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Microsoft It's funny. Laugh. IT

Microsoft Launches IT Superhero Comic 285

Posted by Zonk from the humor-doesn't-come-from-the-comic dept.
willdavid writes "Paul McDougall reports in InformationWeek on Microsoft's new online comic. The Heroes Happen Here comic strips are being created by Jordan Gorfinkel, a former DC Comics editor who helped revitalize the Batman series. 'Tech workers who in the middle of the night fix a downed server or take on a computer virus don't really have extraordinary powers. It just seems that way. But a new comic book has debuted in which IT pros literally are superheroes. The daily Web comic, called Heroes Happen Here, features tech savvy crime fighters like Lord Firewall, who "stands between chaos and order" and says things like "begone vermin!"'" And because it's never easy, in order to read the archives of the comic you're going to need to install Microsoft's Silverlight.
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Microsoft Launches IT Superhero Comic More

Microsoft Launches IT Superhero Comic

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  • Just wondering (Score:5, Funny)

    by Skevin ( 16048 ) * on Thursday January 31, 2008 @06:46PM (#22255152) Journal
    Will the main villains of this strip also feature an evil software company that abuses its monopoly?
    Will the heroes use Open Source in a positive responsible manner?

    Solomon

    • Re:Just wondering (Score:4, Insightful)

      by phrostie ( 121428 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @06:48PM (#22255178)
      It'll be like Wanted where the villians kill off the heroes and take over the world

    • Re:Just wondering (Score:5, Funny)

      by Grishnakh ( 216268 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @06:51PM (#22255236)
      Nope, the villains will be open-source using anarchists who use open source software to spread viruses. The heroes will only use properly licensed proprietary software, will say negative things about free software and reverse engineering, and will pay homage in a ritualized way to Microsoft 5 times a day.

      I haven't looked at it (I don't have silverlight available on my Linux machine), but this comic sounds like a really stupid idea. Who wants to idolize some corporate goons? People always root for underdogs, and despite how much MS might try to somehow paint themselves that way, they're not an underdog, they're a big oppressor.

      • Re:Just wondering (Score:4, Funny)

        by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:25PM (#22255674)
        Could this be the first superhero comic where the audience roots for the villain and is constantly happy throughout the comic only to get really let down in the end?

        • Re:Just wondering (Score:5, Funny)

          by value_added ( 719364 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:51PM (#22255986)
          Could this be the first superhero comic where the audience roots for the villain and is constantly happy throughout the comic only to get really let down in the end?

          Naah. For someone to root for a villain, the villain has to be endowed with a certain measure of cool, or otherwise be extraordinarily interesting. In this scenario, we'd likely see a slow-moving and slightly stupid superhero dressed in a costume emblazoned with the letters WGA, a belt decorated with animated icons, a magic red "Reboot" button on his wrist, and cape with a big blue "e" on it. When not pressing the magic button, he'd be spending his time shouting at a motley collection of unwashed, bearded, sandal-wearing villains, or, when the action really heats up, throwing a chair or two.

          • This reminds me the latest poll [slashdot.org].

            What is the Best Part of Being a Super Villain?

            1. The boots
            2. The cape
            3. The evil sidekick
            4. The doomsday devices
            5. fighting heroes
            6. The super villainess
            7. The infamy
            8. The Cowboy Clone Army

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by OECD ( 639690 )

        Hmmm. Could they have stolen the idea from the free-as-in-beer Beatnik Turtle song I.T. Department (Super Heroes of I.T.) [thesongoftheday.com]? (OK, not likely, but if you're on Vista, you must now downgrade your video and audio, because they *might* have.)

      • Re:Just wondering (Score:5, Interesting)

        by rbanffy ( 584143 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:48PM (#22255952) Homepage Journal
        A couple years back, I got, for my birthday, a book called "Programmers at Work", edited by Microsoft Press. The book is a collection of interviews of programmers ranging from Andy Hertzfeld, Gary Kildall and Butler Lampson all the way to Bill Gates.

        I strongly suspect it's not available today and never again will be printed in this form, mainly because in his interview, Bill Gates said:

        Interviewer: Is studying computer science the best way to prepare to be a programmer?
        Bill Gates: No. the best way to prepare is to write programs, and to study great programs that other people have written. In my case, I went to the garbage cans at the Computer Science Center and I fished out listings of their operating system. You got to be willing to read other people's code, then write your own, then have other people review your code. You've got to want to be in this incredible feedback loop where you get the world-class people to tell you what you're doing wrong.

