As the Apple Turns: Scene 3663: And The Slapstick Continues (4/2/02)

And The Slapstick Continues (4/2/02)

Uhhhhh... yeah. Remember yesterday's spiel about WeHaveTheWayOut.com, the Microsoft and Unisys tag-team web site that intends to spread the gospel about how all serious businesses running UNIX should immediately switch to Windows because that icky UNIX is "inflexible" and "makes you struggle daily"? There was just one teensy little problem with that brilliant marketing approach: that web site itself was actually running UNIX and Apache, not Windows and IIS. Not exactly a vote of confidence, there. We don't know what the official criteria are for something to qualify as an official "massive bonehead PR disaster," but we're pretty sure this move is at least on the radar.

Well, as we expected, Microsoft apparently clued in to the fact that running an anti-UNIX web site on a UNIX server might undermine its argument somewhat, so, as faithful viewer Mark Rosenkranz informed us, they switched it over to Windows 2000 sometime this morning. (As Mark says, "Let the hacking begin!") The thing is, though, NetCraft keeps a log of what servers are used for which web sites, so it's still plain to see that Microsoft's "UNIX is Bad and Evil" web site did indeed spend five days running on Bad and Evil UNIX-- and probably would have stayed that way indefinitely, had CNET not pointed out this incongruity to end all incongruities.

Now, how much would you pay for this prime example of Redmond's chuckleheadedness? $79? $89? Well, don't answer yet, because if you order now, we'll toss in a bonus example, absolutely free! Faithful viewer christoph noticed that, at some point, the new and improved Windows-served version turned into a blank page, and as we started writing this, WeHaveTheWayOut.com had been blank for well over an hour-- ever since we first started checking at 3:18 PM EST. Since even Microsoft couldn't be so incompetent as to let something like that go unfixed much longer, we grabbed a screenshot for posterity's sake, which shows both the blank page as served and the source code that generates it. (Although we will say this much: that is some really clean code.)

To see what the page used to look like, back when it was running on a UNIX server, hurry up and take a gander at Google's cache before it expires. So let's recap, shall we? Yesterday, Microsoft's message was "if you're using UNIX, you should switch to Windows, even though we ourselves use UNIX when we hope no one will notice." Today the message has changed to "if you're using UNIX like we got caught doing, switch to Windows just like we did and watch your stuff break." Memo to Bill G.: this is still not helping your case, buddy...

[Update: as of broadcast time at 10:39 PM EST, the site is now spitting out a "Directory Listing Denied" error. Does that count as an improvement? They're trying, folks, they really are!]

SceneLink (3663)

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The above scene was taken from the 4/2/02 episode:

April 2, 2002: Apple introduces a 90-day "same as cash" loan in hopes of spurring some crazy Mac buying. Meanwhile, Microsoft switches its anti-UNIX site to Windows, but can't seem to keep it running, and an eagle-eyed AtAT viewer spots the real reason why Steve Wozniak doesn't spend much time on-camera...

Other scenes from that episode:

3662: Soaring Debt As A Way Of Life (4/2/02) Want a spiffy new Mac, but haven't got the cash on hand to pony up for the goods? Well, don't let that stop you, Sparky, because in these dark days of thriftiness and sagging consumer confidence, Apple is resorting to a tried and true method to grease the occasionally sticky wheels of capitalism: the Attractive Consumer Loan...
3664: Camera Shy, My Aunt Fanny (4/2/02) As our regular viewers are all too painfully aware, Steve Jobs is a cast regular here at AtAT, making daily mercurial appearances and hogging screen time at every turn like the quintessential showman he is...

Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast...


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