Microsoft Hoping for Vista in January

WebHostingGuy writes "Bill Gates said Tuesday there was an 80 percent chance the company's next-generation operating system, Vista, would be ready in January. He is also hopeful that the next version of Office will ship in December. The holdup, he says, is due to constant revisions due to beta tester feedback." From the article: "'We've got to get this absolutely right,' Gates said. 'If the feedback from the beta tests shows it is not ready for prime time, I'd be glad to delay it.' He said Microsoft was investing $8 billion to $9 billion in developing Vista and the company's next version of Office, its key cash-generator. He said the company's software partners, in developing and adapting their own products for the two launches, would invest 20 times as much as Microsoft."

Credible odds?

[lecithin]

Gates says 80% chance that it will be a go in January.

Mr Gates, how much do you want to bet?

I'd really like to see what kind of odds the Vegas bookmakers would give it.

"The holdup, he says, is due to constant revisions due to beta tester feedback."

Well duh, Just quit testing!

Re:Credible odds?

[2.7182]

I don't think we should be so hard on Microsoft. Has Hurd been completed yet ? In complex projects, these things happen.

Re:Credible odds?

[eln]

What he really meant was that it would be 80% DONE by January. That means, if they release it in January, it will be the most complete and stable OS ever released by Microsoft.

At this point...

[jZnat]

At this point, even Debian has a more reliable release schedule!

Well

[abscissa]

If beta 2 was any indication, they better start from scratch again.

Re:Credible odds?

[morgan_greywolf]

Well duh, Just quit testing!

Right. Testing will be 80% done by January, making Windows Vista the most thoroughly tested Microsoft operating system ever.

Bud Light Presents...

[kneeslasher]

Bud Light presents ... Real Men Of Genius.

[Real Men Of Genius.]

Today, we salute you, Mr Impatient For Windows Vista Guy.

[Mr Impatient For Windows Vista Guy.]

While others marvel at an operating system whose primary repair
tradition is a complete wipe, you just can't wait for more of the
same.

[I just love my Long Horn!]

Yes, it lacks security, efficiency, speed, heck, just about
everything. But ever since 1985, when you first jammed your floppies
into that curvaceous 186, you've been enraptured with Windows.

[It was five and a quarter inches!]

Despite the fact that it requires an array of Crays to run already
invented technologies at sub-optimum speeds, you will beat the rush
and see Notepad and Clock run in CPU-crippling GPU-hogging
translucency.

[It turns on all my pixels!]

So crack open an ice cold Bud Lite, oh Chevalier of the Control Panel,
because whilst the rest of us wonder what Vista will bring, you
already know.

[Mr Impatient For Windows Vista Guy!]

Bud Light beer. Anheuser Busch, St. Louis, Missouri.

Hoping?

[andrewman327]

Well, I'm hoping for a pair of brunettes and a sports car, but it's not happening. I don't know how Bill Gates can even estimate the chance at this point. He says that it keeps getting sent back from testing.

Windows Vista = new Windows();
Vista.announceWayTooEarlyReleaseDate()
Vista.test();

public void test()
{
test();
}

Pitiful?

[NineNine]

Considering that Vista will be once of the most complicated computer programs in computer history, designed to support more hardware and more third party programs than any other app or OS in history, I don't really think that you can call this "pitiful". I can't think of any other app or OS that comes even close to doing what they're doing. Nothing else is even *close*.

Happy holidays!

[Anonymous Coward]

"He is also hopeful that the next version of Office will ship in December."

Oh man, now he's resorting to asking Santa...

Gambling

[darthservo]

Mr Gates, how much do you want to bet? I'd really like to see what kind of odds the Vegas bookmakers would give it.

Since Mr. Gates lives in Washington [pokermag.com], he is unfortunately not able to respond to your wager online. [slashdot.org]

yes but...

[owlnation]

...which January?

8 - 9 BILLION?

[gatkinso]

How does one spend that much money writing code?

Well, OK, when you write it over and over and over again....

Re:Hoping?

[smbarbour]

Well there's the problem right there: You forgot the semicolon after announceWayTooEarlyReleaseDate()

It keeps crashing before it can get to the testing step.

(Oh and test() isn't defined as a method of the Windows class)

Jan

[xming]

There will 1/12 chance that Vista will be released in January, not 4/5.

Wait, back up

[Anonymous Coward]

You can run an application on Linux?

What does it do?

Re:Sneer if you like

[CrazyBusError]

"I'm using both write now myself"

Well, you certainly seem to be using the new macbook keyboard...

"investing $8 billion to $9 billion in developing"

[Il128]

What an amazing waste of money. Seriously, to end up with something that will actually make Microsoft software look worse, less secure, less productive and slower... I'm pretty sure I could do that for a measly billion dollars.

Re:Credible odds?

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't believe you just made me call the White House.

Re:Sneer if you like

[thatguywhoiam]

So go ahead, laugh at Microsoft, har dee har, "u r d3layed AG@1N!" For your purposes -- programming, running a server -- Linux may be the best. Or Mac OS X for that plus video editing, publishing, and other tasks and price points that don't require the full diversity of Wintel... But for most computer users, Windows offers wins because of its compatibility with an incredibly array of cheap hardware and an incredible back (and forward) catalog of software. Microsoft knows this, and THAT'S why they are going to wait until Vista is just right. Yes they screwed the pooch, but they are attempting something that neither Linux nor OS X can touch.

Well, that's all fine and good, as long as they get Vista running properly on my Mac.
(ducks)

Re:Vista or Mac ?

[MyOtherUIDis3digits]

I have a little experience with Linux (RHCE) but I have to say that using it day to day for other than server purposes is like dating a crazy chick. It's a lot of fun and she let's you do stuff with her that other chicks don't, but you often wonder, "Is it worth all the hassle?"

Re:Doesn't matter

[Anonymous Coward]

Every month that goes by without Vista is another month for Linux to improve

Right, but what you're forgetting is that every month that goes by without Vista is also another month for Vista to improve.

I mean, come on, look how much it's improved already. Can you imagine how much another month -- better yet, another several months -- could further improve this already impressive product?

Re:Hoping?

[andrewman327]

Well, now that we solved that glitch maybe Vista will launch by January!

Re:Will there be

[Danse]

Last I heard, all the features were being removed, and that it required an insane machine to run.

Dude, what are you talking about?! Vista is gonna have some sweet new DRM! We can finally quit messing around with our PCs and just let Microsoft run them for us! Think of all the time we spend on the computer that we can now spend doing... umm... other stuff? I think there's supposed to be other stuff we can do anyway... not real clear on that...

Re:Credible odds?

[kponto]

Mr Gates, how much do you want to bet?

"Well, like I said, there's about a 1 in 5 chance that it won't ship. It's hardly a sure thing. So I'll bet... say... a billion dollars."

Revisions due to beta-tester feedback

[Cryptimus]

Shit Bill, in my day we just called 'em bugs.

There's also an 80% chance...

[BadEvilYoda]

MS Vista released in January will be bundled with Duke Nukem Forever!