> 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
> even has a BSOD, let alone a customizable one."
_
Program (pro'gram), n. A magical spell cast over a computer that turns
one's input into error messages. v. To engage in an activity similar to
banging one's head into a wall, but with less opportunity for reward.
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