        You have to love the fine irony.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Trogre ( 513942 )
        they're not an underdog, they're a big oppressor.

        Okay, but so is DC Comics.

        • I've never heard of DC comics or any other company trying to kill the new web-based comic strips out there.
    • I see it now- the closed-source model is equivalent to Superman hiding his susceptibility to Kryptonite. Oh wait, the bad guys knew that, didn't they....
    • [Comicbook Guy]
      In the 8th Issue of Volume 1 ( season 8 ) of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer, it's quite clear that Willow Rosenberg uses Linux.
      [/Comicbook Guy]

    • Another funny...

      If you install Silverlight, the license is specifically for XP SP2 (see here: http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/license-Win.aspx [microsoft.com]). "INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS. You may install and use any number of copies of the software only with the browser and operating system software named above." Does that mean when SP3 comes out, your Silverlight license is invalidated?

    • Re:Just wondering (Score:5, Funny)

      by garlicbready ( 846542 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:16PM (#22255570)
      No Mr Stallman I expect you to Die
      • I was actually hoping to see Ballmer sitting in a swivel chair with a fluffy white cat in his lap. And any believable villain should have a stainless steel lair.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Ucklak ( 755284 )
      There will probably be a 'Captain Cold' villain that uses a penguin as a mascot

  • Who is the target audience? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ResQuad ( 243184 ) * <slashdot&konsoletek,com> on Thursday January 31, 2008 @06:49PM (#22255192) Homepage
    I don't mean to sound cruel, but what is their target audience? Anyone who isn't in IT is going to think this is amazingly stupid. Most of those in IT will probably be using firefox and therefor not be using Silverlight. In the end its free press for Microsoft, I guess.

  • The HHH Comic Series is a daily web comic that adapts tech stories from actual IT Professionals and Developers - a web comic that reflects the real lives of IT Hero's such as you.

    Ummmm, isn't that Scott Adams' shtick?

  • So in the MS world of Superheros... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Japong ( 793982 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @06:50PM (#22255214)
    Is Linus or Steve the new Lex Luthor?
  • Access flow was our virtualization vendor, and I must say that they have my favorite corporate comics.

    http://www.accessflow.com/pdf/ComicVMPowersLOW.pdf [accessflow.com]

    I wonder I will still be their favorite customer after posting their several meg PDF on slashdot?
  • This is currently being posted from a mere Slackware 12 system. I want to know if the Super Hero can configure my box to allow me to read these comics with having to involve the arch nemesis known as Silver Light. Also, if this hero could remove the engineered cyber-plague known as SharePoint, I would be in their debt!!!

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by pugilista ( 1121265 )
      Actually, I've got the same system (Slack 12, Firefox 2.0.x) and if you click on the RSS feeds, it shows them all just fine. I don't have any random addons, either.
  • Will he team up with the Whiz Kids? [hijinxcomics.com]

  • The above content is not owned by Microsoft and Microsoft disclaims and excludes all representations, warranties, and conditions whether express, implied or statutory that may be contained in the content above. Further, no partnership relationship exists between Microsoft and the content owner and the above content is not meant to constitute an offer, acceptance or contract on behalf of Microsoft.

    Looks to me like they don't really want to be associated with this. In fact I'm having trouble figuring out just why they bothered with the whole thing.
    I guess that won't stop the oncoming shitstorm of unfunny MS-bashing, though. *pours gasoline on karma*

  • Makes sense (Score:5, Funny)

    by nine-times ( 778537 ) <nine.times@gmail.com> on Thursday January 31, 2008 @06:56PM (#22255296) Homepage

    So Microsoft is admitting that you do need super-human abilities to keep Microsoft's crap from bombing out.

  • Get the corporate geeks to load it on their systems by writing a comic strip about them, a comic strip that just happens to require Silverlight to view.
  • It's just a ploy to get you to install Silverlight!

    Admiral Ackbar: "It's a trap!"

  • Heroic plot idea (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Sloppy ( 14984 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:00PM (#22255362) Homepage Journal

    In a Web 2.0 twist, readers will be asked to submit real-life IT stories that could possibly be used for future episodes.

