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“Attention! Nature Reserve! Threatened Software Giant!”

20. febrero 2006

As you know I am no software developer. This is why I have to rely on others judgement regarding these technical issues. And because I am critical I am in doubt quite often. E.g. Microsoft: A lot of software developers I know speak really bad about their stuff (To be honest they slip into the fecal language. So unfortunately I cannot quote them verbatim here.) And me – as you imagine correctly – I have been in doubt (at least to the middle of this week): “How can Microsoft's software quality be that poor if the the company is that successful with them?”

This article does not make demands on clarifying all the myths in the world but it seems at least one thing can be taken for sure now: The above mentioned software developers seem to be right and the language they use appears to be justified. You want to know what happened? Have a look: This week Microsoft's deadline ended to comply with European authorities. In Europe's so far most important antitrust suit Microsoft has been asked to publish protocols and interface information of their workgroup server.

So what did MS? They are claiming the Commission would have ignored these efforts:

“Hundreds of Microsoft employees and contractors have worked for more than 30,000 hours to create over 12,000 pages of detailed technical documents that are available for license today. In addition Microsoft has offered to provide licensees with 500 hours of technical support and has made its source code related to all the relevant technologies available under a reference license,” the company said in a 75-page response filed Wednesday.

By the end I think this has to be read like: “We are unable to give you more than this - Accept it or forget it!”

Wow. Didn't really expect it to be that awful: The software does not only attract bugs and viruses magnetically – It actually seems to be impossible to document it, even if there are any financial means of this world available! I am sure this would have frightened even legendary Hercules – and he after all had to clean the Augean stables in one day! German radio station NDR asked Microsoft why they couldn't publish the documents in question and - didn't get an answer. I suppose they are just embarrassed about washing their dirty linen in public. But as ever most probably I am just too naive and credulous and NDR is right to say that MS doesn't want to comply basically 'cause it really takes it out of them? So which is the claim they wanna make? Should we maybe put signs in front of their offices: “Attention! Nature Reserve! Threatened Software Giant!”??

Since the last press review we again had a number of articles explaining FSFE's successful role in this game.

But I would like to point you to an article of Austrian Computerworld and our letter to their editor (in the same document) specifically: Microsoft obviously still loves to play their “Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt” (FUD) policy (e.g. claiming that we want gratis copies of their source code or want them to give up their copyright). If you should find an one of these funny examples to confuse journalists, customers or politicians, please send me a note.

Reports in English:
TechSpot, indymedia.org, COMPUTER BUSINESS review online, AxcessNews.com, commentwire, Bloomberg, Macworld, PC Adviser, CIO, IT World, MSN BC, MSN Money, The Guardian, ZD Net UK, EU Business, IT World Canada, Mail & Guardian online, DW-World, TurkishPress.com, Macworld Daily News,