Vista startup sound to be hardwired
Apparently Microsoft doesn't think you might want to customize your startup sound
Thursday, August 31, 2006 by Aleatoric | Discussion: Vista Customization
From the looks of things, Microsoft seems to be so smitten by their marketing that they believe that you'll always want to hear the default Vista startup sound, no matter what.
Here's a portion of a quote (from the Scobleizer link) from Steve Ball, the program manager for audio video experience (oops, I mean excellence) team at Microsoft,
"The bottom line is that the rumors, stories, speculation about the new Windows Vista sound are true," Ball said, "but with a number of extreme qualifications."
The current plan, he tells me, is that there will be a pre-wired sound that plays when the system is ready for you to logon. This is the plan of record for quite a few months.
You can do other things with your attention and your eyes during cold boot without feeling like you have to watch and wait.
This will be a non-customizeable sound, and that’s been part of the plan for Windows Vista for many months, he said".
The overwhelming number of user comments on the scobleizer page are clearly in opposition to this idea. And it seems to me that most of those commenters aren't as attached to the idea of customization as the visitors to Wincustomize are.
Even if I didn't want to customize my PC, I would be unalterably opposed to this kind of thing. Being someone who enjoys customization, I see this as a much worse proposition.
Steve Ball mentions that they are 'listening' to these kind of comments, but the statements that he makes (including a couple in the comments section) indicates that Microsoft is dead set on providing this 'functionality'.
If I get Vista at some point, and it has this issue, I will look for a hack to disable it, as much as I hate the idea of those kind of hacks.
Here's a portion of a quote (from the Scobleizer link) from Steve Ball, the program manager for audio video experience (oops, I mean excellence) team at Microsoft,
"The bottom line is that the rumors, stories, speculation about the new Windows Vista sound are true," Ball said, "but with a number of extreme qualifications."
The current plan, he tells me, is that there will be a pre-wired sound that plays when the system is ready for you to logon. This is the plan of record for quite a few months.
You can do other things with your attention and your eyes during cold boot without feeling like you have to watch and wait.
This will be a non-customizeable sound, and that’s been part of the plan for Windows Vista for many months, he said".
The overwhelming number of user comments on the scobleizer page are clearly in opposition to this idea. And it seems to me that most of those commenters aren't as attached to the idea of customization as the visitors to Wincustomize are.
Even if I didn't want to customize my PC, I would be unalterably opposed to this kind of thing. Being someone who enjoys customization, I see this as a much worse proposition.
Steve Ball mentions that they are 'listening' to these kind of comments, but the statements that he makes (including a couple in the comments section) indicates that Microsoft is dead set on providing this 'functionality'.
If I get Vista at some point, and it has this issue, I will look for a hack to disable it, as much as I hate the idea of those kind of hacks.
Venom339
Reply #2 Friday, September 1, 2006 12:11 AM
Reply #2 Friday, September 1, 2006 12:11 AM
Someone will always find a way to hack it off or change it. It's not a big issue, maybe after a few weeks of vista being released, a search in google would most likely bring up something useful.
Aleatoric
Reply #4 Friday, September 1, 2006 12:27 AM
Reply #4 Friday, September 1, 2006 12:27 AM
Oh, I fully expect that a hack will be available about a microsecond after release. Given that, I don't really think this is a permanent state of affairs, but it does go a long way toward indicating what Microsoft *really* thinks about their customers.
They think they're going to present some 'spiritual' experience that the customers will eat up like pudding. That's just stupid. I don't have it in for Microsoft, and I don't hate Windows, but this kind of thing puts me on edge. It's clear that the desires (or needs) of the customer aren't even on this planet as far as the 'experience' people are concerned.
If this kind of crap is actually in the release version of Vista, I *won't* be buying it. I'll let my ODNT subscription lapse and start using linux exclusively before I give in to this kind of stupidity.
This kind of thing is just a bad idea, no matter how you look at it.
They think they're going to present some 'spiritual' experience that the customers will eat up like pudding. That's just stupid. I don't have it in for Microsoft, and I don't hate Windows, but this kind of thing puts me on edge. It's clear that the desires (or needs) of the customer aren't even on this planet as far as the 'experience' people are concerned.
If this kind of crap is actually in the release version of Vista, I *won't* be buying it. I'll let my ODNT subscription lapse and start using linux exclusively before I give in to this kind of stupidity.
This kind of thing is just a bad idea, no matter how you look at it.
KiloKrash
Reply #5 Friday, September 1, 2006 1:20 AM
Reply #5 Friday, September 1, 2006 1:20 AM
Why is everyone so worried? 
Microsoft once again is just opening another market that Stardock can target. I'm sure Stardock will create a product (if they haven't already) and have it packaged as part of the ODNT. 
Microsoft once again is just opening another market that Stardock can target. I'm sure Stardock will create a product (if they haven't already) and have it packaged as part of the ODNT. 
