08.17.10
Microsoft Cannot Handle Its Own Stack
Summary: Microsoft’s Volume Licensing Service Center is down again, after a downtime lasting many weeks was seemingly resolved; another ministry hit by Windows viruses, so friendly advice suggests migration to GNU/Linux
EARLIER this year we wrote about Microsoft’s VLSC (Volume Licensing Service Center) being down for a long, long time [1, 2, 3]. Well, guess what? It’s down again. [via]
Microsoft’s volume licensing site once again went titsup on Friday and was out for several days with very little explanation from the software vendor about what had gone wrong.
Frustrated customers were simply greeted with a page that read:
“The Volume Licensing Service Center is currently unavailable because we are making essential site improvements. We appreciate your patience and apologise for any inconvenience.”
There are also national problems due to Windows viruses right now (“Scare at Home as dangerous virus stalks ministry computers”). See the comment which says:
This may not have happened if Ubuntu (Linux) was installed on those PC’s. Ubuntu is free, safe, secure, stable, customizable, great community support, efficient with resources and does not need an anti-virus. I have been using it for years and am very happy with it.
Since even Microsoft cannot handle its software, why would ministries? Several European ministries have already moved to GNU/Linux, even on the desktop. █
Needs Sunlight said,
August 17, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Never could. There was also the London Stock Exchane Fiasco with Accenture where neither group could get that fake stack to work. I wonder what Accenture is up to now?
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
It published the results of a survey earlier this month, showing big gains for “Open Source” in business.
Needs Sunlight Reply:
August 18th, 2010 at 1:46 am
So in other words, they screw up royally in one of the most public of all projects and drive hoards of spectators back to open source. Then they
publishspin a report about it. I suppose like the other M$ partners they’re trying to pretend that they’re an asset or that they are experts on using, deploying, and developing Free and Open Source because they were the cause of the recent boom.In the old days before the wide availability of taxis, limos and such, those kinds got dipped in tar, rolled in feathers, hog-tied and run out to the edge of town on a rail. I suppose now the best we can hope for is that DHS or some other agency sees what they are doing to national economy and safety and puts some of the leaders away for a long time.