On 17-Oct-05, at 12:45 PM, Kirby Urner wrote: > In microcosm, I suppose I'm not that different from Microsoft (I'm > just a > lot smaller). I want to survive in a business that interests me. > So that > brings me to a philosophical question: what's wrong with that?
There is a difference across such differences in scale. Microsoft is a convicted, but unpunished and unrepentant, monopolist with goals which go beyond simply making money (i.e., extending their monopoly further to make more money in the future, as well as ideological goals of having a Microsoft computer on every desk). > I don't see my goal as in principle unethical. It's what teachers > have > always wanted: to teach, to have brilliant students who make a > difference > in the world, and to receive food and shelter while doing some > honest work. It is not unethical to earn an honest living from honest work. Many of Microsoft's business practices *are* unethical, and sometimes illegal (i.e., a former Microsoft accountant was fired when he revealed some of their shady bookkeeping). I don't view that as Microsoft-bashing, just old news. On the other hand, I have no interest in using Microsoft products or building on their platforms as I would personally feel like I was enhancing their monopoly and abetting known criminals. And yet, that's exactly what I do at my day job. Apple has also been less than ethical at times, certainly they have been known to prey on their own developers, but they don't operate from a position of monopoly, they contribute back to the open-source community, and they genuinely innovate, so while I think Jobs is kind of a jerk and wouldn't want to hang out with him (no risk there!), I don't mind building on their platform. IBM went through its own monopoly trial and was found not guilty, but they changed their business practices anyway. They also innovate and give back to the open source community. I don't have a problem with writing for them or getting paid to do it. Maybe I should, because of the part they played in the Holocaust, but it's hard for me to make the connection between today's management and business practices and those of 60 years ago. Everyone has a different place where they draw the line between ethics and making a living. I don't like where Microsoft draws theirs, although there are certainly worse corporations in the world. But I don't refuse to drive a Ford because Henry Ford was a flaming anti-Semite (I refuse to drive a Ford because they make crap cars). Hmmm, starting to ramble. I think there was a point in there, I hope you can find it. --Dethe "All spiritual paths have four steps: show up, pay attention, tell the truth, and don't be attached to the results." Angeles Arien _______________________________________________ Edu-sig mailing list [email protected] http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
