While we are on the subject of engaging in a constructive dialog, I
similarly cannot let this statement go:
"The
problem is with anyone that expects a company to act in anything other
than self interest. To expect anything different is foolish.
Frankly, what Microsoft did with ooxml is only evil if you are not a
Microsoft shareholder. :) It's all perspective."
I believe it is our duty to keep a watch on this kind of behavior and
call attention to it when it occurs. Perhaps if enough stink is raised
about the kind of questionable business practices involved, that will
affect Microsoft's bottom line and that alone will affect the
shareholders value.
Moreover, I totally disagree that becoming a microsoft stakeholder
suddenly makes this kind of terrible behavior OK. I have mutual funds
that no doubt have Microsoft stock in them somewhere, but the kind of
stuff Microsoft pulled with OOXML is unconscionable regardless of
whether they hide behind the shareholder value argument. Everyone has
a choice, companies too - how about taking the money they used to ram
this travesty through ISO and instead make their stuff better so that
people want to use it instead of being forced to, or tricked into it?
And the flaw with the argument is, of course, that while nonsense like
this might have a short term positive effect on MS stock, the overall
damage done by once again falling back into incompatible document
formats for public documents (yes - that's why they pushed it through
- to stop the bleeding from Governments and Countries who were opening
up to ODF), the long term cost will likely be a great deal higher, and
harder to measure of course.
On Jul 28, 2:17 pm, "pub...@lesstroud.com" <stroud....@gmail.com>
wrote:
> Ok, I have gotta dive into this. You are correct that Gore did not
> claim to have "invented" the internet. However, he tried, in his
> statement, to take credit for it's invention as a political grand
> stand. He "acted stupidly". :) It was like me taking credit for
> paving the roads. Yes, my money payed for some infinitely small piece
> of highway somewhere, but it would be ridiculous for me to make a
> claim (especially for political gain) that I was responsible for
> creating the interstate system (or even the road outside my house).
> Yes, it is overplayed, but it was a really funny political mistake.
> Both sides make them (remember potatoe?). Frankly, they are all well
> intentioned and accomplish very little that actually is useful in my
> life (except asking for bigger checks to increase the size of my
> contribution to the interstate system :)). Such is the nature of
> government. I digress....
>
> Microsoft has earned an industry reputation over the years for being
> ruthless in business. They have a long history of business moves that
> are considered unethical. They practically invented the practice of
> entering into legal agreements with no intention to fulfill their
> obligations (the so sue me style :)). However, that is not unique to
> them. Most large businesses look to the bottom line and not toward
> the "right thing". So, when people say they are evil. Many times
> they are right. However, most don't know the details of why. The
> problem is with anyone that expects a company to act in anything other
> than self interest. To expect anything different is foolish.
> Frankly, what Microsoft did with ooxml is only evil if you are not a
> Microsoft shareholder. :) It's all perspective. I always felt Sun was
> a breath of fresh air. I hoped they could make it work. However, it
> appears that their approach to business was not sustainable. It will
> be interesting to see if google is able to survive and still be seen
> as a good guy.
>
> Ok, enough stirring of the pot.
>
> I appreciate your work and your willingness to engage in a little
> constructive dialog.
>
> LES
>
> On Jul 27, 4:10 pm, TorNorbye <tor.nor...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Jul 27, 12:29 pm, Ryan Waterer <aguitadel...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > What Tor is saying that it is quite silly to think that Al Gore actually
> > > created/invented the internet.
>
> > No, that's not what I was trying to say -- I was saying it was silly
> > to repeat the meme that Al Gore -claimed- to have invented it.
>
> > It was used (successfully) in a political campaign against him, but
> > that's in the past now and we can get back to facts. Yes, it was
> > clumsily worded (as is true for a lot of statements by politicians)
> > but no reasonable person would look at the complete statement and
> > believe he was claiming to have invented it.
>
> > By the way, here's what Vince Cerf ("father of the internet") wrote
> > about this
> > story:http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/200009/...
>
> > -- Tor
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