Who said that Microsoft has closed the doors for the alternative operating system’s success? Here is how Microsoft and their technologies can help an alternative OS distribution:
“1. Make a bootable image of your OS, 2. Attach it to an e-mail, 3. Attatch Rawrite.exe to the same e-mail, 4. Make a VBS script that writes it to the disk of the e-mail receiver, and also sends copies of itself on to all the receiver’s friends, 5. Send the email to all _your_ friends and addresses in your contact list (at least they’ll be for now). Unconfirmed step 6: Go to jail.” The joke was first published on the alt.os.develop newsgroup.
Massive OS Distribution in 5 Easy Steps!
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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E-mail has a 25MB limit built into it, and most ISPs/Webmail providers put a 5MB cap on their systems.
so unless you are distribuiting menuetOS, you are gonna be out od luck.
Yes, but…
You don’t have to put in an email the whole OS, but a trim down version of it, just to give a taste to people of what is like. For example, Athene is only 1.1 MB (a VBS script can change the shell of Windows to use Athene instead of Explorer), Linux with VESA XFree can be made with 3 MB (or create a more feature complete version around the limit of 5 MB), AtheOS can be made bootable with 3.5 MB as well, and then, there is always Qube (700 KB), PicoBSD (1.44), QNX (1.44), SkyOS (1.44), MenuetOS (1 MB), V2-OS (250 kb) etc
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Don’t get ideas though. This is just a joke.
Just have it do an ftp installation.
Uhmmm … Jeremy? It’s not meant to be serious. Kidding, ok?
okay! thanks for the idea! be sure to vist me when i’m in jail!
lol….
I know it is. I just have one of those minds that does not find stuff funny unless there is a plausable situation….if not I point out problems with it.
some folks find that irritating….I-WON-DER-WHYYYYYY 🙂
yeah but some of those OSs are not featurful enough at that size. MinuetOS is the best out of all of em….to bad they have a lack of drivers though 🙁
and yes I realize it is a joke and not intended to actualy be done.
huh? it was a joke? oops! crap! how do i unsend about 500 e-mails?! argh!
lol!
Next step is how to get the files to people that use updated versions of Outlook, since it won’t let them access executable files (hint: use a zip or rar file, send some instructions)
… <u>people</u> that use updated versions of Outlook …
You mean all 3 of them?
Make a file with the magical .hta ending. (Nobody knows that .hta can be used for good and evil). Send a html email that somehow activates the included hta or even better ask the reciever to doubleclick on the attachment. Installation complete.
What’s a .hta file?
Write ‘<html><head><title>Hello World</title></head><body><h3>Hello World</h3></body></html>’ in a textfile and save as ‘test.hta’ doubleclick file. It can run scripts without restrictions. It’s *TADA* a HTML Application.
Where can I find the syntax of this hta scripting?
it looks interesting and I want to see what can be done with it.
thanks
BeIA is about 8mb’s isn’t it? would need trimming down a bit more.
…that we now must specifically label comments such as that as a joke, or risk a visit from the fbi or secret police.
HTML Application syntax is over at Microsoft. Do a search on http://msdn.microsoft.com. It’s basically a html-file with VB- or Javascript running with full rights.
“HTML Application syntax is over at Microsoft. Do a search on
http://msdn.microsoft.com. It’s basically a html-file with VB- or
Javascript running with full rights.”
Whom the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad.
>Whom the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad.
Don’t whiz on the electrical fence?
Actually, what are you saying?
Does anyone think it can be done with Qnx?