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Microsoft

Windows Vista Faces Lawsuits 509

Posted by Zonk from the expensive-view dept.
WindozeSux writes "When tech company Vista discovered the title for the new Windows Operating System version, company founder John Wall was not amused. John Wall may take this to court because he knows of how protective Microsoft is over their trademarks. From the article: 'A Microsoft spokesman said the company chose Vista from a list developed by the Windows team, based on attributes of the new software. Among its primary selling points are new tools for searching and viewing the contents of a PC; communications features; and a lighter desktop appearance with transparent objects.'"
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Windows Vista Faces Lawsuits More

Windows Vista Faces Lawsuits

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  • What about Apple? (Score:5, Funny)

    by brilinux ( 255400 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:41PM (#13147642) Journal
    Among its primary selling points are new tools for searching and viewing the contents of a PC; communications features; and a lighter desktop appearance with transparent objects.

    Why did they not just call it "Mac OS X" then? Vista... geesh.

  • BAM! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Sensible Clod ( 771142 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:44PM (#13147648) Homepage
    Turnabout == fair play.

    </optimistic>

    Does anyone think this will stop Microsoft from pulling similar stunts?

    *earth oscillates from the force of millions of Slashdotters' heads shaking*

    • Re:BAM! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by MonkeyOfRage ( 779297 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:52PM (#13147702)
      Does anyone think this will stop Microsoft from pulling similar stunts?

      Stop them? It'll reinforce the value of pulling the stunt first.

    • Re:BAM! (Score:3, Funny)

      by bigman2003 ( 671309 )
      Actually, Vista (the company) was stupid.

      Fortunes can be made by waiting until the product comes out. After it sells in the millions (and millions), THEN you slap them with a lawsuit. This way you can take a cut of their profits from the products already sold, and tell them that your own business is 'irreparably damaged' because of the confusion.

      Why sue BEFORE any money has been made?!? That's just a warning.

  • Preemptive strike... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jmcmunn ( 307798 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:44PM (#13147651)

    Sue for the name, or be sued I guess. Sounds like they have a case for the trademark being theirs as a name, but these cases always seem silly to me. Clearly "Windows Vista" is not the same as "Vista" the software company. It's doubtful anyone is going to confuse them.

    On the other hand, you damn well bet if I happened to own a company by the name of the up-and-coming Windows OS, I would be making sure my name was EVERYWHERE right about the time the new OS came out. Hell, I'd even offer to sell them the name for $500 million or something, make it worth my time.

    • Re:Preemptive strike... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by RoadkillBunny ( 662203 ) <roadkillbunny@msn.com> on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:47PM (#13147666)
      Clearly "Windows Vista" is not the same as "Vista" the software company.

      Neighter is Microsoft Windows and Lindows.

      • Re:Preemptive strike... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by jmcmunn ( 307798 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:50PM (#13147688)

        Yes, but Lindows was created (the idea and name) in order to woo current Windows owners into switching to an OS that sounds similar and is hyped as being easy to use etc...

        Lindows was something created after Windows, and was meant to use the name to draw customers. There is a clear diference here. Vista is an existing company with (as I understand) an entirely different product in a non-competing market.

        (oh, and I have nothing against Lindows at all, it is just not a valid argument IMHO)

        • Re:Preemptive strike... (Score:5, Interesting)

          by NutscrapeSucks ( 446616 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @12:16AM (#13147824)
          with (as I understand) an entirely different product in a non-competing market.

          Yes, but I don't think that matters that much because both companies produce software products.

          For example, I called my cool new Windows spreadsheet program "SuperLinux", I would not be surprised if Linus Torvolds' attorney served me some papers. Just the fact that the products are both software would be confusing to everyone. (And maybe when the shoe is on the other foot, the slashbots will understand what I'm talking about.)

          Just imagine the sales calls:
          "Hi this is Fred from Vista Software"
          "Un, you mean like Windows Vista??"
          "That's only the 10th time I've heard that today."

          The thing is that a good brandname is worth zillions of dollars. I'm sure MS was fully aware of these guys and just figured they were small-fries that could easily be bought off. (And , I'm sure that Apple though the same way about TigerDirect, The Open Group, Apple Records, etc.)

