We'll Just Rule the World Now, OK?
by Mike Banks Valentine
One has to wonder if the corporate directive at Microsoft
is as blatant as it seems from the outside. What is it that
makes them behave as if monopolistic bullying is an inherent
right for the biggest, baddest damned behemoth ever to roam
the face of the information economy? That they can rule the
Earth just because they think they'd like to give it a go?
Can you say monopoly, boys and girls?
It is almost inconceivable that they already rule planet PC,
from the operating system, to the web browser, to the email
client, to the word processing program, to the calendaring
program, to the media player, to the spreadsheet, to the
financial software, to the presentation application, to the
web server software, etc., etc., etc., ad infinitum. What
would constitute a monopoly if that doesn't?
Microsoft kinda oughtta be satisfied with that, eh? NOOOOO!
Let's have them control software RE-licensing, enterprise
mail servers, certification of network administrators, and
GEE fellas! How's about we develop a system called .Net in
which we store and control, via our proprietary system, all
the information on the planet? Cool idea huh? Monopoly? Nah!
While we're at it, why don't we tie all our products together,
being certain that nobody uses any competing software -- with
Smart Tags? These little geniuses will not only allow us to
control software worldwide, but all the advertising on every
web page in the world by allowing us to plant hyperlinks on
those pages that connect to advertisers who'll pay Microsoft
to hijack website traffic? Jeeeezz! This is sooooo cool!
One would think that even Microsoft supporters and cheer-
leaders would start to become just the slightest bit
annoyed with Microsoft when it starts costing them time
money and lost income to fix Microsoft security holes that
plague virtually all software made by Microsoft. Well it's
finally happening. No longer is it just Macintosh fans and
Open Source advocates getting hot under the collar.
"According to Computer Economics, a Carlsbad, CA-based
research firm, estimated labor costs associated with
repairing corrupted systems due to the notorious Code
Red virus already exceeded $1.29 billion, with an
additional $716 million consumed by lost productivity
among affected users and IT support and help desk staffs.
Code Red and Code Red II, a more virulent sequel worm
that began attacking systems worldwide in early August,
exploit a known hole in Microsoft's Internet Information
Server (IIS) software."
"The consequences of Microsoft shortcomings cannot be more
obvious Ð or more damaging Ð as the price to fix those
mistakes now runs in the billions of dollars to others.
It has not however eclipsed the estimated $8.7 billion
price tag Computer Economics attached to the damages
caused by the Love Bug, a virus that swept through the
IT landscape last year."
So it seems we have a monopoly, with a product that costs a
fortune to RE-license, is full of security holes that allow
hackers and terrorists to rip up the economy. Finally even
Microsoft Network Administrators are speaking out against
the blatant monopolistic practices and Big Brother tactics.
http://website101.com/Microsoft/Microsoft_MCSE_certificat.html
And now some experts are calling for the outright BAN of
Microsoft Outlook Express to avoid Outlook Transmitted
Diseases (OTD's)
http://engage.everyone.net/adclick/aamsz=text/area=DM.W34.M5.T1
Any idea if your boss is peering over your shoulder? More
than three-quarters of corporate employers monitor employees
in multiple ways.
The following is from Onvia.com web article on workplace monitoring.
"Although the average percentage of workers with office e-mail and
Internet connections remained relatively constant, overall active
monitoring grew to 78 percent from 74 percent in 2000. The overall
figure includes such measures as storing and reviewing computer
files (36 percent), video recording of employees on the job
(15 percent), recording and reviewing telephone messages
(12 percent), and storing and reviewing voice mail (8 percent)
Other forms of surveillance, including telephone numbers called
and time spent on the phone, logged computer time and video
surveillance for security purposes brought the total for all
forms of monitoring to 82 percent, up from last year's 78
percent and from 67 percent in 1999."
http://www.news.onvia.com/x20557.xml
Consider that Microsoft provides the desktop software to most
of the corporate world and it doesn't take much of a stretch of
the imagination to see them building in their own monitoring
tools.
Judge Penfield Jackson couldn't remain unbiased when he saw
these tactics and publicly stated his disdain for blatant
monopolistic practices that only a team of Microsoft lawyers
could possibly approve of. So it is almost as though the
court of appeals has now said, "No matter how heinous a crime,
don't ever let 'em see you flinch! It makes you look as if
you actually have some morals and standards. Judges are not
allowed those!" Monopoly is just a fun board game.
Next time Judge Jackson sees a horrific criminal act and is
tempted to pronounce the evildoer a bad boy, he'll likely
temper his statements, something on the order of, "Uh-uh-uh!
Don't do that!" Then shut his mouth tight as he sentences
the crook to life in prison for ... "doing something that is
not allowed in our society." Don't say anything bad to them.
The problem is that Microsoft is made to appear the victim
of unfair judgement when the judge can't contain his disdain
for the absurdly monopolistic practices that have Microsoft
ruling not only Planet PC, but Planet Earth.
I am occasionally tempted to trade in my Macintosh for a PC
because I'm so frustrated that I MUST have Windows to run
applications I need to have. I've occasionally considered
purchasing the Microsoft Macintosh version of software so
that I can view PowerPoint presentations or upgrade from my
old Word version 6.0 for Mac because it garbles the text
from new Word Documents. But ultimately, I just can't do it.
I just can't support a monopoly that annoys me this much.
I won't. I can't even stand the fact that new Mac specific
software emulates the look and feel of Microsoft products.
It was the other way round in the beginning, before Bill
copied Mac OS and put it on a PC and called it Windows.
It angers me that Internet Explorer comes with the Mac OS.
It drives me nuts that WebTrends and Web Position Gold only
come in Windows versions. What monopoly?
Linus Torvald is a personal hero to me. Open source is the
only answer to the ridiculous Microsoftopoly. My iMac and
I will stick it out and beg Steve Jobs to slay the Giant.
Or even an unbiased zipper-lipped judge could do it, as long
as he doesn't talk about his opinion, just enforces it.
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