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

gamesradar.com

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

#21

Post by nailer »

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.

The full article they link to clears this up. Indeed it's Windows 2000, but it's not "PC Compatible" which was the issue.

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

#22

Post by grzm »

valuearb wrote: post #14
mox1 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Could you elaborate? I'd say any connection iOS has with NextStep is through OS X. What connection does iOS have to NextStep that is independent of OS X parentage?

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

#23

Post by Iv »

pupppet wrote: post #13

>But look, the reality is that, again, you need to remember that this is a company that doesn't understand games, let alone consoles." ...so let’s make a game console?

The few games Microsoft did were actually pretty good. Age of Empire is still going on today.

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

#24

Post by HenryKissinger »

nailer wrote: post #18
rantwasp wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Windows remains the most popular operating system for computers by far, and that will never change.

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

#25

Post by justapassenger »

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…

Funny to watch (if you’re into this type of humor). Horrible to work for.

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

#26

Post by donatj »

nailer wrote: post #18
rantwasp wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'm pretty sure Windows at no point lost its thrive as most popular non-mobile OS

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

#27

Post by mi_lk »

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…

Do you want to expand?

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

#28

Post by flavmartins »

op00to wrote: post #6
phaedryx wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would hate to work for someone like that.

Depends on how much I got paid.

No, it doesn’t. You like the pay but hate the person. Many of us have been there before. You eventually get fed up and have to move on.

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

#29

Post by spijdar »

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…

It's a little more complicated than that.

A lot of the code in the NT kernel running on XBox was written specifically for the console. The filesystem drivers, the TCP/IP stack, the HAL, and possibly other components were rewritten from scratch for XBox specifically. It wasn't just locked down, a significant portion of "Windows" was entirely missing, and a decent chunk was replaced with new, Windows-incompatible code.

I suppose it depends on what "based on" means, though. It is technically based on Windows, but not like most people would take that to mean. e.g, when you say "based on linux", you don't take it to mean, "based on our custom kernel based on the initial loader and memory management and debugger functions in linux with the rest scrapped and replaced with a custom stack".

Using a little hyperbole there, but yeah. It does use DirectX, and is more Windows than not. But I can definitely see why someone might see it as a "lie" that it's "based on Windows".

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

#30

Post by belval »

Iv wrote: post #23
pupppet wrote: post #13

>But look, the reality is that, again, you need to remember that this is a company that doesn't understand games, let alone consoles." ...so let’s make a game console?

The few games Microsoft did were actually pretty good. Age of Empire is still going on today.

Almost 30k active daily users in a strategy game from 1999. That's a strong following for sure.
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