Re: Just wondering...

[Mitch Stone <mstone@vc.net>]

--- From a message sent by Steve Cohen on 12/29/98 6:31 AM ---

>Microsoft never acknowledges that criticism of it is ever legitimate or
>factually based.  Let some computer scientist prof criticize their conception
>of an OS - well, he's just an ivory tower intellectual, clueless about the
>workings of the real world.  Let some exec for the comptetition call them a
>monopoly - then the problem is the person lacks the academic 
>qualifications to
>know what a monopoly is.  Express any opinion that Microsoft's entire
>motivation is anything other than the betterment of its customers and 
>you're a
>basher.

Isn't that the truth. I'm constantly amazed that nobody of significance 
at Microsoft has realized that painting all of its critics as cretins, 
enemies, lacking the facts, unqualified or misled is to turn their backs 
on a gathering menace. What is even more astonishing is the extent to 
which this attitude apparently permeates the work force. 

Every so often I hear from a Microsoft employee, and I try, I really 
sincerely try, to open an honest discussion on the facts and the issues. 
But invariably, the exchange results in the Microsoft employee painting 
all of the company's competitors lazy and/or stupid and all of its 
critics as greedy and/or misinformed. I'm convinced there's a kind of a 
vision of Roman destiny at work here -- and we all know how that ended.

Mitch Stone
mstone@vc.net