microsoft [eweek.com]

      "In a related matter, Kollar-Kotelly ordered Microsoft to disclose and license communications protocols used by clients running on Windows to interoperate with Microsoft servers. The company is also required to disclose APIs and technical information that Microsoft middleware uses to interoperate with the operating system, but the disclosure provisions fall far short of the states' requests."

      DRM is not subject to the order [infoworld.com]

      "Microsoft does not, however, have to document, disclose or license APIs (application programming interfaces) or communications protocols that would compromise the security of systems used for antipiracy, antivirus, software licensing, digital rights management, encryption or authentication."

  • Buggy etc (Score:4, Interesting)

    by DarkSarin ( 651985 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @02:50PM (#7601030) Homepage Journal
    Hey, at the very least they won't have to do any further testing to make sure it works as expected...

    In all seriousness, though, WHY would anyone want such a thing. The ONLY reason I would be interested in something like that is if it ALSO came with enough source to compile. After all, that would put a monkey wrench in things.

    Imagine if someone who got (however) access to the source, then wrote a paper on what would be necessary to implement compatibility, and then someone else, upon reading it, then wrote a description of that paper (but with enough detail to be useful). Now imagine if someone then implemented the description. What is their level of liability (having never seen the source, or even the paper by the guy who wrote it)?

    Even so, it would probably be easier to just do it the way we are--from scratch. Another question though--are the names of certain files copyrighted? That is, if I know program X wants bar.dll, can I make a .dll that does essentially the same thing and call it bar.dll? If the code is different, but it does the same thing, is it still IP infringement?

    Just questions, don't flame me because I am asking--I really want to know.

    • Re:Buggy etc (Score:3, Funny)

      by Svartalf ( 2997 )
      Are all the people named "Bill" guilty of IP infringement with Bill Gates?

    • Rewritten .DLLs (Score:4, Interesting)

      by MarcQuadra ( 129430 ) * on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:28PM (#7601430)
      I know of at least one rewritten .DLL, for Windows9x, the folks at wininternals rewrote the VCACHE functionality with some better self-management and memory compression. Apparently they did accomplish a working replacement to the Windows VCACHE system, but without full-disclosure the performance and reliability were limited. In the end the speed was the same as the old VCACHE, and the compact/compress parts didn't seem to be all that useful.

  • From the Article (Score:5, Funny)

    by ewhenn ( 647989 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:00PM (#7601145)
    Longhorn promises new methods of storing files, tighter links to the Internet, greater security and fewer annoying reboots, Microsoft has said.

    Fewer reboots, what a feature. I got a good laugh out of that. Imagine if GM claimed to sell you a car that would 'start more often'.

  • Aww, that's a shame! (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Cryofan ( 194126 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:02PM (#7601179) Journal
    People who make $200/week are not going to have to pay $200 or more for Microsoft's latest product....

  • Microsoft PR (Score:4, Insightful)

    by bs_02_06_02 ( 670476 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:04PM (#7601192)
    The Microsoft PR juggernaut is hitting full stride. "Any PR is good PR!"

    I think somewhere, a Microsoft employee (or contractor) leaked this pre-release copy out to the web just to get some free testing.
    It makes sense... leak it, and just listen. Learn what the rest of the world has to say.
    Let's say that the programmers/contractors want to know what the world thinks: If they release a pre-alpha, the news media might not like it, MS would see their market value take a hit. If the pirates don't like it, too bad... but it's not a loss, it's a learning situation.

    Secondly, MS, if they were just a bit smarter, could put some positive spin on this event by saying, "Hey, Longhorn is so good that pirates are making $1.50 on pre-alpha copies... just wait until we get a few more bugs worked in... I mean out."
    One last thought:
    Anyone stupid enough to pay $1.58 for a pre-alpha release has probably gotten exactly what they deserve.
  • 1. profit!!
    .
    .
    .
    2. late release
    3. miss shipping date
    4. design product

  • They'll just change the name... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by drywater ( 543888 ) on Monday December 01, 2003 @03:12PM (#7601274)
    Six months before it's released, they'll change the name to Windows 2006 or whatever and all of the bad press goes away. Sheep consumers hear Windows 2006 and think, "Well, it's not that Longhorn version I've heard so many bad things about, so it must be okay." They buy it up because they're too scared to try anything else even though the new EULA says that MS can turn on your webcam and watch you any time they want.
  • crashing copies of this as-yet-unreleased product are sure to cause dilution of branding.

    If crashing causes dilution of branding then no one would think Microsoft when whatever flavor of Windows they have crashes...

    ...hang on a second...I just remembered I patented software crashing. I'll have to get my lawyers to start them royalty lawsuits. Pretty soon even my lawyers will be richer than God, and I'll be richer than Bill Gates! Brilliant! [guinness.com]

  • Tagline*: After the Borg King's daughter, Longhorn Alpha, is kidnapped by the Pirate Captain Malaysia, Longhorn's childhood friend Steve Ballmer must team up with rogue pirate SCO to save her. Little do they know that these pirates are cursed. Forced to exist between living and dead, and only revealing their skeleton forms in the moonlight, the pirates intend to use Longhorn's BSOD and holes (a part of their curse) to return to their normal state.

    Coming soon to court rooms near you ! PIRATES OF THE MALA
  • I'm sure this chaps their hides, as crashing copies of this as-yet-unreleased product are sure to cause dilution of branding.

    Why should this cause any more dilution of branding than the crashing copies of released product has?

  • Malaysian Police Not Roping Longhorn Rustlers

    For a minute, I thought this was about some sort of 'rough trade' deal. I hesitated mightily before clicking on it in Evolution.

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