Actually,
Microsoft was going to replace the BSOD with Flippy, an animated cartoon
pencil eraser in a mad scientist labcoat that would pop up and help you
diagnose the error.
However, due to the clippy fiasco, this project was terminated, classified,
and you will never get any MS employee to acknowledge its existance....
So, in order to figure out what to do after the Flippy termination,
microsoft spent millions of dollars, tens of thousands of man hours, and an
unimaginable amount of coffee doing case studies and focus groups to
determine the emotional reaction customers had with the BSOD, and to what
effect, if any, a change in color, font size, or text placement had on the
customer.
It seems that white text on a blue background won out, as it espouses a
feeling of calm, confident well-being. Even though the computer has crashed
and won't boot, users in the studies reported being more satisified with the
product AFTER the blue screen than before.
Of course, there is this old rumor going around the MS campus about secret
code buried in the BSOD code ... something to do with subliminal imaging and
refresh-rate induced hypnosis that can be brought about when the screen
changes resolution...
; )
- JB
Vista Support FAQ
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/