        • Re:Preemptive strike... (Score:5, Insightful)

          by toddbu ( 748790 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @01:13AM (#13148023)
          ... an entirely different product in a non-competing market

          My understanding is that "a different market" means where there is no confusion on the part of a consumer or that there is no damage to the brand. I think that Vista could easily make the case that their brand will be damaged. Imagine calling a prospective client and introducing yourself as a software company called "Vista". If the prospective client knows about Windows Vista, what will be their reaction? Whether it's positive, neutral, or negative, there's clearly brand confusion. This isn't like Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Money where you're prefixing a common word with the company name to create a new brand. If Vista is a trademarked name for any type of software, I think Microsoft has a long uphill battle.

        • (oh, and I have nothing against Lindows at all, it is just not a valid argument IMHO)

          Mike Rowe soft ?

    • Re:Preemptive strike... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Linus Torvaalds ( 876626 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:50PM (#13147686)

      Clearly "Windows Vista" is not the same as "Vista" the software company.

      That will be Microsoft's position right up until such time as Windows Vista is large enough to be the dominant name in the industry, and then they'll just turn around and sue him for infringing on their Windows Vista trademark.

    • Re:Preemptive strike... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by CosmeticLobotamy ( 155360 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @12:08AM (#13147777)
      Except if "Vista" the software company ever puts out a piece of software and writes in big letters "Vista Flabbledygooker" on the box, it becomes potentially confusing. And it's going to be especially annoying if they have to write in nearly-as-big letters, "Not Windows(TM) Vista compatible" to keep from getting billions of angry letters.

      • Re:Preemptive strike... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by surprise_audit ( 575743 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @12:26AM (#13147885)
        But also, if Vista has already trademarked their name, they *have* to defend it, or lose it.
    • How many people say "Windows XP" as opposed to just "XP"? I'd bet that after "Windows Vista" comes out there won't be a single techie mentioning the name "Vista" in a conversation about computers without connecting it with Windows. I can't see how there *wouldn't* be confusion for the customers or potential customers of Vista.
    • these cases always seem silly to me.

      Lawyers make laws.
      Lawyers make laws designed to create business for lawyers.

      Personally, I find these law suits horrible, depressing, and a clear example of corruption of the legal system.
      • I find your ignorance horrible, depressing, and a clear example of not knowing a goddamn thing about the legal system.

        Congress makes laws, not "lawyers." Though a large percentage of Congressmen/women are/were lawyers, they don't make laws to make lawyers money. They make laws to, in theory, make life function more smoothly. Imagine this scenario: You go into a store to buy some mouthwash. You see a bottle of Scope and a bottle of Scope. Which do you choose? You don't know you say? You can't tell the diffe

    • Buy Him Out, Boys! (Score:3, Interesting)

      by uberdave ( 526529 )
      Clearly "Windows Vista" is not the same as "Vista" the software company. It's doubtful anyone is going to confuse them.

      How often do people drop the term "Windows". I mean, it's called 95, 98, ME, XP, NT, so why do you think it will not be called simply "Vista". Microsoft can't change the name (Well, they could, but it's unlikely because there's a huge marketing machine in place). They could, of course, could drag it through the courts, but that would be unwise PR-wise (Cue up the "Microsoft steamrolls

    • wxWindows (Score:5, Interesting)

      by burbilog ( 92795 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @05:05AM (#13148615) Homepage
      Remember wxWindows, excellent library (better than QT IMHO)? It existed for a very long time, but Microsoft recently forced them to rename to wxWidgets.

  • I think.. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by SocialEngineer ( 673690 ) <invertedpanda@ g m a i l . c om> on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:45PM (#13147652) Homepage

    MS deserves to be sued for picking such an un-attractive name for an OS. :P

    Windows 2000? Yeah, that works. XP? Sure. ME? Not great, but it is better than "Vista". How many people are going to actually know what "Vista" means, anyway? I'd put 20 on people thinking that the newest incarnation of Windows is some spanish distribution.

    • Y'know, it's not Microsoft's fault for assuming that Joe Public isn't some completely uneducated _moron_ who doesn't know the basic vocabulary of the english language.

      It's perfectly reasonable to think that someone knows what "Vista" means.