    The hero deploys a mail client that doesn't execute a fucking attachment when someone clicks it. Then the hero deploys a web browser that doesn't execute someone else's code when a user looks at a web page. Then the hero deploys an OS that doesn't load and execute code from removable media whenever the user inserts the media, and doesn't automatically treat somebody else's code as automatically executable simply because the user happened to save it and then clicked it in their file manager.

    The climax of the story: the users never have any problems and never bother to call him to remove viruses, because they never get any. The users are bored and nobody knows why. Nobody knows the sacrifice the hero made, because it wasn't really a sacrifice and it ended up costing less. The hero, tragically depressed because he missed out on all the !!!GLORY!!! of cleaning up easily predictable and preventable messes, walks off into the sunset.

    Sound like a good episode?

    • I'd rather have some penguins fight an evil monopolist...

      "The New Adventures of Tux and the Freedom Brigade"

      That'd be cool :)
  • The daily Web comic, called Heroes Happen Here, features tech savvy crime fighters like Lord Firewall, who "stands between chaos and order" and says things like "begone vermin!"'

    Since this is MS shouldn't his favourite saying be "Cancel or Allow?"

  • Microsoft has no guts (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:04PM (#22255428)
    If I had to push Silverlight I'd immediately create a dozen porn sites allowing the download of free Silverlight encapsulated hires long movies. That would kill Flash in less than one month.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Shados ( 741919 )
      I'd patent that idea or something. Because now for sure MS is doing it. Thats actually stupidly smart.

  • Something's happening there! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Quiet_Desperation ( 858215 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:04PM (#22255432)
    Are the two, um, heroes spooning in that last panel?

    And hackers of the world fear him? What? That he'll eat them?
  • I sure hope Biclops gets some time in there.
  • And What sex are they? The big one could be a guy or a butch fat woman, and the one in the chair could be a woman or a really fem guy.

  • IT superhero: thanks for the pr0n! (Score:5, Funny)

    by mveloso ( 325617 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:09PM (#22255494)
    The other day, my SAN filled up with unauthorized images. My IT hero j*s*n, archived all the images for me so I could examine them in the privacy of my own home. He also cleared out the SAN so more images could show up.

    Thank you, j*s*n! You're my hero!
  • Who else thinks there needs to be a repurposing site along the lines of the Dysfunctional Family Circus?

    Anyone? Anyone? Just me? Oh, OK. (kicks pebble)

  • But We Already Have One of Those (Score:5, Funny)

    by Greyfox ( 87712 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:11PM (#22255506) Homepage Journal
    The BOFH. Our hero isn't the guy who quietly fixes the computer after the 47th time user error screwed it up. Our hero is the extremely psychotic individual who gets away with killing those users so they stop screwing up the IT Infrastructure. Or interrupting his game of Couterstrike. Our hero is the guy who can add several zeros to the end of your electricity bill just because he thought the question you asked him was retarded. Our hero is the guy who will blackmail users who post photos of themselves to alt.gay.likes.to.be.spanked.by.nuns. Or who occasionally posts pictures of those users there himself.

    Somehow I suspect that Microsoft's version of this will make me vomit a little in my mouth... just like everything else that Microsoft does. In fact I suspect that making people vomit in their mouths will be Microsoft's hero's super power.

  • oops? (Score:5, Funny)

    by quest(answer)ion ( 894426 ) <admin.mindofmetal@net> on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:22PM (#22255628)
    silly me. i thought the flashy "install silverlight" prompt was the comic. imagine my surprise that there's another comic hidden behind that.

    will microsoft's innovation never cease?

  • So a superhero who fixes his own problems? (Score:4, Funny)

    by wardk ( 3037 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:25PM (#22255678) Journal
    so WHY is the server down, WHY is there a virus getting in?

    Obviously we need a [Mac,Linux,BSD,Amiga] superhero who can deal with these problems AT THE SOURCE.

    yes, go Cloverdale on Redmond....

  • Cant they just write a fucking OS? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Jackie_Chan_Fan ( 730745 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:31PM (#22255756)
    Talk about expanding yourself into ridiculous areas, that they need not be in. Write a fucking OS that isnt full of bloated shit, and supports all major graphic file formats, all open source and major video/audio codecs, a secure os without DRM, an OS that runs FASTER than previous versions...

