ED#42 : Did Microsoft Sell Us Out?

[Dashken]

The Windows Logo Program was supposed to be Microsoft's key to ensuring that all hardware devices work well with the Windows operating system. It worked in Windows XP, so we would have expected it to work just as well in Windows Vista.

Unfortunately, there are obvious signs that the Windows Logo Program is no longer the trustworthy standard we thought it was. Recently, even graphics cards are getting certified without working drivers. Is this how low the once-vaunted program has fallen to?

Link : ED#42 : Did Microsoft Sell Us Out?

[Evil Donut]

This is a big shame for all of the people who used to work for WHQL. We used to be proud that we worked in one of the few departments at MS that could say "We did our Job! This shit works cuz we bet the hardware manufactures up about there crappy drives till they did them right".


This stuff with ATI is nothing new for them either. When I worked at MS we caught them writing device drivers that just pretended functionality in order to pass our driver certifications.

Just annoyed at how it keeps getting worse and happy to be off that sinking ship.

[Adrian Wong]

It's just amazing that cards are being shipped without even a working driver. I don't think even that has happened in the past. Well, maybe back in the DOS days.. but that's only because they didn't need drivers!

[SideShowBob]

There are a few logo programs that tout the Certified for Windows Vista image. For example, there is a software certification that hardware vendors can go through if they ship software as a bundle with thier hardware. If their software get's certified (yes, I know drivers are software but they are classified as Hardware in this case) then they are within thier rights to show the LOGO image on the shipping SKU box. It seems to me that this can afford the hardware vendors to improperly market thier products as Vista Certified and has the potential to lower the value of the Microsoft certification programs if abused.

I suppose if Microsoft was notified of the flagerant misuse of the logo program they could take action so we can all win (Microsoft keeps the value of thier certification programs and we get the certified drivers we expect).

In my opinion I don't think this is a WHQL issue ( although Evil Donut was quick to poke there... maybe he had a bad time of it) but rather a fine line around usage of logos and trademarks between Hardware and Software logo propgrams. Perhaps the right thing for Microsoft to do is to have seperate logos that distinguish hardware from software. ...That sounds reasonable to me.

You can always send an email to WHQL@microsoft.com to make sure they are aware of the problem.

Cheers!

[Adrian Wong]

Hmm.. If that's true, then it's a really big loophole. I'm surprised that Microsoft isn't even aware of it. After all, they have had years of experience doing this even with Windows XP.

If they don't close this loophole soon, the Certified For Vista logo program will become a joke. Well, it already is, but there's still time to save the boat before it sinks.