[ale] Microsoft joke (fwd)

[Jim Lynch]

Geez, I'd think they could make a mint selling ads to fill up the page. 
Especially if they could sense what caused it and/or what application
was running.  Say WordPerfect was running, then an ad could read:

IF YOU"D BEEN RUNNING WORD, THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!  

8)
Jim.

Jim Kinney wrote:
> 
> I found this cynically ammusing...
> 
> James Kinney M.S.Physics                jkinney at teller.physics.emory.edu
> Educational Technology Specialist       404-727-4734
> Department of Physics Emory University  http://teller.physics.emory.edu
> 
> Microsoft Announces Improved BSOD
> 
> In a surprise announcement today, Microsoft President Steve Ballmer
> revealed that the Redmond based company will allow computer resellers
> and end-users to customize the appearance of the Blue Screen of Death
> (abbreviated BSOD), the screen that displays when the Windows
> operating system crashes.
> 
> The move comes as the result of numerous focus groups and customer
> surveys done by Microsoft. Thousands of Microsoft customers were
> asked, "What do you spend the most time doing on your computer?" A
> surprising number of respondents said, "Staring at a Blue Screen of
> Death". At 54 percent, it was the top answer, beating the second place
> answer "Downloading Pornography" by an easy 12 points.
> 
> "We immediately recognized this as a great opportunity for ourselves,
> our channel partners, and especially our customers." explained the
> excited Ballmer to a room full of reporters.
> 
> Immense video displays were used to show images of the new
> customizable BSOD screen side-by-side with the older static
> version. Users can select from a collection of "BSOD Themes", allowing
> them to instead have a Mauve Screen of Death or even a Paisley Screen
> of Death. Graphics and multimedia content can now be incorporated into
> the screen, making the BSOD the perfect conduit for delivering product
> information and entertainment to Windows users.
> 
> The Blue Screen of Death is by far the most recognized feature of the
> Windows (tm) operating system, and as a result, Microsoft has
> historically insisted on total control over its look-and-feel. This
> recent departure from that policy reflects Microsoft's recognition of
> the Windows desktop itself as the "ultimate information portal." By
> default, the new BSOD will be configured to show a random selection of
> Microsoft product information whenever the system crashes. Microsoft
> channel partners can negotiate with Microsoft for the right to
> customize the BSOD on systems they ship.
> 
> Major computer resellers such as Compaq, Gateway, and Dell are already
> lining up for premier placement on the new and improved BSOD.
> 
> Balmer concluded by getting a dig in against the Open Source
> community.  "This just goes to show that Microsoft continues to
> innovate at a much faster pace than open source. I have yet to see any
> evidence that Linux or OpenBSD even have a BSOD, let alone a
> customizable one."