4 ms·

I guess it is also time to put that old joke to bed as well: "Question: How many Microsoft engineers does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: None, they j

by SeanDav 13y ago

I guess it is also time to put that old joke to bed as well: "Question: How many Microsoft engineers does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: None, they just change the standard to darkness."

dietrichepp 13y ago
I always heard the joke as: Answer: More. I thought of this as less of a jab at Microsoft software quality and more of a jab at Microsoft's attitude towards software complexity. If we keep using the lightbulb as a metaphor, we keep the old on/off API and add a dimmer switch which can be controlled over the network, an access control list, and a structure which can define the light bulb's color, direction, luminosity, et cetera. With enough engineers, you can design the last light bulb you'll ever need. The Open Source way is to have seventeen different teams design seventeen different lightbulbs, including one that can scale to 5000W and cause immediate retina damage, and a 1/4W red LED barely bright enough to read by which light bulb users on forums swear by because it's not bloated, and a Gnome light bulb which removed the dimmer in version 3 because only 5% of the user base was even aware that the dimmer existed. It still takes tons of engineers, only now they're all working on different light bulbs. The Apple light bulb is a plain white CFL, with a CRI of 96, a 6500K temperature, and a proprietary on/off switch with no moving parts. It is available as both 14W and 24W. The light bulb has not been updated in a while now that Apple focuses on the flashlight business.
- SeanDav 13y ago
  My version is from the days when Microsoft software was completely bug free. It had no bugs, only "features". True arrogance. I think I prefer your version though!
  - chimeracoder 13y ago
    So, ironically, your version of the joke would apply perfectly well to Apple today. My how the tables have turned - everything old is new again!
unreal37 13y ago
We need a new joke then. Question: How many Ubuntu engineers does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: 900. 1 to log the bug, 2 to start a flame war over it, 896 to upvote the defect to encourage a developer to work on it, and 3 years later 1 to close the defect as won't fix - no longer needed.
- wtbob 13y ago
  You forgot the 3 engineers to develop a replacement for light bulbs based on firefly goo. Granted, it only lasts for a few hours, and it's not very bright, and the firefly population is now almost extinct, but it's a really slick colour! Light bulbs are so desktop-oriented, anyway. Fireflies are _mobile_!
sebnukem2 13y ago
Shouldn't it be "None, it's a hardware problem."?

by SeanDav 13y ago

I guess it is also time to put that old joke to bed as well: "Question: How many Microsoft engineers does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: None, they just change the standard to darkness."

dietrichepp 13y ago

I always heard the joke as: Answer: More. I thought of this as less of a jab at Microsoft software quality and more of a jab at Microsoft's attitude towards software complexity. If we keep using the lightbulb as a metaphor, we keep the old on/off API and add a dimmer switch which can be controlled over the network, an access control list, and a structure which can define the light bulb's color, direction, luminosity, et cetera. With enough engineers, you can design the last light bulb you'll ever need. The Open Source way is to have seventeen different teams design seventeen different lightbulbs, including one that can scale to 5000W and cause immediate retina damage, and a 1/4W red LED barely bright enough to read by which light bulb users on forums swear by because it's not bloated, and a Gnome light bulb which removed the dimmer in version 3 because only 5% of the user base was even aware that the dimmer existed. It still takes tons of engineers, only now they're all working on different light bulbs. The Apple light bulb is a plain white CFL, with a CRI of 96, a 6500K temperature, and a proprietary on/off switch with no moving parts. It is available as both 14W and 24W. The light bulb has not been updated in a while now that Apple focuses on the flashlight business.

SeanDav 13y ago
My version is from the days when Microsoft software was completely bug free. It had no bugs, only "features". True arrogance. I think I prefer your version though!
- chimeracoder 13y ago
  So, ironically, your version of the joke would apply perfectly well to Apple today. My how the tables have turned - everything old is new again!

unreal37 13y ago

We need a new joke then. Question: How many Ubuntu engineers does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: 900. 1 to log the bug, 2 to start a flame war over it, 896 to upvote the defect to encourage a developer to work on it, and 3 years later 1 to close the defect as won't fix - no longer needed.

wtbob 13y ago
You forgot the 3 engineers to develop a replacement for light bulbs based on firefly goo. Granted, it only lasts for a few hours, and it's not very bright, and the firefly population is now almost extinct, but it's a really slick colour! Light bulbs are so desktop-oriented, anyway. Fireflies are _mobile_!

sebnukem2 13y ago

Shouldn't it be "None, it's a hardware problem."?