From Microsoft via Chris Pirillo on the massive demand for the new (and free) beta of Vista, the next generation of Windows.
We are hitting ceilings on bandwidth. Right now we are serving out product keys 10x faster than we can serve the downloads. Already this is the biggest software download event in history.
We are pumping out bits as fast as we can. If we pushed out bits any faster there would be a measurable impact for the Internet. So, we are literally saying that if we increased our bandwidth any further there’s a possibility of taking down the Internet – people might have problems with World Cup viewing, etc. That would [sic] be bad. So, it isn’t that we weren’t anticipating demand – we were and are – it is that we are at the threshold of what the Internet can bear.
Microsoft is wise indeed, do not mess with the World Cup…
Recently, Microsoft has made available multiple betas for free, I currently have Office 2007 (440 mb) and Web Designer (224 mb.) This is a new approach for them, having this many public betas. I haven’t installed Office 2007 yet, however the feedback has been positive. Web Designer is the replacement for Front Page, aimed at developers, and it’s impressive. There is big change afoot at Redmond, methinks.