Microsoft pimps bogus Windows 7 'launch parties' Microsoft is offering to bribe you into throwing a launch party for Windows 7. Just as Redmond regains credibility after the debacle that was Windows Vista by garnering positive reviews for its upcoming Windows 7, its marketing geniuses have decided to embarrass the company by promoting bogus bashes in honor of that operating …
Hey Microsoft, the Ubuntu LoCo Council called, they want their release party idea back.
Seriously, does Microsoft really think it can pull off the kind of grass-roots party we have for Ubuntu every 6 months in most cities and countries? We'll be happy to send Ubuntu Karmic CDs to any of these frat parties, full version software for all!
Although I am surprised at El Reg for not picking up on the Ubuntu LoCo teams comparison.
I just knew there would be one of those smug freetards going on and on and on about Ubuntu launch parties.
You know what, I googled them. And this is what came out (links perfectly SFW, but may cause terminal boredom):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freeculture/sets/72157607438938969/
http://photos.jonathancarter.co.za/v/ubuntu-party-7-04/
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ArizonaTeam/Installfest/Jaunty-Tucson
Quite frankly, I'd rather be trapped in a burning bus with Microsoft's stock models than attend one of these.
So please, do kindly shut up about your computer club meetings or at least have the decency to stop calling them "parties".
I just got the email inviting me to apply for a Windows 7 launch party an hour ago. My first thought was: WTF?
You beat me to the find it the next week on eBay quip.
I would like to apply and get the free stuff and possibly win a neat netbook but I am an IT nerd and have no friends and do not party so it would be wrong to win and simply pretend to hold the event.
I agree with the AC comment: "Oh, how they laughed... #" - the only time a group of people huddle around a computer and have those expressions and gestures in unison is when watching something fairly rude. The women are laughing as hard as the men so it must be gay porn.
I don't believe this has ever happened to me before; reading this article made me cringe so much I actually felt nauseous. This is the most uncool stunt I've ever heard of, and I've made a career out of deriding uncool stunts! Please, don't apply! If you meet a guy who has, kick him so hard that the next time his bollocks meet they're on the far side of the moon. Do it for me, if not for yourselves. But do it for yourselves anyway.
Microsoft insulted its customer more than once -- and will likely to do it again in near future. Nonetheless, they have every right to "celebrate" the stupidity of their customers. After all before Vista, they had MS Office Ads insulting their users, calling them dinosaurs for sticking with Office 2003, or older. Now, they got away with Vista.
Other side of pound we have our beloved Steve Jobs, we know how friendly Apple PC would be if they own 90% of the world market.
Linux, well let be honest here guys. There are very few user like me who are willing to learn things like -- why my lappy's wifi is not working, or what type of linux friendly notebook is on the market.
Personally, I am looking forward to the day when human being are born like "seedless fruits", and they would need to pass a license to a have one baby.
And for the usual suspect, no baby for you!
...the wicked witch of Vista is dead!
Well, that's the theme I'd choose should I be selected to throw a party in 7's honour. Then again, there's rarely a bad excuse for some impromptu cerveza consumption. I hope they don't mind if I have secondary themes of celebrating MacOS X and Linux, while we're at it?
I'm a little more discerning than most potential 7 party-hosters, though. I'd also like to see a cheque cut for some reasonable amount for my time in organising a local marketing programme on Microsoft's behalf -- especially since they stand to profit handsomely from my (presently hypothetical) efforts. A free copy of 7 Ultimate is a good start, but not enough.
Bit ironic, really - you complain Microsoft 'nicked' the idea from Ubuntu, but Ubuntu 'nicked' it from everyone else. There've been release parties for Linux distros since years before anyone thought of Ubuntu.
Of course, with Linux distros - what with them being free software, and all - there's an actual point to the event: everyone who shows up gets a copy. It's pretty sad to see Microsoft trying to steal the release party idea without the actual _point_...
" can win a "mini-notebook laptop personal computer" [Note to author: please clear this quote with the Department of Redundancy Department. - Ed.] "
Dear Editor, a mini-notebook is not the same as a laptop computer, please don't blur the
marketing line quite so much.
Next you'll be calling the iPhone a mini-mini-pocket -'puter ... oh .. wait
She's ... got ... a
mini mini pocket puter
apple stuff could not be cuter
that she wore for the first time today !
a mini mini pocket puter
nothing else would ever suit her
and the geeks will have so much to say !
It has been suggested that the scene on the computer must be fairly rude. Going one step further...
Front row, from left:
#1: Sister of #4. She secretly filmed an encounter between #2 and #4.
#2: Boyfriend of #3, secretly toying with #4.
#3: Girlfriend of #2, never suspected a thing and now is confronted with vivid evidence.
#4: Brother of #1, regular boyfriend of #5, had some fun with #2.
#5: Boyfriend of #4, half-brother of #3. Happy to see that #4's horizons are being expanded.
Back row: Straight guy wondering how much more of this he has to see before they hand out the "mini-notebook laptop personal computer". His Asian girlfriend is about to emerge from the kitchen carrying a tray, saying, "Cocktairs fo evelyone!!"