      I also think a problem with a lot of products nowadays is that these companies who are making the product are afraid of losing the public user, and are consequently "dumbing down" the software - name, interface, you name it. To me this is aggravating the situation, not

      • Re:I think.. (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        But, Joe Public is a completely uneducated moron.

      • Re:I think.. (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Eric604 ( 798298 )
        Y'know, it's not Microsoft's fault for assuming that Joe Public isn't some completely uneducated _moron_ who doesn't know the basic vocabulary of the english language.

        They don't have to assume anything, only stick to the facts. Like usually ms is assuming too much and ignoring the facts.

    • Re:I think.. (Score:2, Informative)

      by courtarro ( 786894 )
      You underestimate the common public. Like the article states, end users like my grandfather are not interested in techie-sounding letter combinations like XP and CS2. "What does NT stand for?", I've been asked. "Vista" has a positive connotation (sounds like a dryer sheet scent) and I'll bet it sticks in the minds of potential customers simply out of uniqueness. Remember when Windows "95" was one of the first pieces of software named for its year? I remember magazine articles that made fun of it.

      Expect to

      • Re:I think.. (Score:3, Interesting)

        by SocialEngineer ( 673690 )

        Good point (both of you who have replied so far); However, I have 2 arguments.

        One, as far as marketing goes, you should always pick something attractive that is going to appeal to your target audience. Microsoft, I'm assuming, is targetting the home user with little desire to learn computing; They want to just do it. My premise could be flawed, but I'm sure MS has something similar in mind if not that. Anyway, "Vista" isn't exactly something I would peg as attractive, or common to the desired userbase.

    • Re:I think.. (Score:5, Funny)

      by Dragoon412 ( 648209 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @12:37AM (#13147925)
      How many people are going to actually know what "Vista" means, anyway? I'd put 20 on people thinking that the newest incarnation of Windows is some spanish distribution.

      Well, I know what Vista stands for:

      Viruses
      Instability
      Spyware
      Trojans
      Adware

      Quite frankly, I'm amazed they didn't find a way to work DRM in there. ;)

  • Lets just call it by its true name... (Score:5, Funny)

    by ZiakII ( 829432 ) * on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:45PM (#13147653)
    Windows XP Service Pack 3

  • Already have TM (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Lawrence_Bird ( 67278 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:45PM (#13147654) Homepage
    Have you forgotten Microsloth applied for TM on the entire dictionary in 1992? http://www.microsoft.com/library/toolbar/3.0/trade marks/en-us.mspx [microsoft.com]

  • It confuses me. (Score:5, Funny)

    by espergreen ( 849246 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:45PM (#13147656) Homepage
    I am still trying to figure out why apple is letting tigerdirect make its operating system. :(
  • The poster's nickname kind of kills the objectivity on this one.

    I still think Microsoft should pay up for their mistake, but when someone with this kind of nickname posts about microsoft, its bound not to sound objective or credible.

  • The Terminator Kills Your PC (Score:5, Funny)

    by mcmediaman ( 900722 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:45PM (#13147658)
    I find the name Vista to be very appropriate. I propose that on every new install, an image of the Terminator pops up, saying "Hasta la vista, baby!!!"

  • Odd name choice (Score:5, Funny)

    by loomis ( 141922 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:45PM (#13147660)
    "If they called it Windows Garbage, would people still buy it? Yeah, they'd buy it," said David Burd, [. . .] "They've got something like 90 percent penetration in the world of operating systems."

    Uh, wouldn't "Windows Hegemony" have been a better choice?
    • Some alternatives I'll let Bill have for a fee, they are MY IP now.
      • Window Pane
      • Window Sill, Pronounced Window's Ill.
      • Microsoft Shudders
      • Microsoft Blinders
      • My Computer, not yours.

    • I saw this in TFA too, and it made me laugh.

      Maybe David Burd needs a visit from the SBA, to make sure he's all licensed up. It'd be a pity if he was running his company on "pirated" software.

      I have the following proposed names for the next OS:

      Windows "Monopoly" (TM)
      Windows "Shitball" (TM)
      Windows "Bukkake" (TM)

    • I've always thought that it would be most approriate to name Windows releases after Venereal Diseases.

      Windows Herpes, Windows Gonorrhea...

      It would seem to more accurately reflect Windows does to your computer.

