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Microsoft/Danger lose Sidekick user data in server failure

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Re: Microsoft/Danger lose Sidekick user data in server failure

#51

Post by johnnybgoode »

viraptor wrote: post #26
johnnybgoode wrote: post #18

This is incredible. In no way is it even remotely acceptable for them not to have backups.

It doesn't have to be the case of no backups. Many different things can happen... They could have a faulty backup design. They could have lost the backups. They could have a fault in their backup verification / checking procedure. They could miss some part of the data that wasn't crucial before, but after a couple of updates, they cannot restore contacts without it. Etc. There are many ways this could have happened -…

As far as I'm concerned, if you can't recover your data, you don't really have a backup. That covers every one of your hypotheticals.

Re: Microsoft/Danger lose Sidekick user data in server failure

#52

Post by white_eskimo »

covercash wrote: post #24
megaduck wrote: post #13

Oh. My. God. I was one of the first Sidekick customers, long before the MS buyout. It was an amazing email/texting device, far easier and more comfortable to use than a Blackberry. Plus the web browsing was decent, and the UI was simple and elegant. All in all, a really cool phone. Unfortunately, the first generation of hardware was super flaky. I had five of them die on me in a year, often failing within weeks. Sinc…

I was a loyal Sidekick user right up until the day the first gen iPhone launched. It really was a fantastic device with the always on AIM, server side re-rendering of websites to optimize them for the device and one of the best physical keyboards I have used to this date. If I remember correctly, Mark Cuban was a sidekick fanatic. I wonder what his reaction to this debacle is.

Server side re-rendering of websites?? Sounds like wide-spread support for that would be lacking... I'm sure as the Sidekick gained traction, more web sites adopted its special rendering requirements as you mention, but in the beginning, things must have been rough!

Disclosure - I've never owned a Sidekick (and know little about them, other than they are apart of Microsoft's 3 screens and a cloud strategy, yet they don't run Windows Mobile (??)).

Re: Microsoft/Danger lose Sidekick user data in server failure

#53

Post by allenbrunson »

white_eskimo wrote: post #52
covercash wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was a loyal Sidekick user right up until the day the first gen iPhone launched. It really was a fantastic device with the always on AIM, server side re-rendering of websites to optimize them for the device and one of the best physical keyboards I have used to this date. If I remember correctly, Mark Cuban was a sidekick fanatic. I wonder what his reaction to this debacle is.

Server side re-rendering of websites?? Sounds like wide-spread support for that would be lacking... I'm sure as the Sidekick gained traction, more web sites adopted its special rendering requirements as you mention, but in the beginning, things must have been rough! Disclosure - I've never owned a Sidekick (and know little about them, other than they are apart of Microsoft's 3 screens and a cloud strategy, yet they d…

i'm pretty sure he's talking about servers run by danger that re-render other websites. those other websites don't know or care that they are being presented in such a fashion.

Re: Microsoft/Danger lose Sidekick user data in server failure

#54

Post by wrinklz »

megaduck wrote: post #13

Oh. My. God. I was one of the first Sidekick customers, long before the MS buyout. It was an amazing email/texting device, far easier and more comfortable to use than a Blackberry. Plus the web browsing was decent, and the UI was simple and elegant. All in all, a really cool phone. Unfortunately, the first generation of hardware was super flaky. I had five of them die on me in a year, often failing within weeks. Sinc…

I used to back up my Sidekick on a PC and a Mac. There's no excuse for not backing up the data, at least not for the last 4 years or so.

Re: Microsoft/Danger lose Sidekick user data in server failure

#55

Post by wrinklz »

MattCutts wrote: post #36
jonursenbach wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think this is really showcasing the dangers of the cloud, but rather the dangers of companies not knowing what the fuck they're doing.

Or the dangers of companies not allowing you to easily export/backup your data.

That doesn't apply to Danger/Sidekick. I had one 4years ago and synced regularly on PC and Mac.

Re: Microsoft/Danger lose Sidekick user data in server failure

#56

Post by wrinklz »

Elepsis wrote: post #50
MattCutts wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or the dangers of companies not allowing you to easily export/backup your data.

While this is true in principle, this is a bit of a Google talking point that has more PR cachet than practical implications. Giving users the ability to make backups of their data certainly does not mean they will actually do so. How many Gmail users actually keep full backups of their email (using POP or IMAP or whatever)? And if Gmail had a case of massive data loss tomorrow, do you really think saying "well, you…

The reluctance of some people to back up their online data is a testament to the general dependability of online services. More screwups like this one, or like Magnolia recently, can only serve to scare folks from "the cloud", or teach them to back it up.

Re: Microsoft/Danger lose Sidekick user data in server failure

#57

Post by wrinklz »

lallysingh wrote: post #2

This is really, really unacceptable. I don't know how you screw something up this badly. HINT: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&#3... Additionally, I suspect we're going to see these customers really hesitate on future cloud-based services.

Perhaps scaring people from "the cloud" was part of the Borg's plan...

Re: Microsoft/Danger lose Sidekick user data in server failure

#58

Post by wrinklz »

tptacek wrote: post #46
jsz0 wrote: post #4

The timing of this is a bit suspicious. I just read an article late last week from an "insider" detailing what a major clusterfuck the Danger acquisition has been for Microsoft and how they've completely neglected the SideKick platform in favor of their own failed attempts to create a competing device. The speculation from this insider being that Microsoft had zero interest in the NetBSD based SideKick and only bough…

They bought the last-place Smartphone vendor in order to kill it? They can get last place just by introducing their own product.

More likely they were interested in patents or the technology.

Re: Microsoft/Danger lose Sidekick user data in server failure

#60

Post by rbanffy »

jsz0 wrote: post #12
nkassis wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, why did they buy them in the first place? Just to kill them? Did they fire the whole system staff they used to have? I just can't believe they just know stopped running backups and let it die. Sounds odd, and prone to being sued by T-Mobile quick. (Maybe Microsoft is going after T-Mobile for android?)

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/09/exclusive_pink... The most relevant bits: "The final operator who is going to be pissed is T-Mobile, who has been just as loyal of a partner to Danger as Sharp has been. I don't know exactly what Microsoft has been telling them, but they have no doubt realized that they've been cut out of this deal in favor of their largest competitor. What's worse is that apparently Micr…

This would be fraud. Microsoft would never do that!

Now, seriously, Microsoft is not be likely to commit fraud in order to get more money from T-Mobile. But they are perfectly capable of engaging in any unethical behaviour that would prevent T-Mobile from investing more in Android, and, less specifically, of anything that could prevent Android from gaining foothold.

They should really worry because many phones run Windows Mobile only as a kernel and the users seldom see its underpinnings. It would be rather easy to port those front-ends to other platforms. Actually, I would fire the developers who didn't isolate them from the underlying OS as much as possible.

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