4 ms·

I've also been pretty unforgiving about things that Microsoft did in the past to crush competing web browsers, competing standards like OpenGL or ODF, Linux or

I've also been pretty unforgiving about things that Microsoft did in the past to crush competing web browsers, competing standards like OpenGL or ODF, Linux or open-source in general. And sorry, but I do not agree with that article by Hanselman. Thing is, I treat companies like I treat people. Legally speaking, isn't that what they want, in the US anyway? So if you violate my trust, it's goodbye until I see serious amends being made. However I must say that with this move I'm finally ready to forgive Microsoft. I've always seen .NET as a platform created for achieving lock-in with Windows, the ECMA standard (while better than Java's JCP, which is a farce) I've seen as an attempt to paint a turd and Mono, while a wonderful effort, I've never seen as good enough. Open-sourcing .NET is a wonderful move, because now we've got a credible alternative to the JVM and this move couldn't come with better timing, given the dickish moves by Sun/Oracle against Apache Harmony and Android's Dalvik / ART. And don't get me wrong, compared to other people I do not have double standards in this regard. I've been a Google fanboy for years, but my eyes are wide open now and I'm making moves to escape their lock-in ;-)

sz4kerto 12y ago
> I treat companies like I treat people I would say this is a really bad strategy. According to unwritten HN rules, I should now start explaining why I think there are differences between a company and a person, and why they should be treated differently thereof. But I won't. :)
- bad_user 12y ago
  Why? Do you disagree with the concept of voting with your wallet? How else can you get companies to listen to your needs? And my needs as a developer and a user are simple - I need my privacy, an open web and a healthy open-source ecosystem. And I'll vote with my wallet and I'll bitch against any company that has a problem with that - and I'll also encourage alternatives that cater to my needs. The world would be a much better place if all people behaved like this IMHO - oh, so are the shareholders a company's top priority? Not my problem.
  - Retra 12y ago
    > Do you disagree with the concept of voting with your wallet? That concept is fantastically distopian. The concept "voting with your wallet" is practically abject propaganda. We have a word for this already and it's not "voting:" it's "purchasing" or "bribery." >How else can you get companies to listen to your needs? With words. The very thing you are using right here.
icantthinkofone 12y ago
>...things that Microsoft did in the past to crush competing web browsers, competing standards like OpenGL or ODF, Linux or open-source in general. >I must say that with this move I'm finally ready to forgive Microsoft. Well that didn't take much.
- bad_user 12y ago
  Well, it's not a single event thing, but a series of events. Upgrading IExplorer to something that can be called a modern browser and helping to estinguish IExplorer 6 is another event. Replacing Balmer was another event. Partnering with Xamarin (instead of crushing them with patents) was another event. Releasing Office Mobile for Android and iOS was another event. Etc... As to why they are doing this, I don't really care as long as they are aligned with my needs. Plus I'm allowed to change my mind, depending on my mood :-)

sz4kerto 12y ago

> I treat companies like I treat people I would say this is a really bad strategy. According to unwritten HN rules, I should now start explaining why I think there are differences between a company and a person, and why they should be treated differently thereof. But I won't. :)

bad_user 12y ago
Why? Do you disagree with the concept of voting with your wallet? How else can you get companies to listen to your needs? And my needs as a developer and a user are simple - I need my privacy, an open web and a healthy open-source ecosystem. And I'll vote with my wallet and I'll bitch against any company that has a problem with that - and I'll also encourage alternatives that cater to my needs. The world would be a much better place if all people behaved like this IMHO - oh, so are the shareholders a company's top priority? Not my problem.
- Retra 12y ago
  > Do you disagree with the concept of voting with your wallet? That concept is fantastically distopian. The concept "voting with your wallet" is practically abject propaganda. We have a word for this already and it's not "voting:" it's "purchasing" or "bribery." >How else can you get companies to listen to your needs? With words. The very thing you are using right here.

icantthinkofone 12y ago

>...things that Microsoft did in the past to crush competing web browsers, competing standards like OpenGL or ODF, Linux or open-source in general. >I must say that with this move I'm finally ready to forgive Microsoft. Well that didn't take much.

bad_user 12y ago
Well, it's not a single event thing, but a series of events. Upgrading IExplorer to something that can be called a modern browser and helping to estinguish IExplorer 6 is another event. Replacing Balmer was another event. Partnering with Xamarin (instead of crushing them with patents) was another event. Releasing Office Mobile for Android and iOS was another event. Etc... As to why they are doing this, I don't really care as long as they are aligned with my needs. Plus I'm allowed to change my mind, depending on my mood :-)