[Am-info] Request for info

[Geoffrey]

Gene Gaines wrote:
> 
> ,
> 
> Waaaay back in Dec 27 of 1999, I made the following statement
> on this list:
> 
> >>The _only_ innovations which Microsoft has contributed to the
> >>Internet are BAD ones, which were intended to either (1) invade
> >>user privacy, (2) destroy another company, or (3) corrupt a
> >>standard not owned by Microsoft.
> 
> The world has move a long ways in the past two years, and I'll
> soften the above statement and say I believe the above to be only
> _largely_ true.
> 
> I have been asked for specific examples of "(3) corrupt a standard
> not owned by Microsoft.

You'll need to define 'standard.'  Here's a few items to chew on though:

Javascript, Java.  Not standards by any specified standards organization
though.

They also played with Kerberos, making specialized use of a (some?)
fields that were not used in the current implementation.

HTML, although this gets a bit grey as both Netscape and M$ added their
own 'extensions.'

They also came out with pptp, a proprietary vpn protocol, while all
along there was ipsec, a defined internet standard.

--
Until later: Geoffrey		esoteric@3times25.net

"...the system (Microsoft passport) carries significant risks to users
that
are not made adequately clear in the technical documentation available."
- David P. Kormann and Aviel D. Rubin, AT&T Labs - Research
- http://www.avirubin.com/passport.html