    JUST DO THAT.

    Enough with the stupid attempts at trying to be as cool as google or yahoo. You're fucking Microsoft. You were never cool. STOP IT.
    • You think any company is 'cool'?

      I don't think it's Microsoft that needs to 'STOP IT'.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Lumpy ( 12016 )
      Write a fucking OS that isnt full of bloated shit, and supports all major graphic file formats, all open source and major video/audio codecs, a secure os without DRM, an OS that runs FASTER than previous versions...

      OSX 10.5... it does ALL OF THAT much to my suprise, so it can be done. Microsoft simply refuses to do it.

      Good god, it made a old G4 laptop run faster than the OS that it came with that was 2 versions old. That's like Vista making a Pentium III laptop that came with Windows 98 feel faster.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by yabun ( 1095653 )
      Well put! Please people, realize this isn't a vehicle for any inspired creative outlet of IT stories. It's a limp d!ck marketing trick to get people to install the Silverlight plugin. Just like Vista Ultimate Extras was a let down of a limp d!ck marketing trick to get people to fork over more dough. It is what it is.

  • Who is who? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dedeman ( 726830 ) <dedeman1&yahoo,com> on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:35PM (#22255792)
    The daily Web comic, called Heroes Happen Here, features tech savvy crime fighters like Lord Firewall, who "stands between chaos and order" and says things like "begone vermin!"'

    So, does this "Lord Firewall" work for, or against, Microsoft?

    I'd be worried about anyone, IT or otherwise, who "says things like "begone vermin!""

  • Microsoft and Silverlight (Score:5, Interesting)

    by MobyDisk ( 75490 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:37PM (#22255826) Homepage
    They are reeaallly stooping low to make this require Silverlight. Nobody else wants to use this product, so just pay people to use it. Brilliant!
    - Donating money to non-profits and earmarking the money to transform their Flash web sites into Silverlight
        (I went to a BaltoMSDN presentation on Silverlight, done by the guys who did the conversion)
    - Making webcomics that use Silverlight
    - Displaying a nag screen on MS download sites recommending that people use the new Silverlight download manager

    No one came imagine the hilarity of my laugh once someone writes a tool to convert the comic into Flash. :)
  • Desperate much?
  • Does the hero or the villain throw the chairs?

  • Ultimate lesson for Silverlight-only websites (Score:3, Insightful)

    by mxs ( 42717 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:58PM (#22256060)
    I clicked the link.

    Drawing looked decent, so I click it.

    Requires Silverlight.

    I am not going to install Silverlight for a Comic Strip or any other website content that works just as well without it.

    I don't care enough about that website to install Silverlight.

    That website just lost a prospective repeat visitor.

    Silverlight just cost you, prospective silverlight-only website operator, money.

    Thank you Microsoft, for this great lesson on why not to use Silverlight.

  • is that an example on the link? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by NotZed ( 19455 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @07:59PM (#22256070)
    It isn't even funny. It isn't even remotely funny, nor particularly entertaining, and barely makes sense for that matter.

    And the stereotyping is just sad - but what do you expect from 'an outsider'. Not all technical people are 1. overweight, 2. wear druggie shirts, nor 3. give a shit about hackers. And it's also pushing that other sickening stereotype that seems to pervade American comedy - that guys are bumbling/overweight 'lovable fools' and girls are smart and classy/usually at least a bit hot.

    A very strange form of viral marketing for their craptastic clone of the craptastic flash software though. I imagine it could only be dreamt up in the strange cultures that develop in the closed world that Microsoft and other large companies seem to develop. (Novell was almost cult-like, and a little scary to be honest). I bet they thought it would be really 'cool', 'nifty', and 'hip', and no doubt plenty of their cult-members think the same.
  • > And because it's never easy, in order to read the archives of the comic you're going to need to install Microsoft's Silverlight.

    Obviously, they don't want me to read it then; I'm happy to oblige --- userfriendly [userfriendly.org] is just fine thankyouverymuch...

  • Problem is (Score:4, Informative)

    by Marcos Eliziario ( 969923 ) on Thursday January 31, 2008 @11:27PM (#22257674) Homepage Journal
    The drawing is nicely done, the colors are just right. But heck. this thing is not funny, is not even vaguely interesting enough to be read.

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