Web Propaganda War! zdnet.com
Ilk, ilk, ilk, ilk, ilk, ilk, ilk, ilk/ Ilk, wonderful ilk! (apologies to Monty Python)
It's John Dvorak's turn to carry the banner today.
Apparently freaked out over legal assaults and an upcoming conference, Microsoft and its allies have begun a letter-writing campaign in an effort to get Attorney General Janet Reno to back off from her investigation of Microsoft's alleged antitrust behavior. Microsoft's woes were compounded last week when Texas sued the company for interfering with that state's antitrust investigation by allegedly continuing to maintain disputed nondisclosure clauses in its licensing agreements.
The letter-writing campaign was brought to my attention by a Microsoft developer who doesn't want his name used. [good move, that] The campaign was apparently started by Susan Hanneld, executive director of the Association of Microsoft Solution Providers (ASMP). She sent out a form letter in response to the form letter against Microsoft posted at the Consumer Project on Technology. This note in turn was sent around the Internet by Bill Henningsgaard, general manager of the Organization Customer Unit at Microsoft.
Gee, this sounds strangely like that PR thing that Microsoft allegedly put the kibosh on I guess they decided they could do it better themselves, so they just stole the idea. (se my post 13945 here and the attached story at zdnet.com There's a bunch of other stuff in Dvorak's column about various avenues Microsoft is using to put out the company line. Also a concise, point by point listing of the current shotgun defense. Nothing surprising, but a useful overview for any who might wonder how remarkably similar restatements of the company line du jour always seem to turn up all over the place, simultaneously.
Whether all these tactics will help Microsoft remains to be seen. It all looks a little panicky to me. Microsoft should be thinking a little more about how dangerous it can be to tick off government bureaucrats.
Oh, Microsoft is just annoyed that DOJ found them not guilty of being a monopoly and then had the gaul to revoke their immunity. Microsoft, Major League Baseball, who can tell the difference? Janet Reno should go wash her mouth out with soap.
Cheers, Dan. |
