7121a19a   
   XPost: comp.sys.mac.advocacy, comp.os.mac.advocacy, comp.sys.macintrash   
   From: derekcurrie@mac.com.invalid   
      
   A few Microsoft stories, along with comments.   
      
      
   1) Microsoft Tells Contractors To Take Seven Days Off, Without Pay   
      
   Microsoft has dumped ~1,000 technology contractors in an effort to save   
   their bottom line for the current quarter as well as their fiscal year,   
   which ends June 30th.   
      
   Some contract, eh?   
      
   I believe this points out the poor management still going on at MS. They   
   are clearly at a point in time when they are desperate to get Vista,   
   Vista Server and Office 2007 out the door ASAP and they cut their staff   
   for a week. Stockholders are already ticked off after the recent loss of   
   12% of stock value, so they must really be griping at this point.   
      
      
   2) Bill Gates Presents Vista Beta Disks Plaque To Chevron   
      
   At the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference 2006, Bill Gates,   
   Chairman and Chief Software Architect of Microsoft, presented a plaque   
   containing the first three beta disks of Vista, Vista Server and MS   
   Office to Alan Nunns, General Manager of Global Technology and Strategy   
   of Chevron Inc.   
      
   Gee whiz. Such a gift. Buggy, poorly received Vista and Office beta 1   
   CDs stuck on a piece of wood. I want one. Not. I have no idea what this   
   generous presentation was supposed to be about. I'd either be insulted,   
   or I'd roll a trash bin on stage where I can toss the plaque, after of   
   course a hearty handshake with Big Brother Bill.   
      
      
   3) Microsoft Announce Plans To Help Businesses Determine Vista   
   Compatibility   
      
   Also at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference 2006, MS announced a   
   plan to help businesses determine whether hardware they buy between now   
   and the release of Vista will be compatible with the new operating   
   system.   
      
   OK. That says there is going to be PC hardware available into the future   
   that is NOT Vista compatible. That is not encouraging. I have read some   
   posts by wintrolls blethering on about how their PC from 3 years ago   
   will be Vista compatible. Apparently not. Certainly, from what I have   
   read about the graphics hardware requirements for DirectX 10, there are   
   going to be a lot of sub-par video cards shipped in PCs.   
      
   There are also complaints coming out of Windows analyst reviews of Vista   
   that the current Windows limitation of 2 GB installed RAM is wholly   
   inadequate thanks to increased memory requirements of the new OS for   
   optimum speed.   
      
   --   
   Fortune Magazine, 11-29-05: What's your computer setup today?   
   Frederick Brooks: I happily use a Macintosh. It's not been equalled for ease   
   of use, and I want my computer to be a tool, not a challenge.   
      
   [Frederick Brooks is the author of 'The Mythical Man Month'. He spearheaded   
   the movement to modernize computer software engineering in 1975]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)