Secrets

There are few things that can capture a person’s attention or even get them salivating the prospect of learning a secret, and technology is chocked full of secretive delights. Some of the secrets are intended to be discovered and others where not, but the thrill comes from discovering the secret. These secrets can take the form of shortcuts, backdoors, or a myriad of other incarnations.
One of the most well publicized technology secrets is the use of hidden codes in video games. This came to light a few years back when it was discovered that entering a specific code would reveal adult scenes in the Grand Theft Auto video game. Now most gaming codes aren’t as graphic as the one in GTA, no pun intended, but game codes or cheat codes are a part of modern video games. The cheat codes can help the player gain an advantage in the game. The advantage varies according to the game and the specific code. Websites such as cheatbeast.com, cheatcodes.com, and gamewinners.com offer a variety of cheat codes for most Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo games.
Another technology secret is that you can still buy a new computer with Windows XP installed on it instead of Windows Vista. This may seem unusual considering that all of the new computers on store shelves are loaded with Vista, but it doesn’t make it any less true. It is in Microsoft’s interest to push it’s new operating system, but XP lacks the bugs and unfamiliarity that plagues Vista. This has been credited for the strong demand for XP well after the release of Vista.
Microsoft has allowed PC makers to ship copies of XP with new computers that have Vista pre-installed on them. This allows PC owners to downgrade from Vista to XP. Dell, ThinkPad makers, and others have downgrade programs in place to address the steady demand for XP on their new computers.
Other technology secrets take the form of secret websites. Best Buy has been accused of using secret websites. They are alleged to have had near identical internal intranet website for employees only and an external website with different prices. The way that it is said to have worked is that a customer would come into a store expecting to see the sale prices which they saw online and the in store price would not reflect the sale price. If they inquired, then they would be shown the near identical intranet site that displayed the in store price. I would think that the easy way around this would be to purchase the item online and pick it up at the store.
Other secret websites are those created using elaborate names to make them less likely to found accidentally by search engine searches. Secret websites have also been placed in movie trailers and TV shows and used as a marketing tool to explain more about a product. When it comes to technology most things are more than they appear.