

| New
product: Microsoft Contraceptives |
   |
Microsoft Corporation has taken another step
toward dominating every aspect of American life with the introduction of Contraceptive98,
a suite of applications designed for users who engage in sex. Microsoft has been a pioneer
in peer-to-peer connectivity and plug and play. It believes these technologies will give
it substantial leverage in penetrating the copulation enhancement market.
The product addresses two important user concerns:
the need for virus protection and the need for a firewall to ensure the non-propagation of
human beings.
The Contraceptive98 suite consists of three
products: Condom98, DeFetus 1.0 (from Sementec), and AIDScan 2.1 (from Norton Utilities).
A free copy of Intercourse Explorer 4.0 is bundled in the package.
The suite also comes in two expanded versions:
Contraceptive98 Professional is the Client/Server edition, for professionals in the sexual
services sector.
Contraceptive98 Small Business Edition is a package for start-ups, aimed at the housewife
and gigolo niches.
OPERATION
Only one node in a peer-to-peer connection needs to
install the package. At installation, the Condom98 software checks for minimum hardware.
If the user meets the requirements, the product installs and is sufficiently scaleable to
meet most requirements. After installation, operation commences. One caution is that the
user must have sufficient RAM to complete the session. When the session is complete, a
disconnect is initiated, and the user gets the message, "It is now safe to turn off
your partner."
DRAWBACKS
Usability testers report that frequent failures were
a major concern during beta testing. General Protection Fault was the most serious error
encountered. Early versions had numerous bugs, but most of these have been eliminated. The
product needs to be installed each time it is used.
CONCLUSION
Contraceptive98 is a robust product. Despite its
drawbacks, it is a reasonably good value for its $49.95 price tag, and is far superior to
its shareware version. Hopefully, future releases (of the software, that is) will add
missing functionality, such as Backout and Restore, Uninterruptible Power Supply, and
Onboard Camera.
Microsoft CEO Bill Gates is optimistic about
Contraceptive98's potential. He recently said, "Our contraceptive products will help
users do to each other what we've been doing to our customers for years." |