Software
giant, Microsoft, has said it is to withdraw it's engineering troops from the
battle to support Windows 98 and ME, by next Tuesday.
The
two operating systems were widely regarded as a mistake soon after they were launched.
Users
of 98 and ME have been hostile to Microsoft's attempts to support them for many
years, with allegations of atrocities and arrogance laid at the door of the software
behemoth.
Bill
Gates, who proclaimed victory over bugs in Windows ME whilst speaking to troops
on a warship in 2003, has since apologised to users of the two operating systems,
which he now accepts had fatal flaws in their design:
"We
were expecting users to greet Windows ME with street celebrations, as it liberated
them from the evil tyranny that was Windows 98.
But,
when it came down to it, users were put off by the early, unanticipated, problems
with the software."
Reports
of looting soon swept around the world following the lawlessness that accompanied
the introduction of Windows ME, as users didn't have anything else to do because
their computers kept crashing.
Windows
ME was introduced in the marketing opportunity now referred to as 'Oh My Giddy
Aunt everything is going to blow up on 1/1/2000' or ITBonusFest2000.
A
spokesman for Microsoft, General Michael Shernborgh, issued the following statement:
"After
extensive surveillance of the enemy and the number of troops at our disposal,
we have been forced to conclude that The Component Object Model cannot support
a fix.
There
really is nothing we can do.
It
is better for us to withdraw our troops from this mess
now rather than risk continuing to support a situation
which could deteriorate into all-out war at any moment."