Freebies get me every time. I figure, I'll be buying 7 anyway (Home Premium), so Ultimate would be nice. I like drinking. I drink while upgrading PCs. So, I can have a drink, install a free copy of 7, have music on, dance a bit. Setting up with Ease Party! The only problem I have, as has been pointed out, is the 9 friends bit. So far I've got:
1) Wife
2) kid 1
3) kid 2
4) Mother-in-law
5) Brother-in-law maybe
6) Other brother-in-law
7) His wife
8) Their kid 1
9) Their kid 2
Hey, I've got enough! Failing that, I'll just email friends and relatives who all live miles away, and wouldn't cross the street for a Windows 7 party, let alone travel hundreds of miles.
I can imagine the fun party games now;
Hunt The Missing Drivers
Reboot Reboot Reboot
Backup & Restore (if it is working by then)
Can you drink a yard of ale in the time Windows 7 boots up?
Every time a guest requests a drink, the host must popup and shout
"PARIS HAS REQUESTED A DRINK! [ALLOW] or [DENY]?"
Universal truths for the fanbois just choking to say something...
Linux - Might be open-source but it's closed-world world shite not used outside the geek industry. Save all the "but my granny uses Linux" replies, please. Your granny only uses Linux because you, the geek, set it up for her.
OSX - <10% market share for good reason. Can you imagine how much fun a Snow Leopard party would be? I wonder if one of the freebies would be a representative from Apple.
"Hey, thanks for letting me come to your Snow Leopard party. I have one on the first Tuesday of every month. IT'S CALLED WINDOWS FUCKING UPDATE!"
90% market share, bitches! You not liking it won't change it.
Anyone want to come to a launch party? ;)
You're right. Microsofts stock models could possibly be interesting. Those Ubuntu Parties look just... just terrible. Really terrible. Why not host a launch party in a pub? Or somewhere that wouldn't remind people of high school? The middle set at least had something other than people sat at desks...
Actually, as so many people like Linux, why not rent out a nightclub and provide free WiFi for anyone running Linux that evening! Make it a proper launch party- try to get some tech-related celeb/TV types to appear (like... err.. no idea. Gadget Show presenters? No, the bald guy's a Mactard...), relabel a load of generic booze so it's "Ubuntu" branded, hire a compere to keep the evening moving, and call the next release Ubuntu- Anonnymous Alcoholic. Hire/buy/build touchscreen terminals to show it off. Get someone from Canonical to make a speech about how this is the year of Linux.
Pretty much, push to get Linux in the national press as a free alternative to Windows- loved, developed and supported by millions.
That photo reminds me very strongly of one used by Vincent Flanders on webpagesthatsuck.com with the caption "these ladies are laughing at your website".
Maybe the fine folks in the photo here are laughing at W7 "oh, wow, can you believe that?!"
Where on earth does MS get such stupid ideas about marketing? You may laugh at a bad website, you may laugh at an online joke, you may laugh at a comedy you're watching, but the OS? Give me a break: if the OS attracts your attention in any way, it's a failure.
The insincerity and cynicism evinced by this "marketing" tactic is beyond measure.
Bring a brown-bag party or at least get the washing up bowl so you have something to be sick into!
I class myself as a bit of an Apple fanboi, but jeez I waited 3 days before I could work up enough energy to bother going down the local Apple store to get my new SL disc. Come on the Apple keyboard doesn't even have a sodding # key on it and it runs Unix for flips sake, it ain't that great! I did not throw "Bring a leopard party!" or celebrate "I just contributed to another Ferrari for Steve day"! I bought Snow Leopard, installed it and saw bugger all difference to my machine, my general computer usage and certainly no change to my life in any meaningful way! No bus full of dusky maidens ready to perform any sordid whim, as Ritchie and Eddie often dreamed of!
Come on, these are just tools ( no not us Apple freaks! ) the O/Ss, Windows, Ubuntu and OSX. Just tools, to get stuff done, kill time until the great leveller calls you home. OK? These are not lifestyle choices, these will not get you girls ( well not normal ones anyway! ), you will not suddenly become Mr Sexy 2009, just 'cos you were the first in the queue to buy your copy of your chosen O/S.
Talking of which, a great party would be to gather all the sad tossers who're always first to buy latest-super gadget #9 of the moment, cheering and waving to camera. Get all those sad loser in a room, lock the doors and pump in the Sarin! Do us all a favour and perhaps improve the human-race somewhat!
PERSPECTIVE is the keyword.
Do we have a contest on how long it takes to install some version of Linux. Everyone take a new W7 and a Linux distribution (of their choice). The winner is the person who goes from W7 to Linux in the shortest amount of time. That would be a contest!
As others have said: "Free bling!!"
Please consult the Miniature Computer Field Guide for the proper usage of the term 'notebook'
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/13/miniature_computer_field_guide/
As for Redmonds marketing strategy, oh well I don't know where to begin and I wouldn't know where to stop if I did. I can write volumes about why This Is Wrong(tm). But as we don't have these parties in the Netherlands, I'll suffice with the title of this work: 'Nauseating pur sang'
I just feel I lost a little faith in humanity that's all...
This post has been deleted by its author
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
