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An internal team 'hoodwinked' Bill Gates into launching the Xbox project

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Re: An internal team 'hoodwinked' Bill Gates into launching the Xbox project

#11

Post by est31 »

The Xbox operating system does base on Windows though. It's just locked down in some areas and lacks some higher level builtin programs of Windows and has a different launcher/DE. It's a half-lie at most.

Also, the parts of Windows that Xbox does ship with are the most important ones for Microsoft shareholders. Nobody would want to edit their documents from their Xbox. That would in fact be harmful because some people might not buy a proper PC then (as is observable years later with the advent of smartphones). But the Xbox uses the DirectX API as well as builds on all the Windows-isms. So if you built a game for Windows, it's not hard to port it to Xbox, and vice versa.

Re: An internal team 'hoodwinked' Bill Gates into launching the Xbox project

#12

Post by mox1 »

hooloovoo_zoo wrote: post #7

This doesn't sound like a true story. He lies to Bill Gates 'telling him the console would incorporate the Windows operating system' but also had 'been telling them that [this doesn't need Windows at all] for two years.'

Someone gave a talk at my college early after the release of the original Xbox. It was definitely "Based" off of Windows 2000. So like I would call this a white-lie. Basically just the kernel and file system if I remember correctly.

Kinda like how ios version 1 was based off OSX.

Re: An internal team 'hoodwinked' Bill Gates into launching the Xbox project

#14

Post by valuearb »

mox1 wrote: post #12
hooloovoo_zoo wrote: post #7

This doesn't sound like a true story. He lies to Bill Gates 'telling him the console would incorporate the Windows operating system' but also had 'been telling them that [this doesn't need Windows at all] for two years.'

Someone gave a talk at my college early after the release of the original Xbox. It was definitely "Based" off of Windows 2000. So like I would call this a white-lie. Basically just the kernel and file system if I remember correctly. Kinda like how ios version 1 was based off OSX.

iOS was based off NextStep, just like OSX.

Re: An internal team 'hoodwinked' Bill Gates into launching the Xbox project

#15

Post by rantwasp »

CapitalistCartr wrote: post #10
abvdasker wrote: post #2

> "There was a meeting in a small conference room with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. And Steve never, I don't think, ever thought it was a good idea. There's a story I've told where I was standing in line in the cafeteria with Kevin, and Steve Ballmer snuck up behind us and yelled in my ear, making me throw my food: 'YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE ALL OUR MONEY!'” Steve Ballmer might be the funniest dude ever to run a tech com…

Perhaps the funniest dude ever to ruin a tech company.

nah. I think Balmer did wonders for Ms. It’s really easy to blame the guy but I think it’s important to look at the context (of when he took over, what he actually did)

also, he is the only CEO I routinely saw at the “corporate gym” in Redmond before the pandemic struck. No bodyguards, no nothings. Like a regular dude going to the gym, hanging out in the sauna/jacuzzi. He had a super positive attitude towards the staff and other people that would strike up a conversation. While I did not the to have the image of a naked Ballmer burned into my retinas, I do appreciate that he did not let all that wealth go to his head.

Re: An internal team 'hoodwinked' Bill Gates into launching the Xbox project

#16

Post by bitwize »

abvdasker wrote: post #2

> "There was a meeting in a small conference room with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. And Steve never, I don't think, ever thought it was a good idea. There's a story I've told where I was standing in line in the cafeteria with Kevin, and Steve Ballmer snuck up behind us and yelled in my ear, making me throw my food: 'YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE ALL OUR MONEY!'” Steve Ballmer might be the funniest dude ever to run a tech com…

He was played to an absolute T by John DiMaggio, the voice of Bender the robot, in Pirates of Silicon Valley.

Re: An internal team 'hoodwinked' Bill Gates into launching the Xbox project

#17

Post by klodolph »

est31 wrote: post #11

The Xbox operating system does base on Windows though. It's just locked down in some areas and lacks some higher level builtin programs of Windows and has a different launcher/DE. It's a half-lie at most. Also, the parts of Windows that Xbox does ship with are the most important ones for Microsoft shareholders. Nobody would want to edit their documents from their Xbox. That would in fact be harmful because some peopl…

I’ve had coworkers who were on the original Xbox team and they told me that the OS was not Windows. One of the things about the Xbox OS is that the OS itself gets a fixed timeslice each frame to do whatever it needs while the game is running, in order to make it so the game can get the rest of the frame to run. This sounds to me like a decision that has far-reaching consequences.

I’m sure that it shares plenty code with Windows. You might say that the OS is based on Windows. But it’s definitely not Windows.

Re: An internal team 'hoodwinked' Bill Gates into launching the Xbox project

#18

Post by nailer »

rantwasp wrote: post #15
CapitalistCartr wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps the funniest dude ever to ruin a tech company.

nah. I think Balmer did wonders for Ms. It’s really easy to blame the guy but I think it’s important to look at the context (of when he took over, what he actually did) also, he is the only CEO I routinely saw at the “corporate gym” in Redmond before the pandemic struck. No bodyguards, no nothings. Like a regular dude going to the gym, hanging out in the sauna/jacuzzi. He had a super positive attitude towards the sta…

When he started Microsoft had the most popular OS, web browser and mobile OS. A decade later they lost all three and their market cap barely moved.

Re: An internal team 'hoodwinked' Bill Gates into launching the Xbox project

#19

Post by HenryKissinger »

CapitalistCartr wrote: post #10
abvdasker wrote: post #2

> "There was a meeting in a small conference room with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. And Steve never, I don't think, ever thought it was a good idea. There's a story I've told where I was standing in line in the cafeteria with Kevin, and Steve Ballmer snuck up behind us and yelled in my ear, making me throw my food: 'YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE ALL OUR MONEY!'” Steve Ballmer might be the funniest dude ever to run a tech com…

Perhaps the funniest dude ever to ruin a tech company.

To run or to ruin?

Re: An internal team 'hoodwinked' Bill Gates into launching the Xbox project

#20

Post by bobobob420 »

rantwasp wrote: post #15
CapitalistCartr wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps the funniest dude ever to ruin a tech company.

nah. I think Balmer did wonders for Ms. It’s really easy to blame the guy but I think it’s important to look at the context (of when he took over, what he actually did) also, he is the only CEO I routinely saw at the “corporate gym” in Redmond before the pandemic struck. No bodyguards, no nothings. Like a regular dude going to the gym, hanging out in the sauna/jacuzzi. He had a super positive attitude towards the sta…

He botched Microsoft pretty bad.. windows 8 was his hallmark project no? And the beginning of surface was not that good. Once Satya took over Microsoft became a powerhouse again with their cloud/office integration + focus on azure.
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