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To: Daniel Schuh who wrote (15917)	1/8/1998 6:40:00 PM
From: nommedeguerre	Respond to of 24154

Dan, "Kind words don't mean much, I'll be impressed when Microsoft stops treating everyone that doesn't believe in the inevitability of Bill's dreams as idiots." Come on, Bill, be a nice guy like Paul Allen. The State of Washington is buying him a new stadium because he knows how to "play the game" with government officials and is such a swell guy with the public. Doing the Lambada with some wayward babe at the Comdex Tailhook blowout did not fool anyone. Have a press conference in a serene setting, such as Berchtesgarten, and just let your hipness flow before the eye of the camera. Throw in a dog and some footage of you helping old people boot their first clones and soon you'll be back in the heart of every schoolgirl in America. Cheers, Norm

To: Daniel Schuh who wrote (15917)	1/8/1998 6:47:00 PM
From: Alan Buckley	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24154

[...but there was probably a real limit on resources until Win95 hit the streets. I'd guess that had more to do with the "slow" response of Microsoft than anything.] Interesting. You might be right. [Kind words don't mean much...] I see the current press spins as a symptom of "arrogance" biting them as you and Gerald have been predicting. I suspect that's what Ballmer is getting at in the interview, that they don't intend to be less aggressive, but they're going to try to be more sensitive to the position they put their partners in, for example, the line about giving partners more advanced warning when they become aware they have competitive products under development. [I'll be impressed when Microsoft stops treating everyone that doesn't believe in the inevitability of Bill's dreams as idiots.] Come on. Try telling a NSCP person there's more important computer work than the web. They'll call you an idiot. McNealy and Ellison are constantly calling non-believers idiots. Many on this thread are quick to call one an idiot should they disagree with their vision of the future. It's unfair to lay this at MSFT's doorstep.

To: Daniel Schuh who wrote (15917)	1/8/1998 9:21:00 PM
From: Daniel Schuh	Respond to of 24154

The Softer Side of Microsoft www5.zdnet.com Old Jesse Berst is about as amused with the new "kinder, gentler" Microsoft as I am. So, in true Microsoft spirit, the company is launching an attack to (in Ballmer's words) "reduce the perception of insincerity." Chief Operating Officer Robert Herbold apologized in case Microsoft statements indicated disrespect for the judge. And Group Manager Dave Fester promised publicly the company would be "less strident." Gotta love it. No interest in being fair. Just in reducing the perception of unfairness. And who better to help them with this arduous task than... Jesse Berst! After all, I have two decades of faking sincerity and feigning compassion. That's why I felt it my duty to propose my top seven ways to give Microsoft a more sensitive image. Ok, Jesse has said some bad things about Java in the past, but he's been ingratiating himself with the ilk of late. I guess he didn't quite have time to do a full top ten, but the list is more amusing than Bill's at Comdex, or maybe that's just a matter of taste. To avoid duplicating the whole column, I'll leave you with the top three. 3. Install new Sensitivity Wizards on every employee's computer with step-by-step instructions on pretending to care. 2. Hold a telethon for victims of Window 95 crashes. 1. Plant a tree for every company they've plowed under. Cheers,Dan.

To: Daniel Schuh who wrote (15917)	1/8/1998 9:41:00 PM
From: Daniel Schuh	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24154

Gates: IBM is out to get us zdnet.com Oh my. The newswire is hopping tonight. While the rest of the top guys are going for the "kinder, gentler" image, Bill goes back to the "aggrieved Microsofty" line. In the interview published in the magazine's Jan. 19 issue, Gates pointed to rival IBM as the leader of the anti-Microsoft camp, which also includes Netscape Communications Corp., Oracle Corp., and Sun Microsystems Inc. He said IBM was motivated by Microsoft's decision to end joint development of the OS/2 operating system and focus instead on Windows NT in the early 1990s. ''What people don't understand is how IBM -- after they divorced us -- set out to eliminate us,'' he said. ''Their influence is way beyond what we have.'' It's a little confusing who scorned whom here. My view, which I think is somewhat consistent with known facts, is that IBM lost control of the PC with the PS/2 OS/2 introduction in '85 or so, with proprietary Microchannel and the really lame original OS/2- "Half an operating system for half a computer", as the wags had it then. Now, poor Bill is under attack by those he's mocked in the past, fancy that. I imagine the IBMers who where foolish enough to pay attention to antitrust law are taking some pleasure in Bill's currrent trouble, but I'd say they're entitled. The story doesn't say who the magazine is, unfortunately, I'll have to watch out for that. Cheers, Dan.

To: Daniel Schuh who wrote (15917)	1/8/1998 10:35:00 PM
From: Keith Hankin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24154

But, Microsoft is mighty good at those quotes too. It's like I used to say to Sal, McNealy makes fun of Bill? Bill makes fun of everyone. Actually, he rarely makes fun of anyone, at least directly. But that's in large part due to the fact that because MSFT is so dominant that he doesn't need to. Most of the time he can simply pontificate the MSFT line on technology as if there is no competiton. Rarely has he had to respond to competition. This is the luxury that MSFT has for being so dominant.