Microsoft Video Blunder 130
An anonymous reader wrote in with
this gem: "Microsoft was trying to show
that a PC loaded with Windows 3.1 took longer to access the Internet than a PC loaded with Windows 98 using Internet Explorer. It turns out that the Windows 98 PC was connected to a faster modem than the Windows 3.1 PC.
" I'll refrain from (further) comment on this one. Plenty of
meat here. Update: 02/10 09:25 by J : Oops. More like "from the egg on my face dept." - it
seems I made an honest yet huge mistake: the article says "configuring". Sorry I
couldn't update when I realized this. There were some DB troubles, which seem to now
have been fixed. Sincerest apologies to all.
Did I miss something? (Score:1)
Screw Microsoft... (Score:1)
- A.P.
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"One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad
JackedDot? (Score:1)
Why is the DOJ so leniant on this? (Score:1)
"One bright eyed DOJ employee noticed the Microsoft Word and Excel icons appeared on the taskbar for the second half of the demo. The DOJ asked Microsoft to remake the video." (Presumeably so they don't forget to hide the taskbar this time).
Plus this I can connect faster to the internet with 98...and a faster modem stuff.
Clinton could have been impeached for stuff like this (well, maybe, but we certainly would have heard about it about a million times).
Set up connection not access Internet (Score:1)
Guess what I run! (Score:1)
'doze 9.11 uh windoze 3.11 Yeah, I know I'm lame. If you got a better OS and want to tell me how great it is e-mail Alan Grimes at the link above...
I've said this before... (Score:1)
Microsoft Internet Explorer is an Application.
A TCP/IP Stack is not...
Microsoft has the source code to Windows.
Microsoft can REMOVE Internet Explorer by rewriting Windows.
End of story.
Someone needs to inform the DOJ of these simple facts.
Different modems? (Score:1)
The problem is not the slight difference in speed. It's that the modems are different, so the result is not truly objective.
Red Herrings (Score:1)
Unix on the other hand... (Score:1)
Unix on the other hand... (Score:1)
WinModems (Score:1)
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They COULDN'T be that silly.. (Score:1)
"Joe, move the mouse REAL slowly.. We need to speed up this tape, and don't want it to look phony.."
Different modems? (Score:1)
A BREAK for misleading the US Government? (Score:1)
1) Using survey results that where 'ordered' to turn out the way they did..
2) Using systems that are NOT CONFIGURED as they stated to demo something..
3) They demo something on different speed modems, and suprisingly, the slower modem lost..
Does this mean that I can 'forget' to mention 30,000 of income when doing my taxes and use the 'gimme a break' as a reason?
READ THE ARTICLE (Score:1)
Daniel
28.8 (Score:1)
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Geez come on... (Score:1)
If you hate the bashing comments on MS stories on slashdot, ignore them.
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RE: Set up connection not access Internet (Score:1)
What I dont get is the comparison: why compare technically distinct OSes when they had a perfect comparison between Win95 and Win98 (essentially the same product except for the features that are currently in question). Thats akin to an engine maker claiming its new model is faster and better in every way than its previous model, but then opting to compare it in lab tests to its 1927 model that doesnt even share a similar design.
Also, on a side note, even IF the Win98 machine was using a faster modem, and all other things were equal, it sure seems to me that with each successive generation of modem standards the handshakes take LONGER, therefore if Billy-boy had a 2400 in one box and a 56k in another, my bet is on the 2400 connecting faster.
With that said, I still hope someday thge Justice Dept. will pull their heads out of their collective bureaucratic ass and develop an actual strategy in this case... otherwise issues like this will continue to plague the trial until its dismissal.
Please dont post such obviously slanted articles (or respond to them) without thinking first.. being rabid Microsoft-haters will discredit us all in the long run... why nitpick when we have MORE than enough ammo already?
Nitt pick this.... (Score:1)
Yep. I was thinking the same. Why are they comparing Win98 against Win3.1 instead of Win95? It does not make any sense, unless Win98 and Win95 perform the same with and without IE. And that is obviously the reason they used Win3.1.
"most of the time was spent reading from disc" (Score:1)
Geez come on... (Score:1)
why am i not surprised? (Score:1)
Perhaps a lawyer can comment on what recourse defendants have to deal with their own inept presentation of their case.
stupid law... (Score:1)
Re: Different modems? (Score:1)
According to the article, one modem was a 33.6 and the other was a 28.8.
Wow. Big difference there. Are Microsoft haters now reduced to this level of nitpicky-ness?
Let's see. 33.6 is about 17% faster than 28.8. How about we take 17% of your income as additional tax? You wouldn't be nit-picky about it or anything would you?
17% is a big difference.
Ahh those wacky benchmark comparisons... (Score:1)
"Academic" (Score:1)
Modem Configurations for Internet Speed Comparison
Yeah, the differences are academic.
Schwab
1200 baud (Score:1)
Speaking of red herrings... (Score:1)
One of Microsoft's suits said that the difference in modem speeds is a red herring. Well, this whole demo was one big red herring. MS proved what, exactly? That it is faster to set up a "trial account" with an ISP or online provider if you already have a browser installed. Big whoop.
