Dave Plummer
Reporting and statements that mention Dave Plummer.
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Ex-MS engineer reveals the story behind the infamous 'FCKGW' Windows XP key: 'Pirates started baking the key into images or just writing it on the CD with a Sharpie'
Former Microsoft engineer David Plummer, the primary author of Windows XP's Product Activation system, revealed the story behind the infamous 'FCKGW' product key. The key, FCKGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8, was intended for Volume License customers and relied on a secret 'binary blob' within the disc image, which was an encrypted version of Microsoft Bob. Piracy group Devils0wn leaked a complete Windows XP Pro Corporate ISO with the key five weeks before launch, enabling widespread piracy.
I tried the sequel to Task Manager and it has too many special effects
Dave Plummer, former Microsoft engineer and creator of the original Task Manager, has released a sequel called Task Manager OG. This new version, available on Windows, Linux, and Mac, offers enhanced features like 60 Hz animations, mouse tracking, and a summary page, though it is currently in beta and some advanced features are reserved for a future paid pro version.
'No bloat, no telemetry, no nonsense.' Former Microsoft coding wizard makes an OG Notepad clone that's…
Former Microsoft developer Dave Plummer has created a functional clone of the original Windows Notepad application, achieving an incredibly small file size of just 2.6 kilobytes. This project highlights the bloat in modern software and serves as an exercise in efficient coding, drawing parallels to the size constraints of early video game development.
I just found out the creator of Windows Task Manager accidentally left his phone number inside the app
Dave Plummer, the original creator of Windows Task Manager, accidentally embedded his home phone number within the application's code as an assertion to help debug a rare bug. The bug, which caused CPU utilization to exceed 100%, was eventually fixed by the kernel developers. Plummer never received a call about the assertion until he mentioned the story on YouTube years later.
'A performance tool that requires a graduate seminar before breakfast has already lost the room': Why Windows Task Manager looks like it's getting CPU usage wrong
The creator of the original Windows Task Manager, Dave Plummer, explains why the Windows 11 Task Manager's CPU usage reporting may seem inaccurate. He details how the tool uses averaging and compromises in calculations, especially with modern CPUs featuring dynamic frequency scaling, rather than real-time pinpoint accuracy. Microsoft has announced a fix for this in a recent preview build, aiming to align Task Manager's metrics with industry standards.
Task Manager's creator says it used to be 50 times smaller because 'in that time and place, small was fast and…
Dave Plummer, the creator of Windows Task Manager, reflects on the software's evolution and its original design philosophy. He explains that Task Manager was intentionally kept small and efficient, prioritizing speed and minimal resource usage, a stark contrast to the larger, more feature-rich applications of today. Plummer attributes this approach to his early experiences developing on the Commodore 64, where every line of code had a significant cost.
A retired Microsoft engineer is training an AI to master Robotron: 2084, an incredibly difficult arcade game about a…
Former Microsoft engineer Dave Plummer is training an AI to master the notoriously difficult 1982 arcade game Robotron: 2084. Plummer, also known for creating Windows Task Manager and 3D Pinball, sees Robotron as a pure stress test of real-time decision-making. The project involves a live training dashboard showcasing the AI's progress and analysis of the game's underlying design principles.