  • Don't they know about www.uspto.gov? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Deton8 ( 522248 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:46PM (#13147661)
    When my company wants to propose a name a new product, one of the steps is to go to the USPTO to see if somebody in the same industry has a registered trademark on it. If so, we drop the proposed name and go on to the next. Seems elementary to me. We also try to get the .com domain if at all possible. Lastly, we do a google search to see if the name candidate is diluted or already in use as a claimed (but not registered) trademark. Sometimes we find that the name has negative connotations. Anyway, why doesn't MS hire people who do these elementary steps for them? Perhaps they felt that "vista" was too diluted to be a trademark on its own, and/or that using the trademark "Microsoft Vista" is sufficiently distinct from any other use of "vista", but these arguments seem lazy and weak to me. Other than that, it's a pretty good name.
    • Maybe because Microsoft doesn't care?
    • They didn't take those steps because they don't care. Even when they lose court battles, they end up just giving away thirty bucks worth of their software as a penalty. And even if they had to give up some actual cash, they have so much money that they only keep bothering to make more out of habit. They couldn't care less if they had to pay off a company so small that they'd have to look them up to see if they're infringing.
    • I see your point, and for the rest of the world, I think it applies. But Microsoft doesn't really have a solid track record of doing things the way other entities do. Instead, they've established an undeniable reputation of doing whatever the f*ck they want, no matter what anybody thinks about it. If anybody has a problem with 'em, Microsoft will happily take it to court and drag it out until you can't afford to fight it, or they'll just buy you out up front (everyone has their price, and Microsoft is su
      • how exciting of a name is OS X?

        The brandname is actually MacOS X. Transitioning to a new OS can be very risky (and there's numerous failed attempts in computing history), so Apple obviously wanted to emphisize you were still using MacOS (even though you weren't :). That way the installed base would see it as a "natural upgrade" rather than "a change to something different".

        So, no, it's not like Apple doesn't care about branding (are you fuckng kidding?!?) -- "OS X" was a fairly boring name by design.

        In
    • You don't get to be a company as big as MS by not taking care of your homework before you do something like this, and rest assured MS will have the best people money can buy working on this. Do you seriously think they would plow ahead and choose a name like this if they didn't think they were safe?

      As for the guy suing, I see two possible reasons....either he's just protecting his company and after MS, or he thinks that if he raises a big enough stink, they might pay him off or buy him out, either way he w

  • MS Team named it? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Altima(BoB) ( 602987 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:46PM (#13147664)
    Somehow I doubt that the "MS Team" (by this I'm assuming mainly software engineers, etc) would be entrusted with the name for a flagship product. Codename perhaps, but I'll bet that a name as meaningless-yet-initially-resistant-to-punnery (just look at how Apple treated the Longhorn code name) like Vista would be coined by an amalgam of dozens of vacuous marketing executives.

    Though really I'm just surprised they didnt do a google search of the name to see if there's any similar companies or products out there called Vista...
    • You doubt that the "MS Team" would be entrusted with the name for a flagship product?

      The code name for the processor that NT was designed to target was "N-Ten", so this OS/2 fork was internally called "NT". Then, some guy in the NT team, not in the marketing department, comes up with something to make NT into an acronym - "New Technology". Marketing loved it. Windows NT 3.1 was released in 1993.
    • Actually they did an MSN search - nothing came up.

  • I don't blame him (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Linus Torvaalds ( 876626 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:47PM (#13147671)

    Right now, the name can be changed without Microsoft caring too much. If it gets to release time, there is no way in hell Microsoft will change the name. They'll just throw lawyers at him until he gives in. If it doesn't work in the USA, they'll harass him in other countries.

    Right now, he's got a clear advantage. If he makes every move to completely stop their use of the mark 'Vista' (as opposed to licensing it to them or something), then they'll probably change the name sharpish. But if he shows any sign of weakness, they'll just steamroller him into submission.

  • Garmin, too (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Forthan Red ( 820542 )
    Perhaps Garmin, which makes the Vista GPS, should also sue. After all, that whole "Where do you want to go today?" slogan of MS's could also apply to a GPS.

  • Years (Score:3, Funny)

    by paul248 ( 536459 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:48PM (#13147675) Homepage
    Why don't they just go back to naming it after the release year, and avoid all the legal problems?

