tlug: W98 bugs (fwd)

[Scott Stone <sstone@example.com>]

Thought this was interesting.  Got it from UUASC.  I also like Hershel
Remer's new email address (he's UUASC's moderator - see below).

Unlike many of the things from UUASC, this is actually a real story, not
humor :)

I like how it says that, "Microsoft officials are downplaying the problem"
-- I wonder if they'd consider fixing it instead??

--------------------------------------------------
Scott M. Stone <sstone@example.com, sstone@example.com>
               <sstone@example.com>
Linux Developer/Systems Administrator for Pacific HiTech, Inc. 
http://www.pht.com		http://armadillo.pht.co.jp
http://www.pht.co.jp	        http://www.turbolinux.com


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 08 Jul 1998 12:26:17 PDT
From: Hershel Remer <unixrabbi@example.com>
Reply-To: UUASC@example.com
To: uuasc@example.com
Subject: W98 bugs

b"h


the front-cover story of this week's PCWeek is even better:



                   
                   Microsoft runs into PR buzz saw
                   with Win98 glitches

                   By Margaret Kane , ZDNN and John G. Spooner, PC Week 
Online
                   July 8, 1998 9:45 am ET 

                   Against the backdrop of lingering confusion
                   about the stability of the Windows 98 upgrade,
                   PC makers and Microsoft Corp. are beefing up
                   their online support.

                   Complaints from users upgrading from Windows 95 to 
Windows 98 range
                   from blue screen errors to reports that the operating 
system fails to
                   recognize peripherals such as PC Card modems and 
floppy drives.

                   Elsewhere, users have complained about versions of 
Outlook Express and
                   Internet Explorer shipping with Windows 98 that are 
causing their systems
                   to freeze.

                   Customer jitters have forced PC makers to scramble. 
Dell Computer Corp.
                   (Nasdaq:DELL), of Round Rock, Texas, for example, has 
gone so far as to
                   contact each customer who recently purchased Dell 
desktops and
                   notebooks, suggesting he or she consult a page on the 
company's Web site
                   before upgrading.

                   Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ) has listed possible 
conflicts with
                   Windows 98 on its Web site, while IBM (NYSE:IBM) has 
also posted a
                   number of patches and warnings.

                   Although Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) officials have 
downplayed the
                   problems, corporate customers and consumers continue 
to cite problems
                   installing and loading the operating system on 
laptops, notebooks and
                   desktop systems.

                   Beta testers who had not encountered problems with 
near-final releases of
                   the product report problems trying to install the 
final "gold" version of the
                   product.

                   For its part, Microsoft recently posted instructions 
on its own site about
                   how users can find drivers and other files necessary 
to upgrade PCs to
                   Windows 98.

                   The Hardware Compatibility List allows users to 
search by hardware type or
                   company name and tells what operating systems the 
hardware is compatible
                   with. It also provides links to any drivers or help 
files that are needed for
                   installation.

                   Although it shipped Windows 98 with 1,200 drivers, 
Microsoft allowed that
                   "not all third-party vendors have had a chance to 
update legacy hardware
                   drivers."

                   The continuing confusion surrounding Win98 convinced 
Gateway Inc.
                   (Nasdaq:GTW) not to support certain aspects of the 
OS, according to
                   sources.

                   For instance, the sources said, Gateway has turned 
off ACPI (advanced
                   configuration power interface) support in all of its 
Solo notebook models
                   that were designed with the power management 
technology.

                   The company did so in order to avoid customer 
problems with ACPI,
                   sources said.

                   Gateway officials in North Sioux City, S.D., said the 
company has no plans
                   to offer Win98 upgrade information or support via its 
Web site.

                   "We are not making any specific recommendations to 
our customers except
                   for those that come from Microsoft," the official 
said, adding that Gateway
                   is selling an upgrade kit that comes with new drivers 
for Gateway-specific
                   hardware and peripherals.

                   Just how widespread the problem is remains unclear. 
Last week, when Dell
                   -- along with Toshiba America Information Systems 
Inc. -- advised
                   customers with certain models not to upgrade to 
Win98, company officials
                   sought to minimize the glitches and indicated they 
mainly affected the
                   computer maker's Latitude line of mobile systems.

                   Of 14 Dell Latitude notebooks, Dell recommends 
against upgrades at this
                   time for 10 of the models. But Dell's Web site on 
Tuesday was chockablock
                   with warnings about upgrading other systems as well.

                   Dell recommends that users not attempt to upgrade 13 
of the 27 desktop
                   models listed on its Web site. The company recommends 
users download
                   driver upgrades before installing Win98 on another 
four. In fact, only five of
                   the desktop models have received a clean bill of 
health from the company.

                   The upgrade path to Win98 appears less problematic at 
the high end, where
                   the company said only two of its 21 Optiplex desktop 
models fail to run
                   Windows 98.

                   "We've reviewed all of our systems and identified if 
they need updated
                   drivers," said Dell spokesman Bill Robbins. "We're 
letting customers know
                   whether they should try installation."

                   He added that the company experienced similar 
problems with Windows 95,
                   but did not post information about the upgrade on its 
Web site.

                   However, at the time of the Windows 95 release, there 
were relatively few
                   problems reported by developers who failed to get 
their applications to run
                   smoothly with the new operating system upgrade. It 
was even rarer to hear
                   about OEMs not being ready with the appropriate 
software drivers.

May the All-Mighty grant you the wisdom to know the difference between 
right and wrong, good and evil, SUN and Microsoft.


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