Microsoft stunned the tech community this morning by revealing that Windows 11's source code was just an elaborate and extended April Fools' prank. Experts were scratching their heads, trying to make sense of the strange comments and references located within the code.
Apparently, Microsoft had been working on the prank for years, pixel by pixel ensuring that victims of the joke would be left bewildered and confused. And it appears to have worked, with the users frantically trying to figure out the crazy comments and within the code.
Some of the most notable gags included secretly replacing every instance of the word "mouse" with "capybara," inserting random Rick Astley lyrics, and implementing hidden pictures of cats in two of every three lines.
The prank even went so far as to fake several high-level security protocols, including fake encryption and phoney authorisation, which made the code appear much more serious in nature than ever before.
"We had a lot of fun with this one," explained Devendra Selvam, Windows 11's lead developer. "It was the most magnificent and challenging prank we've ever played. And, to be honest, it took us months to dream up."
The elaborate jokes are just one of the many ways Microsoft says they have tried to take the edge off the high stakes world of software engineering. It's a refreshing change of pace to see a tech company create laughter rather than frustration.
Fortunately, there were no catastrophic cases related to the leak of the prank. However, the dev team reminded some users to take these issues a little more seriously in the coming months as they'll be fixing real bugs instead of imaginary ones.
As news spreads, several tech experts gave their opinion on this situation.
"That's fascinating that Microsoft was able to prank so many people for so long with Windows 11," said John Kessler, a software engineer in New York. "It shows just how much of a sense of humor they still have over there."
Others, however, were less impressed with Microsoft's practical jokes.
"Well, now I have to feel like an idiot after spending hours trying to make sense of that mess," said Bob Johnson, an open-source advocate from Portland. "I can't believe we've been duped into thinking of Windows 11 as sophisticated."
Either way, Microsoft is undoubtedly proud of their architects' time and effort into crafting the most finely tuned April Fools' prank ever. It's unknown when they'll try to strike again, but experts suggest the prankster culture is alive and well in Microsoft.