    After all, Windows 2017 has a nice ring to it...

  • Naming tradition (Score:5, Funny)

    by EnsilZah ( 575600 ) <EnsilZah@@@Gmail...com> on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:49PM (#13147684)
    I say Microsoft should continue with the emoticon tradition started with XP and go for like =( or 8| or something...
  • it's bad enough that microsoft takes 5 years to release beta software that's probably going to be 50% capable of mimicing os x. they can't even come up with a decent, non-trademarked name. hell they're a monopoly, why don't they call it microsoft cheerios or something!

  • Synonyms for "Vista" (Score:5, Funny)

    by Joey Patterson ( 547891 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:51PM (#13147696)
    If MS does end up having to change Windows Vista's name, they can choose from a list of synonyms for "Vista" [reference.com] so they'd have names like:
    • Windows Aspect
    • Windows Horizon
    • Windows Panorama
    • Windows Landscape
    ...and my personal favorite:
    • Windows Outlook

  • Remember Lindows? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by PlanetX 00 ( 623339 )
    Seems that M$ can't keep from trotting on Linux companies. First Lindows get bought off my M$ for the name, but this time they have chosen a name similar to an existing Linux company MontaVista?

    I can see it now "Was that Windows Vista (tm) were were supposed to buy, or MontaVista (www.mvista.com) Linux?" I'm so confused...

    It only gets worse once M$ Windows Vista goes embedded considering MontaVista is the #1 embedded Linux vendor on the planet
    • No. I will call out Microsoft in a moment when they are up to nasty tricks, but these two instances are not MS's fault.

      "Lindows" postdated "Windows" by quite a bit, and while I think that it was a rather clever and intuitive pun (a Linux distribution that looks like Windows), it's also a no-brainer that it's asking for a trademark infringement suit -- two OSes from different companies where the name differs by a single character...

      And, frankly, Windows Vista will probably get more marketing dollars than

      • Re:Remember Lindows? (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Linus Torvaalds ( 876626 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @03:30AM (#13148391)

        it's also a no-brainer that it's asking for a trademark infringement suit

        I wouldn't have said so - Microsoft shouldn't have a trademark on "windows". It's like if Microsoft trademarked the word "server" today, marketed a product called "Microsoft Server", and then, in twenty years time, sued everybody else who uses the word "server" or something that resembles it. Sounds completely bizarre, but it's essentially what Microsoft did with the word "windows".

        Also, IIRC, Microsoft didn't/couldn't trademark "windows" in some places, which is why they sued Lindows in more than one country.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • 1. aquire trademark for a word.
    2. ???
    3. wait for a big company to use the same word.
    4. sue their ass.
    5. profit!!!

  • They used MSN Search to look for it... (Score:5, Funny)

    by zaydana ( 729943 ) on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:55PM (#13147725)
    Why all the people saying microsoft should have googled for the name first? Obviosuly, microsoft would have used the msn search. Perhaps that explains why they didn't realize that the name is already taken.
  • They're sueing, and I would too, given Microsoft's willingness to pay companies upon "stealing" a name.

    You might not remember, but when XBox came out, there was quite the hubub locally (where I'm at). The XBox name was in use here by a firm in Michigan, at least a few years before the XBox's release (1999).

    Microsoft quietly handed this company a rather sizable sum of money [out-law.com]. The company founders were millionares many times over (the rumors place the settlement in the low 20 million range).

    If I was a me

  • i wanna know (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Naikrovek ( 667 ) <jjohnson AT psg DOT com> on Saturday July 23, 2005 @11:58PM (#13147739)
    what http://vistawindows.com/ [vistawindows.com] is gonna do.
  • These sorts of lawsuits usually end with a press release announcing an "amicable settlement" between the two companies along with one side doing a voluntary name change, suspicions of equity changing hands, and huge unstated settlements for the lawyers.

    Microsoft doesn't normally give in if they've made an announcement already, but I still fail to see the attraction of a name like "Microsoft Windows Vista ____ Edition SP#". It sounds like an unneeded add-on or "plus" pack rather than a new baseline for oper
  • I was hoping that Vista Windows would sue them, but this is even better. Not that I like these stupid corporate legal battles but anything that may force them to change the name is great in my book!