SanChonino
Reply #6 Friday, September 1, 2006 1:25 AM
Reply #6 Friday, September 1, 2006 1:25 AM
Besides, even if it's wired in, they'll probably get so many bloody complaints that by the time the equivalent of the SP2 or a version 2 comes out, it'll be ousted.
(As will the guy whose grand idea that was too, probably . . .
)
(As will the guy whose grand idea that was too, probably . . .
)
boss0190
Reply #7 Friday, September 1, 2006 2:05 AM
Reply #7 Friday, September 1, 2006 2:05 AM
If it happens, I'll just have to leave everything behind and go live in a cave somewhere. What a disaster, a hard wired sound. How can I continue on when companies are running our lives and taking away our right to free sound? How dare they create an OS and include what they want in it?
And I'll have to walk to the cave because all the car companies hard wired the "ding ding ding" sound when I leave my keys in and I couldn't customize it so I went back to foot power.
And I'll have to walk to the cave because all the car companies hard wired the "ding ding ding" sound when I leave my keys in and I couldn't customize it so I went back to foot power.
Aleatoric
Reply #9 Friday, September 1, 2006 2:53 AM
Reply #9 Friday, September 1, 2006 2:53 AM
(lumberg) Uhh yeah, boss0190, I'm just going to have to sort of disagree with you there (/lumberg).
Hope you have a nice cave
If you think I'm arguing that this is some kind of apocolyptic occurance, you're a bit off base. For all I know, the startup sound might even be pleasant enough that it doesn't piss me off every time I hear it.
But since this is a site for people who like to customize every aspect of their system, the concept of a hard coded sound (and the only option to not hear it is (according to the MS rep) to plug in headphones or turn down your volume (which on some laptops doesn't work, since the controls are activated in software)) doesn't really go along with the customization mindset.
How would you react if Microsoft, in a spasm of marketing, decided that they wanted you to be branded with a particular type of window decoration, and that WindowBlinds would no longer work, in order that you'd get to experience the 'spiritual' epiphany that comes with the Microsoft branded presentation?
This isn't about the sound, per se. There are a substantial number of legitimate resaons for being able to customize or disable 'features' in a general purpose operating system, and for Microsoft to subjugate the needs or wants of the customer in order to impose their marketing hoo haw is pretty stupid, no matter what you might think about the particulars.
BTW, your comparison to the car's key beep is kind of off base as well, while I'd like to be able to turn off the beep (and actually, if I want to dig into the ECM, I can), it serves some purpose other than branding (i.e. a toyota doesn't play the theme to 'Three's Company' when you leave the keys in the ignition), it's a legitimate reminder that you've done something unexpected. What similar purpose does a startup sound serve? "Oh, thank you, Mr. startup sound man! I completely forgot that I booted (rebooted) my computer just a minute ago, if it wasn't for your special sound, I would have been lost to the world, unable to do aught but stare at the screen, hoping some magical sound would tell me it's safe to use my computer"!
Worse than the fact of the hard-coded sound are the reasons the rep gives for hard-coding it ("You can calibrate your volume with your startup sound"!, "You can go eat breakfast while your computer boots, and the friendly sound will tell you when the computer is ready to use"! and so on).
Marketing dreck should be reserved for marketing venues (ads, trade shows, etc.), but it should get out of the way once the system comes into my possession.
Hope you have a nice cave
If you think I'm arguing that this is some kind of apocolyptic occurance, you're a bit off base. For all I know, the startup sound might even be pleasant enough that it doesn't piss me off every time I hear it.
But since this is a site for people who like to customize every aspect of their system, the concept of a hard coded sound (and the only option to not hear it is (according to the MS rep) to plug in headphones or turn down your volume (which on some laptops doesn't work, since the controls are activated in software)) doesn't really go along with the customization mindset.
How would you react if Microsoft, in a spasm of marketing, decided that they wanted you to be branded with a particular type of window decoration, and that WindowBlinds would no longer work, in order that you'd get to experience the 'spiritual' epiphany that comes with the Microsoft branded presentation?
This isn't about the sound, per se. There are a substantial number of legitimate resaons for being able to customize or disable 'features' in a general purpose operating system, and for Microsoft to subjugate the needs or wants of the customer in order to impose their marketing hoo haw is pretty stupid, no matter what you might think about the particulars.
BTW, your comparison to the car's key beep is kind of off base as well, while I'd like to be able to turn off the beep (and actually, if I want to dig into the ECM, I can), it serves some purpose other than branding (i.e. a toyota doesn't play the theme to 'Three's Company' when you leave the keys in the ignition), it's a legitimate reminder that you've done something unexpected. What similar purpose does a startup sound serve? "Oh, thank you, Mr. startup sound man! I completely forgot that I booted (rebooted) my computer just a minute ago, if it wasn't for your special sound, I would have been lost to the world, unable to do aught but stare at the screen, hoping some magical sound would tell me it's safe to use my computer"!
