World's Largest Error Message?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/4630' target='_blank'>http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/4630</a><br /><br /></div><i>"We went down to New York for the long weekend. Despite the 16-degree weather, we walked down to Times Square - all the bright lights lured us the ten blocks from our hotel. When we got there, we stood like, well, tourists, gaping at all the electronic billboards. And then, across the square, I saw it: the world's largest Windows error message - on a two-story high e-billboard (I guess everything really is bigger in New York). It was the only billboard in the entire square with absolutely no movement - since the PC running it had obviously frozen."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/error22006-02-20.jpg" /><br /><br />This is a powerful object lesson for Microsoft: if you want to be a platform for digital media, stability is a must.

[dgage]

The only problem here is that this is an application error, not a system error.

[David Horn]

I'm afraid I have to agree with dgage here - to Microsoft's credit Windows is still up and running, it's only the custom video output app that's crashed.

[Jason Dunn]

The only problem here is that this is an application error, not a system error.

The only thing I can tell about that error is because it has the DirectX icon, it's related to DirectX...and DirectX is a Microsoft product. I can't see anything about what application was playing back the file.

[klinux]

1. I believe this is a bigger error message: http://fun.samsnet.org/2005/11/windows-fehler-in-der-offentlichkeit/

2. In any case, they should have turned off the error reporting service.

3. Someone should develope a "Video and Text" output program that runs on *BSD - the most stable OS.

[Suhit Gupta]

Amusing how easily people dismiss Windows as an unstable OS and yet continue to run it. I really think people need to examine more carefully how huge a software engineering project it is before rendering judgement on it. While I understand that Winodws 98 and ME were bug ridden, Microsoft has really done a lot of things right with 2000 and XP.

Yes, I work for Microsoft, but that is not the reason why I am defending. I defended it while I was in school as well when everyone around me was running Linux. Keeping track of the needs of 90% of the computer using population in the world and adjusting an OS to meet all their demands is definitely not an easy task. Further, each of Microsoft's products interacts with (or could interact with) an innumerable number of applications so DirectX crashing cannot be attributed to Microsoft as a whole. Plus, in this case, as klinux points out, the Error Reporting Service should have been turned off so it is a SysAdmin error than Microsoft's.

Suhit

[Jason Eaton]

If they shut off error reporting, would it not still have crashed? This isn't the tree that fell in the woods, your looking at it. :D

If it is legacy code, number of lines of code, whatever people want to attribute it to, the fact is Windows is still unstable. Did they make progress, yes.

Microsoft is still a business and users are their customers. Customers shouldn't accept the faults because Microsoft is a big company... but Microsoft should make stability their number one issue in my mind instead of doing High Def video, music players and stores, xbox 360s etc.

Microsoft has fractured into to so many additional areas dividing their focus. They are the next Sony in my mind. THey have a lot of things, but none of them are polished and work without fault, they will soon be surpassed by someone smaller that can focus on delivering the experience their customers want.

MS needs to do a lot more then the Redmond two step, because alot of people I know view Microsoft as a necessary evil... and not a trusted partner. Given a better choice they would drop MS like a bad habit.

[Suhit Gupta]

It would still have crashed but an error message on that scale is embarassing at a number of levels, and is blaming the wrong person IMHO. It is like leaving Outlook on when you are in the middle of a super critical presentation (like a thesis defense) and having your email messages keep popping up on the right hand side (or even an Instant Messenger client). Whose fault is that?

And regarding stability not being their number one priority, how do you know that it isn't Microsoft's number 1 priority? Being the biggest software company, it does have to concentrate on a large number of areas rather than just one, people really do expect that of it. Can you imagine an OS that has no apps and it's only goal is stability? Oh wait, BSD comes to mind. Hmm, let me think of how many regular end users are using it?!

Without working for Microsoft, comparing them to Sony is a bit naive, IMHO. And obviously, a company that focusses on a small area will always do better than a company that diversifies their focus. While I agree with you that they do need to do the things they already do better, this will always be an ask by everyone. It is impossible to make everyone happy. Honestly, think of the number of people using Microsoft products. Trust me, software engineering at such a large scale is not an easy task. Althought Microsoft is addressing user comments by concentrating more on innovation and execution.

Suhit

[gdoerr56]

Wow.

No one really knows what the actual problem was and we're all busy placing blame and getting defensive. It could be the OS, application or video drivers although my money is on the video driver. I've seen enough video driver problems on both *nix and Windows that I think I'd get better than even money on that bet.

At the end of day, as long as 'people' write software and administer systems, there will be software bugs and administration mistakes.

Of course, my dad can still beat up your dad ;-)

[Jeremy Charette]

This happens all the time in New York City. Frequently I'll be walking down the street and see the Windows Logo Screensaver or the Windows XP Logon screen up on the jumbotron.

More user error than anything else.

[Jason Dunn]

While I understand that Winodws 98 and ME were bug ridden, Microsoft has really done a lot of things right with 2000 and XP.

Absolutely - Windows XP is light years ahead of 98 and ME. But...Microsoft made sacrifices in stability in exchange for speed. An example would be how close the video drivers in XP are allowed to get to the kernel - faster, yes, but a wonky video driver can take down the whole OS. That's just unacceptable, and a bad decision no matter how you slice it. With Vista the video drivers are being "pushed out" more (from my understanding) and even if they crash, your screen flickers once and the OS reloads the drivers - the OS is unaffected. That's what we should have had since Windows 2000. And don't even get me started on all users being admins by default... :-(

I understand that stability is important to people working at Microsoft, but by the same token I think some very poor decisions have been made in the past that continue to haunt us today. I'm VERY much looking forward to Vista for the above reason and many more.