    Heck, why call it Windows Vista, when Windows Fiesta! sounds even worse?

  • Just what is beyond Windows? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Erris ( 531066 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @12:17AM (#13147829) Homepage Journal
    The Landfill, where malware crippled Microsoft Computers end up. Call it Microsoft Landfill.

  • The same thing happened when Microsoft announced the name XBOX for their console. Apparently there was a small company in Florida called XBOX Technologies which sued Microsoft for trademark infringement. They settled it out of court and Microsoft proceeded to use the name XBOX for their console. Microsoft will either buy the company or the rights to the name and that will be the end of it.

  • From JoelOnSoftware (Score:5, Interesting)

    by noblethrasher ( 546363 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @12:30AM (#13147896)
    For those of you who keep up with Joel Spolsky, here's what he had to say about a very similar matter
    Well, there are a couple of dozen products named Copilot, many with registered trademarks, so our trademark lawyer advised us to use Fog Creek Copilot which would eliminate any possibility of confusion with those other Copilot brand products. The point of trademark laws is that what you're not allowed to do is create any confusion or potential confusion as to the origin of your product, and sticking "Fog Creek" in front guarantees that, but we have to be religious about always using the full name. I didn't really mind, having started my career working on products like Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications for Microsoft Excel, etc. etc. After a few weeks on the Microsoft Excel team if you ever saw the word "Excel" without a "Microsoft" in front of it, it looked nekkid.

  • Connections with the SCO group (Score:5, Interesting)

    by blang ( 450736 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @12:49AM (#13147960)
    Wall was one of the early inverstors in the Caldera/SCO scam.

    The company also owns some dubious energy company (most likely a tax-writeoff stunt).

    MS knew must have known about Vista, and this might poosibly be a somewhat indirect way of funelling money to further finance the SCO litigation machine.

    If you put on your tinfoil hat, this name is not an accident, but a way to finance SCO without alerting the antitrust watch dogs.
    • See Vista reverse merger benefits SCO? [threenorth.com]

      Also note that Vistas CFO is Bob Bench, formner CEO of SCO.
    • From Yahoo board:

      Mark LeMay, the latest beneficial owner of Vista.com, was reportedly involved in a now-bankrupt point-of-sale consulting business. The business was a public stock ASPE.pk (Aspeon aka Aspeon Consulting) renamed from Javelin systems (Nasdaq JVLN) Aspeon has a few recent SEC filings, related to changing bankruptcy directors.

      Aspeon built point-of-sale terminals for McDonalds, and were the first to roll out Window NT retail terminals.

      SCOX provides the OS for McDonalds store terminals, so this

  • _windows_ (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Nikademus ( 631739 ) * <renaud@alGIRAFFElard.it minus herbivore> on Sunday July 24, 2005 @12:58AM (#13147987) Homepage
    How did someone let them register _windows_ then. Afetr all, it's a common word.

    Word History: The source of our word window is a vivid metaphor. Window comes to us from the Scandinavian invaders and settlers of England in the early Middle Ages. Although we have no record of the exact word they gave us, it was related to Old Norse vindauga, "window," a compound made up of vindr, "wind," and auga, "eye," reflecting the fact that at one time windows contained no glass. The metaphor "wind eye" is of a type beloved by Norse and Old English poets and is called a kenning; other examples include oar-steed for "ship" and whale-road for "sea." Recently we have restored to the 800-year-old word window a touch of its poetic heritage, using it figuratively in such phrases as launch window, weather window, and window of opportunity or vulnerability.

  • New OS: Microsoft Wall (Score:3, Funny)

    by NotQuiteReal ( 608241 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @01:04AM (#13148001) Journal
    Man - Microsoft can't win. What if they called their new OS "Microsoft Wall" - More solid than Windows.

    You'd still see press saying John Wall was not amused...

  • Great Publicity for Vista.Com (Score:5, Interesting)

    by DavidD_CA ( 750156 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @01:27AM (#13148063) Homepage
    While the threat of a lawsuit from MS is certainly enough to keep one up at night (and personally I don't think they'd try to sue Vista since they held their name first)... this is great publicity for vista.com.

    No one heard of them, and now millions of people might accidentially come across their website or read about them in regards to this potential lawsuit.

