In 1998, Bill Gates was an A-Hole
Nov 4

In 1998, Bill Gates was an A-Hole

Bill Gates sums up Microsoft’s abusive history : This blog post at Opera links to a PDF of an email entered as evidence in Microsoft’s anti-trust trial.  Assuming this is accurate, it neatly supports what everyone has always claimed about Microsoft.

In it, Bill Gates tells the Office group this:

One thing we have got to change in our strategy - allowing Office documents to be rendered very well by other peoples browsers is one of the most destructive things we could do to the company.

We have to stop putting any effort into this and make sure that Office documents very well depends on PROPRIETARY IE capabilities.

I really hate stuff like this.  I know that a lot of people look at it on terms of “open-ness,” but this just pisses me off on a competitive basis.  If you can’t win without rigging the contest, then you suck.  Win on your own merits, or don’t play.

by Deane   November 4, 2009 8:36 AM   |

Comments

by Mark,   November 6, 2009 7:43 PM  

I'm no fan of MS, as my history shows, but please, every company on the planet has pulled this off AND is working very hard to make it happen. MS is/was just dumb enough to get caught. Look at the Kindle, iphone, all the gaming rigs, .....they all lock you in to proprietary walled gardens.

If you are really concerned about this type of behaviour, the FOSS community awaits you with open arms. ;-)

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