News Microsoft fails again (Z2K bug)

[Quick_Nick]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28449091/wid/11915829?GT1=40006

Users of the 30GB [Zune] model began reporting problems on a Microsoft message board early Wednesday. Customers similarly are saying that their digital music players get stuck on the Zune logo screen as it appears to load, and efforts to unjam the device are mostly fruitless.

Since the massive freeze struck shortly before New Year’s Eve, some users have dubbed it “Z2K,” a play off the Y2K bug feared to crash computers in 2000.

I first noticed this when my mom's Zune froze up very early this morning. It made a quiet humming noise and was making lightsaber noises when moved around (cool but gives an uneasy feeling of a major problem) until it finally ran out of power. Apparently connecting the Zunes to computers again is fruitless. Some people are going a little overboard on online forums, but I guess it's the internet.

I don't mean anything against Microsoft with this thread. It's a major bug but they can't be perfect and I'm sure they'll fix it soon.

 

[garyw]

Apparently removing the battery and putting it back in fixes the problem. It's some sort of firmware date/issue.

 

[Tommy]

Why am I not suprised that MS can't even make a clock that doesn't crash?

 

[Moonwalker]

Why I'm not surprised that useless MS bashing continues, mostly by people who might not even be able to program a clock

 

[Hielor]

Why am I not suprised that MS can't even make a clock that doesn't crash?

Every piece of software ever made has likely crashed at some point. Microsoft products are used by a whole lot of people, so when something goes wrong it's noticed by a lot of people.

 

[Andy44]

Nevermind...embed fail...

 

[Spicer]

Microsoft should give that niche to Apple. The ipod pretty much works flawlessly.

 

[jedidia]

..and I-tunes is one of the crapiest programs for player management I EVER saw. I'll just stick with creative, thanks.

 

[ar81]

Long live Windows XP: the most successful enhanced DOS we have ever seen.

 

[Usquanigo]

Long live Windows XP: the most successful enhanced DOS we have ever seen.

....'cept that it has absolutely nothing to do with DOS.

 

[Urwumpe]

....'cept that it has absolutely nothing to do with DOS.

Yeah, except the fact that good old batch files still work well with the XP shell. But it has finally no DOS in the background anymore. Which also means that you can't run old DOS Games well without using DOSBOX.

EDIT: Also, the error was not caused directly by microsoft, but by the driver software for the real time clock supplied by the hardware manufacturer. Was a pretty example of "why you should test code for all possible input values".

 

[Usquanigo]

Yeah, except the fact that good old batch files still work well with the XP shell. But it has finally no DOS in the background anymore. Which also means that you can't run old DOS Games well without using DOSBOX.

Depends on the game, some do work if they stay far enough away from the hardware, but on the whole, yeah.

As for batch files, that's really a scripting language that had to be carried over for both ease and backward compatibility. Even on my 2000 A-D Domain I use batch files for login scripts. Could switch it to something else, but it works, so there's been no need.

EDIT: Also, the error was not caused directly by microsoft, but by the driver software for the real time clock supplied by the hardware manufacturer. Was a pretty example of "why you should test code for all possible input values".

And an example of where (cr)Apple gets their faux reputation from, when you control ALL hardware (and much of the software) it's easy to keep the drivers in line and make the system "more stable" (in appearance) than the competition.

 

[Urwumpe]

And an example of where (cr)Apple gets their faux reputation from, when you control ALL hardware (and much of the software) it's easy to keep the drivers in line and make the system "more stable" (in appearance) than the competition.

Either the drivers are stable, or they are not. You can't fake much when your drivers are bad. If you have shorter ways of communication for setting or changing interface definitions, you can avoid many bugs and side effects, which sure improves the quality a lot, but finally, the quality inside the driver has to be as good as a third party developer could do it with the same finalized interface definition.

In terms of hardware integration, you can't complain about Apple at all - when the first x86 Apples appeared, they reached far better ratings in performance and power consumption (and softer attributes, like noise), than comparable PCs. Apple followed Intels recommendations on the hardware to the letter.

Especially long-term Intel sellers like HP or Dell have big problems with following Intels recommendations - you see the result once you look inside them. Even my own PC, with it's grown hardware setup, looks more organized and remembers the whole recommendations on air flow.

 

[Usquanigo]

Either the drivers are stable, or they are not. You can't fake much when your drivers are bad. If you have shorter ways of communication for setting or changing interface definitions, you can avoid many bugs and side effects, which sure improves the quality a lot, but finally, the quality inside the driver has to be as good as a third party developer could do it with the same finalized interface definition.

I think you took it the wrong way there. M$ has no control over drivers. Apple basically has total control. If M$ had that level of control, nobody would complain about Windows crashing anymore than they complain about Macintrashes crashing. (well, ok, maybe a little more because Mac users are cultists, but nevermind that right now) IOW - it's not the OS that's the problem.

In terms of hardware integration, you can't complain about Apple at all - when the first x86 Apples appeared, they reached far better ratings in performance and power consumption (and softer attributes, like noise), than comparable PCs. Apple followed Intels recommendations on the hardware to the letter.

M$ has to work on AMD as well as Intel, and clone makers build and customize the systems, which controls power and noise. So there again, can't really make any claims of (cr)Apple greatness.

They do 1 thing REALLY well, and beat most everybody else at - case design, from the G4 to the G5 to the original iPod, they do that extremely well. Though even there they flub (the boat anchor iMac, and the Cube (it's a PC, not an appliance dammit)).

 

[spcefrk]

Since there is no one else to praise Microsoft, I will praise Microsoft -- will say that my Zune (80GB) has worked flawlessly every time I turn it on. The software is a pleasure to use, easy to organize and find all my songs (no simple feat at 210GB) without any noticeable slowdown.

Adding podcasts, videos, music, games, etc... were all easy to accomplish, the software is fantastic as a desktop background and as a display for a party jukebox and has caused me no ill effects.

Oh and it has a radio, wi-fi communication with other Zunes and my desktop PC, works flawlessly with my X-Box 360 and intuitive menus for organizing things by any topic you'd like. Frankly, in my opinion the iPod has been beaten into submission, killed, buried, and now has a playground built over it (despite Apple-loyalists dropping by to pray at the swingsets)...

(a cookie for anyone who gets the opening literary allusion)