    Besides, they don't appear to be a software company -- from the looks of their website, they do website hosting and design, ecommerce.

  • Grassroots Astroturf: (Score:3, Interesting)

    by bobdotorg ( 598873 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @01:32AM (#13148089)
    Step 1: go to http://vista.com/page/5rr/About_Us.html [vista.com]
    Step 2: click on the mailto: bizdev@vista.com
    Step 3: ask where the link is to download Windows Vista
    Step 4: Profit for Vista, as they'll have prime evidence of market confusion

  • How about Microsoft Panorama? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Quiet_Desperation ( 858215 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @02:05AM (#13148190)
    Or just give it a fucking number already. Apple uses silly kitty names, but underneath it is a number. 10.4 or something.

    Or enforce some truth in advertising laws.

    Make them call it Microsoft Bloated Buggy Pile Of Evil And Mind Crushing Pig Shit That Makes Baby Jesus Cry

    Sorry. Had to get that off my chest. Just mod me down. Thank you and good night.

    • Re:How about Microsoft Panorama? (Score:4, Funny)

      by Reverend528 ( 585549 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @06:33AM (#13148809) Homepage
      Or just give it a fucking number already.

      Last time MS used numbers, they ended up thoroughly confusing their customers. Up until windows 3.X, everything seemed fine, but then they released windows 95, which is more than 91 better than the 3.X series. Except no one was quite sure where those 91 versions fit in.

      windows 98 was clearly 3 better than windows 95, but then they decided to put out windows 2000. Although it was better, I think that everyone agrees that it certainly isn't 1900+ better than windows 98.

      Things will be better if they stick to unconfusing names and letter combinations.

  • john wall's in it just for the money (Score:3, Informative)

    by krunk4ever ( 856261 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @02:29AM (#13148247) Homepage
    i found an interesting article on john wall and vista and his product:
    http://www.threenorth.com/sco/john_wall.html [threenorth.com]

    23 April 2005

    It seems that John Wall is selling Vista.com. Well, sort of selling it

    after reading that, i don't feel sorry for this john wall guy at all.

    many of you may be microsoft bashers, and maybe rightfully so. but to be illogical and say john wall deserves this payment just because you dislike microsoft is just wrong.

    if microsoft was wrong, i'd say they are. but this case is pretty clear that vista does not deserve a single penny.

  • Microsoft Vista SCO connection (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Error27 ( 100234 ) <error27@gmai l . com> on Sunday July 24, 2005 @02:32AM (#13148253) Homepage Journal
    Vista and SCO are connected somehow because SCO has given over a million dollars to Vista through various deals. It doesn't seem that SCO got anything in return.

    Now Microsoft and Vista are connected. It's a weird coincidence.

    Stats_for_all talks about the Vista SCO connection on the yahoo SCOX board [yahoo.com].

    It seems that there are a lot of puzzling things about Vista as a company.

  • Vista... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by EEBaum ( 520514 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @02:42AM (#13148273) Homepage
    ... because, whether you like it or not, you're likely to say, "Wow, look at that."

  • Go trendy, Bill (Score:3, Funny)

    by inkswamp ( 233692 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @02:57AM (#13148303)
    They should get really trendy and name it "Windows: Teh Shiznit."

    And a slogan with that cloyingly trendy "so" thrown in.

    "You are so going to love this version!"

    "Where do you so want to go today?"

    "You so won't see the blue screen anymore."

  • Free marketing? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by unoengborg ( 209251 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @05:07AM (#13148618) Homepage
    Could it be that Microsoft is well aware of the name conflict, and selects a temporary name they know would get this kind of attention.

    That way they get lots of free press telling the world that they are about to release a new OS, and at the same time they try to wash out common nicknames names like Longwait, and NoHorn from peoples minds.

    When the OS is released it will be named to something completely different.

  • Another Vista software product circa 1995 - Today (Score:3, Informative)

    by CaperNZ ( 811554 ) on Sunday July 24, 2005 @05:47PM (#13152162)
    I happen to work for a software company with Vista in the name... 'Vista Entertainment Solutions' and our product is marketed as 'Vista'. It has been since 1995.

    http://www.vista.co.nz/ [vista.co.nz]

    I'm not sure as to the extent this will affect us.

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