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Microsoft To Allow Changing Of Blue Screen Of Death
In a surprise announcement today, Microsoft President Steve Ballmer revealed
that the Redmond-based company will allow computer resellers and end-users
to customize the appearance of the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), the screen
that displays when the Windows operating system crashes. The move comes as
the result of numerous focus groups and customer surveys done by Microsoft.
Thousands of Microsoft customers were asked, "What do you spend the most
time doing on your computer?" A surprising number of respondents said,
"Staring at a Blue Screen of Death." At 54 percent, it was the top answer,
beating the second place answer "Downloading XXXScans" by an easy 12 points.
"We immediately recognized this as a great opportunity for ourselves, our
channel partners, and especially our customers," explained the excited
Ballmer to a room full of reporters. Immense video displays were used to
show images of the new customizable BSOD screen side-by-side with the older
static version. Users can select from a collection of "BSOD Themes,"
allowing them to instead have a Mauve Screen of Death or even a Paisley
Screen of Death. Graphics and multimedia content can now be incorporated
into the screen, making the BSOD the perfect conduit for delivering product
information and entertainment to Windows users. The BSOD is by far the most
recognized feature of the Windows operating system, and as a result,
Microsoft has historically insisted on total control over its look and feel.
This recent departure from that policy reflects Microsoft's recognition of
the Windows desktop itself as the "ultimate information portal." By default,
the new BSOD will be configured to show a random selection of Microsoft
product information whenever the system crashes. Microsoft channel partners
can negotiate with Microsoft for the right to customize the BSOD on systems
they ship. Major computer resellers such as Compaq, Gateway, and Dell are
already lining up for premier placement on the new and improved BSOD.
Ballmer concluded by getting a dig in against the Open Source community.
"This just goes to show that Microsoft continues to innovate at a much
faster pace than open source. I have yet to see any evidence that Linux even
has a BSOD, let alone a customizable one."
