March 28th, 2008
Why we still hate Microsoft
Call it the Clinton effect.
I’m not trying to be political here. But what seems to upset most people about Hillary Clinton, and Bill Clinton for that matter, is this habit of parsing.
Barack Obama is not a Muslim as far as I know. I made a mistake in calling my trip to Bosnia heroic. It depends on what the meaning of is is.
I’m not lying, but I’ll let my rhetoric go right up to the line, and if you call me on it then I have reason to attack you because I wasn’t lying.
Microsoft also likes to have it both ways. They want to be seen as cooperating with open source, but their actions show they see the open source movement as their chief competitive threat, and will continue to treat it as such.
Chief counsel Brad Smith was in full-on schmooze mode during OSBC, at the same time the company was bragging on twisting the arms of the Czechs over OOXML. Oh, and they’re still certain Linux violates its patents.
Ironically, if Microsoft were really “good” to the open source movement, our readers think, its market threat to open source would only increase.
I should add at this point that many people absolutely adore Microsoft. They like its products, and believe its strategy benefits the economy.
There are also millions of Democrats who adore Hillary Clinton, and would rather vote Republican than not see her on the ballot.
The careful parsing, or the twin tracks of crush and schmooze, are seen by people in many areas as signs of toughness and gumption, of fighting spirit. By others they are seen as signs of duplicity.
Where you stand, as always, depends on where you sit. From where I sit, Brad Smith had best watch his back if Hillary loses. She’d make a great Microsoft general counsel.
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist for 30 years, a tech freelancer since 1983. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
| 03/28/08
