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We Meant To Do That (5/9/98)
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Sometimes it's all in the way you spin things, and Microsoft is the uncontested master of shameless positive spin. The most recent example may be the FrontPage 98 bug which allows a user to delete his or her entire hard disk from within the FrontPage program itself; Microsoft has seen fit to describe this behavior as a "feature." CNET has details.
The specific situation that can cause this behavior involves designating the "web" directory in FrontPage to be an entire hard disk, and then deleting that folder. The reason that FrontPage lets you such a strange thing is because, according to FrontPage program manager Mike Angiulo, users might actually want to use a complete hard disk for nothing but the web site they're developing. Therefore, the ability to designate a hard disk as your web folder (and even to delete it) is a feature and not a bug. Sounds almost plausible, doesn't it? Of course, it doesn't explain why FrontPage will delete files that are obviously not web files without asking twice, but hey, this is Microsoft logic we're dealing with, here.
If this sort of careless deletion of files from within a Microsoft application seems familiar, you may be thinking of the recent Microsoft Office 98 problem, in which the Remove Office 98 application blithely assumes that whatever folder containing a specific shared library must be the Office 98 folder-- so if that file somehow got moved to the System Folder, running the Remove Office 98 program would trash the system software. That bug was fixed shortly after it was discovered, though we're pretty sure even Microsoft couldn't call that bug a "feature" and keep a straight face. What we want to know is, why can't the world's biggest and most successful software company develop enough attention to detail in their applications to, say, check to make sure that files about to be deleted are not system files? Another puzzler for the ages.
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 5/9/98 episode: May 9, 1998: Apple's temporary bout of brain fever subsides, and a Quicktime distribution scheme that actually makes sense emerges after the recovery. Meanwhile, someone leaked something about a "Mac OS 2000," and Microsoft continues to lead the pack when it comes to brazen spin control...
Other scenes from that episode: 688: Common Sense Prevails (5/9/98) See? Making noise really can make a difference. MacInTouch reports that, following the massively negative feedback about Apple's Quicktime 3 licensing scheme, Apple plans to revise the Software Distribution Agreement to make the terms a little more palatable for licensees and end-users alike... 689: Loose Lips Sink Ships (5/9/98) It's funny where little facts can leak out. Mac OS Rumors reports that Apple's web page listing Worldwide Developer Conference courses contains some interesting references to something called "Mac OS 2000," which Rumors suggests refers to the product of the operating system convergence project...
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