eWeek.com: Has Microsoft Disavowed Vista?

[Xyzzy]

What are the failure symptoms on your machine?

It hangs on the install during one of the post-processing scripts.

I think it has something to do with UAC. Since I have a functioning Linux VM I haven't bothered to look into it in depth yet, but it is somewhere on my list of things to do.

[mdettweiler]

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

It hangs on the install during one of the post-processing scripts.

I think it has something to do with UAC. Since I have a functioning Linux VM I haven't bothered to look into it in depth yet, but it is somewhere on my list of things to do.

When running the installer program, have you tried right-clicking the executable and selecting "Run as Administrator"?

[xilman]

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

It hangs on the install during one of the post-processing scripts.

I think it has something to do with UAC. Since I have a functioning Linux VM I haven't bothered to look into it in depth yet, but it is somewhere on my list of things to do.

Ah, that sounds familiar. I've recollections of that happening to me on a system some years ago, long before Vista came out. As I recall, control-c killed off the hanging programbut left the /etc/passwd in a funny state. Cygwin would then run but some programs would get confused until I copied over an /etc/passwd from a working system.

Of course, I've no idea whether you're seeing the same problem. Neither did I find out why it died in that manner for me.



Paul

[nibble4bits]

Microsoft should have made Vista able to use Linux drivers recompiled for their own *nix kernal. Oh wait, nevermind... NIH and GPL poisoned this idea from the start. ;)

[xilman]

Originally Posted by nibble4bits

Microsoft should have made Vista able to use Linux drivers recompiled for their own *nix kernal. Oh wait, nevermind... NIH and GPL poisoned this idea from the start. ;)

Correction: GPL poisoned this idea from the start.

Microsoft has a long and continuing history of using NIH code (and I'm assuming that you're not referring to my ultimate employers ;-) as long as the corporate lawyers believe that the company can safely obey the licensing conditions.

Even GPL is no real obstacle in some circumstances. For some time (I've not checked to see whether they still do) MS distributed --- sold, even --- Services for Unix which included rather a lot of GPL code, notably including gcc. They, did of course, make full source available for the GPLed binaries they distributed.


Paul

[ewmayer]

Microsoft CEO hints at XP stay of execution: The operating system is set to be pulled off shelves this year but Steve Ballmer says that could change with 'customer feedback.'

LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer offered a glimmer of hope on Thursday to fans of the company's XP operating system, saying the company may reconsider its decision to stop selling XP soon.

But Ballmer was adamant that "most people who buy PCs today buy them with Vista."

Not that you give the Mom & Pop types any real choice as to what OS is preloaded on those sale-priced PeeCees at Best Buy.

"That's the statistical truth," he told reporters at a news conference at Louvain-La-Neuve University. "If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter."

Heh, "statistical truth" ... is that what comes on the list after "lies" and "damn lies"? The last sentence is a "WTF are you blathering about?" candidate - "we can always wake up smarter?" Huh? That makes about as much sense as "If the market gives you a rolling pin, you should do as the Romans do and make lemonade."

Fans of the six-year-old operating system set to be pulled off store shelves by June 30 have plastered the Internet with blog posts, cartoons and petitions recently. They trumpet its superiority to Windows Vista, Microsoft's latest PC operating system, whose consumer launch in January was greeted with lukewarm reviews.

"Lukewarm" = MSFTspeak for "scathing."

Ballmer said the customers buying PCs with XP are IT departments who are having trouble shifting old machines to newer technology.

"Trouble shifting old machines" = MSFTspeak for "We wouldn't touch this less-than-beta-quality, bloated, deliberately-designed-to-be-annoying, resource-hogging POS with a ten-foot pole."

Joking with the media and even breaking into good French, Ballmer acknowledged that he's finding it hard to keep up with social networking on the Facebook Web site.

"I do have a profile on Facebook," he said. "It's hard to keep up. I get many friend requests from people I don't know."

Ah, at last we find out who LonelyFatBaldRichGurl is - Ever the multitasking, lapsing-into-French-at-the-drop-of-a-chapeau billionaire tech visionary, it's simply amazing that Steve finds the time to make videos of him ironing his LonelyGurl panty collection in addition to his busy work and exercise schedule.

There's about 10 Steve Ballmers and I'm only one of them. I'm the one who actually has a picture that looks like me on it!" he said. "I'm hitting a golf ball, that's the real Steve Ballmer."

Ahhahahahahahaha ... stop it, Steve, your insane hilarity has me on the verge of peeing myself. But seriously, hitting a golf ball? That's *so* yesterday ... you really need a hipper picture. Maybe one like this?