Worse than the fact of the hard-coded sound are the reasons the rep gives for hard-coding it ("You can calibrate your volume with your startup sound"!, "You can go eat breakfast while your computer boots, and the friendly sound will tell you when the computer is ready to use"! and so on).
Marketing dreck should be reserved for marketing venues (ads, trade shows, etc.), but it should get out of the way once the system comes into my possession.
ShadowWar
Reply #11 Thursday, September 21, 2006 2:30 PM
Reply #11 Thursday, September 21, 2006 2:30 PM
Well I have to say since I am usng Vista Build RC1 / 5600 if anyone would like to star the hacking/ i mean customization/ I would be happy to help you work on it. 
Have been beta testing vista for several months now, and with the release of RC1/5600 things got better.
The new Vista RC1 is not as bad as the Beta Release 2 was. It was pretty buggy and clunky and prone to conflicts with Office 2007 Beta RC1, but now they are working really well together. One of the pluses I see is Outlook has a built in RSS reader and such, so now I get my Joeuser stuff with my e-mail and everything else all together.
I can see where people will want to customize the desktop more. The new widgets are OK but nothing like my Stardock stuff. I will be waiting to see how you guys do once you get your hands on it and start to work your magic. Its already visually beter and can only get better when the Stardock crew gets hold of it.
Have been beta testing vista for several months now, and with the release of RC1/5600 things got better.The new Vista RC1 is not as bad as the Beta Release 2 was. It was pretty buggy and clunky and prone to conflicts with Office 2007 Beta RC1, but now they are working really well together. One of the pluses I see is Outlook has a built in RSS reader and such, so now I get my Joeuser stuff with my e-mail and everything else all together.
I can see where people will want to customize the desktop more. The new widgets are OK but nothing like my Stardock stuff. I will be waiting to see how you guys do once you get your hands on it and start to work your magic. Its already visually beter and can only get better when the Stardock crew gets hold of it.
KiloKrash
Reply #12 Thursday, September 21, 2006 2:35 PM
Reply #12 Thursday, September 21, 2006 2:35 PM
| We'll make any hard coded sounds customizeable. |
thomassen
Reply #13 Thursday, September 21, 2006 3:10 PM
Brilliant! Hehe
Reply #13 Thursday, September 21, 2006 3:10 PM
| We'll make any hard coded sounds customizeable |
Brilliant!
Hehe
Daiwa
Reply #14 Friday, September 22, 2006 12:23 AM
As in "null"?
Reply #14 Friday, September 22, 2006 12:23 AM
| We'll make any hard coded sounds customizeable. |
As in "null"?
Dan Greene
Reply #15 Friday, November 10, 2006 7:56 PM
Reply #15 Friday, November 10, 2006 7:56 PM
Why don't they focus on making a superior product at MS instead of adding features nobody needs or wants? LOL.
I can't believe my fingers allowed my to type a response to the insignificance of the article. I guess I'm a post whore now. Oh well. Ta-ta.
I can't believe my fingers allowed my to type a response to the insignificance of the article. I guess I'm a post whore now. Oh well. Ta-ta.
Jafo
Reply #16 Friday, November 10, 2006 10:08 PM
Reply #16 Friday, November 10, 2006 10:08 PM
| If it happens, I'll just have to leave everything behind and go live in a cave somewhere. What a disaster, a hard wired sound. How can I continue on when companies are running our lives and taking away our right to free sound? How dare they create an OS and include what they want in it? |
Hardly a drama, as Boss says...
Whichever way the sound is delivered it's clearly intended as part of the 'product recognition/identity' as is the bootscreen and logon, etc., both of which we manage to change.
As with all aspects of OS customizing...people will always develop a work-around. The earliest customizing was generally a case of reshacking tweaks, or even rewriting GUI shells entirely [like a Win9x interface for Win3x - Calmira].
To the average user it'll mean they either go with the flow and accept the MS default....or they have yet another reason to seek out solutions/alternatives such as what Frogboy alludes to...
OntarioFrog
Reply #17 Thursday, November 23, 2006 8:10 PM
Reply #17 Thursday, November 23, 2006 8:10 PM
It sure is annoying to have a Startup Sound at the Welcome Screen , can't stand the noise that someone decides to impose on me . Can't wait to have a fix to get rid of it , I think Windows Vista is great , not much for gaming yet as most of my games won't play / load / or can't use Menus ; but after all it is only the Pre-release version and just want to test drive it and see what it looks like . So far it is great except for the " seurity annoyances " and " sound annoyance " , it is much faster thatn WindowsXP Pro . Am going to try and copy / paste the .dll files from XP system32 into the Vista system32 folder and see if it helps for gaming and other issues , have already copied one file that way to fix a gaming problem .
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Reply #1 Friday, September 1, 2006 12:08 AM