There was no need for Microsoft to "integrate" MSIE into 32-bit Windows to provide this benefit. All they'd have to do for the same results is to preinstall a web browser. Or better yet, encourage OEMs to preinstall a choice of web browsers.
I'd like to see a fair test instead of this sham. Same OS (or at least both Win9x), same processor, same browser preinstalled, same modem on both machines. Then set up a dialup account. I'm sure the time required would not be vastly different for the two computers then.
I still have Windows 3.11, and I can tell you that setting up Netscape or (ugh) AOL is dead easy. MSIE is a pain in the neck to configure, though, because they think they know better than you, and try to hide everything.
Trying to prove! (Score:1)
Make MS loose their credibility (Score:1)
In contrast, MS's cross-examination of DoJ witnesses seemed to be primarily concentrated on disputing (or correcting) individual little points of contention. Furthermore, while the DoJ witnesses were from a wide-range of organizations, MS's witnesses are almost exclusively MS employees. If one destroys the credibility of the MS witnesses, you destroy the credibility of MS. This will then make life tough for MS if this gets to an Appeals Court.
The DoJ can still call two more witnesses. If too many bogus technical claims are made, I would suggest that the DoJ do their own technical demonstrations (video presentation of course). And yes, sorry MS, you are not allowed to be there when the DoJ sets up or films their demo.
Intuitive interfaces (Score:1)
Lies, Damned Lies and Microsoft Videotapes (Score:1)
M$ to win the Shoot-Yourself-in-the-Foot Award. (Score:1)
I hesitate to say perjury... nah, no I don't.
If I did this on trial, I'd be jailed for contemt! (Score:1)
Wrong. (Score:1)
This is a linux page, don't point out MS flaws
What? Where does it say "Slashdot: Linux news for nerds?"
We are not pointing out the "flaws" of MS, but their lies. If you don't like it, ignore it. If you can't stand it, leave.
Bill Gates (Score:1)
Windows95 versus Windows 3.1 (Score:1)
If my memory serves, Trumpet Winsock was a horrible, horrible product that took ages to get working properly. I also recall that Windows 3.1 also had no support for modem speeds above 19.2k, and that was pretty darn shaky as it was.
But I don't have a clue what this has to do with Internet Explorer integration. 99% of the work done to set up Windows 3.1 networking was spent getting Trumpet to work; the browser always worked as soon as you could ping a remote host using a domain name.
When Windows95 was introduced, there was an option called the "Plus Pack" which included IE. If you want to see the real benefit in user convenience of having IE "integrated", you would have to compare installing W98 with installing W95 and the Plus Pack (or Netscape on CD ROM). I would argue this difference is negligible.
As far as I know, nobody even attempts to dispute that it was a Good Thing for the consumer to have TCP/IP integrated into Windows 95, even though it surely damaged the competitive positions of a number of companies marketing Windows 3.x TCP/IP, including Trumpet.
D
KDE (Score:1)
Now, if you were to say that the applications aren't there, I'd be forced to agree with you - but that doesn't seem to be your argument.
Incidentally, I now use Enlightenment because I can't resist the cool look. One day, one day, I promise myself, I'll do a Theme of my very own, or at least figure out how to get one of the non-default ones to work.
But I would cheerfully recommend KDE to anyone who wants a Windows-like experience.
I guess you could say I'm one of the few agnostics in the KDE vs Gnome wars.
D
Big deal. (Score:1)
Ahh those wacky benchmark comparisons... (Score:1)
I guess personally it would be bigger news to me that Microsoft is "ejecting" people from its conferences than Microsoft making uneven comparisons.
(Correct me if I'm wrong Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers won't they lock me up and throw away the key?)
M$ Bashing (Score:1)
JackedDot? (Score:1)
Did I miss something? (Score:1)
"Academic" (Score:1)
M$ Bashing (Score:1)
Give Microsoft a break? (Score:1)
Microsoft's major contention in this trial is that Windows98/MSIE are inseperable, and part of their defense is that this linkage of browser to operating system provides a superior experience than the "old way." Microsoft has, time and again, fudged the numbers in their favor, even if only slightly. Every little bit counts.
Give Microsoft a break? When Microsoft starts comparing apples to apples, we'll give them a break. Even if it was a difference between a 33.6k and a 28.8kbps modem, that's significant enough to make it an unfair (and inaccurate) comparison. Apples to apples means: same components, same conditions, only the operating system version should be changed.
How do we know that Microsoft didn't fudge things further? They could have the Win3.1 box connecting to a UNIX machine, and firing off a chat script to start PPP manually; while the Win98 box connects to a WinNT RAS server. What were the conditions of the test? Without knowing that, it's just a case of more Microsoft FUD.
If it was you being charged with a crime, and you fudged the evidence this way in your favor, you'd be sitting in jail on a contempt of court charge. Why isn't Microsoft?
Give me a break.
Unix on the other hand... (Score:1)
whether windows or kde or afterstep!
having said that, i noted the difference between stup on afterstep (approx 2 mins less than a win setup)
and kde (5-10 mins less)
(and none of this *(^&*^&P rebooting every step of the process, either..i didnt include the reboots in the time thing, btw!)
now, i have set up so many windows dial ups for friends who just cant do it...but they all got the kde setup i showed em..
people dont want windows, they want an easy to use system, with a great gui...
sounds like linux to me..the o/s with a CHOICE (windows != choice) of guis....
Set up connection not access Internet (Score:1)
I'd rather spend 3 more minutes setting it up the first time than 1 minute extra PER DAY to connect!
Also, were the machines comparable? Win3.1 doesn't recognize memory over 64megs, which, especially if we're talking about IE, could be a factor.
I agree, however, that the modem difference is small, but probably one of a plurality of factors that dragged the Win3.1 performance down.
Geez come on... (Score:1)
Still, I do agree that "Your operating system sucks" is a poor way to sell Linux.
What ARE they trying to pull? (Score:1)
What can their legal team be thinking at this point? "How can I get out of this with a tattered remnant of a career?"
Different modems? (Score:1)
According to the report from the Seattle Times, the Win98 system was using a 56k modem while the Win3.1 system had a 33.6k one. The Win98 system could be 25% slower than the Win3.1 system and still appear faster.
http://www.seat tletimes.com/news/technology/html98/micr_021099.hNitt pick this.... (Score:1)
Even that would be stupid. The Connection Wizard is a completely separate function from the browser. This test is yet another attempt by MS to deliberately use smoke and mirrors to hide the real issues. I'm not sure why the DOJ didn't address this point directly. This "demo" is completely irrelevant to the issue of browser integration, because they are demonstrating a function that is separate from the browser.
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Set up connection not access Internet (Score:1)
In other words, once the flaw was found, they changed their mind on what it was about. They did the same thing with the video from last week: once the government found major problems with the video, and they couldn't reproduce the original results two days later, they changed the label from "Demo of actual problems" to "Hypothetical simulation of theorized problems".
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READ the article first... (Score:1)
Then the blunder happened. It was a big deal in court; the MS witness mumbled that he wasn't sure that they were the same speed, though that was half of what they were trying to show. At that point, I kid you not, this is what one of their lawyers said immediately afterwards: "The difference in speed between the two modems is academic." (ZDNet article here. [zdnet.com]).
After all that, MS found out the difference in speed, but it didn't matter; they changed their tune to say that the demo was about the setup time, not the actual connection speed. Just like their video blunder last week, they changed what their demo was about after mistakes were found. That's why if you read articles on it now, you'll hear MS say that the demo was really about setup time; but that's only because you are reading the article well after the blunder. If you had seen articles on it immediately afterward, you would have seen that MS meant to show problems with actual connect speed too.
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Can Slashdot pretend to be unbiased? (Score:1)
Of course, how MS wrote it off BEFORE THEY FOUND OUT THE ACTUAL DIFFERENCE IN SPEED is like this: "The difference in speed between the two modems is academic." Again, this statement is BEFORE they knew the actual speed difference; when the lawyer made that point, MS didn't know what the difference was.
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Different modems? - But why not Win95 (Score:1)
It is also interesting that they didn't demonstrate connecting to the Internet on a machine on which the OEM had chosen to pre-install Netscape.
Pity poor Micro$oft, the fashion victim (Score:1)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, glad you have a sense of humour.
Oh, you weren't joking. Okay. Then you're an idiot.
"Lick a rock follow fashion, drop of a conka tree"
What?
Kick em, while they're down. Who's down again?
Can't any of you be constructive and do something good rather than critisize people all the time.........
Well, in theory I can speak only for myself, but I believe that many, if not most, of /.'ers, are hackers - 'real' hackers. Now we have a tendency to be rather constructive people - as ESR said it, we'd rather build than destroy.
Some of the countless reasons why we hate Micro$oft are: * it practices evil marketing techniques; * it's not Open Source; * their code is ridiculously losing; * their employees are known to be fornicating marketroids; * their software is impossible to properly interface; * they've managed to make the overwhelming majority of computer users work on their ripped-off system, even though it's Not Good, it crashes often and it usually becomes the expert's job to fix the frustrated lusers' computers - until it crashes again.
If this sounds harsh it's because I'm pissed and England have just lost to France.....
Well, I'm too tired to make my point completely, but nonetheless I think you can have an idea. Peace, --
Boise whiffed on this one... (Score:1)
This isn't that much of a blunder wr (Score:1)
for the config screens, then bundling a browser
makes no difference.
Remember:
internet != web
M$ Bashing (Score:1)
They're big, they're powerful, they control the welfare of puny clueless ignorant users..
Why shouldn't they be as much a target in our society as our political system, our entertainment complex, or our governmental body?
They really haven't done anything for me to be appreciative of, so I don't praise them.
They tried to comandeer html and internet standards, they've tried to control the desktop graphics routine(OpenGL is still very much alive and well, thank you!), they try to sell shoddy software, bloated office packages...
Why should we give them a break? They can afford the heckling!
Twinkie
Unix on the other hand... (Score:1)
People don't want to work. People want to feel good. Conclusion: People want to smoke crack!
Geez come on... (Score:1)