Wednesday, October 27, 2004 |
17:25 - Microsoft is spamming FUD
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=2004102717385992
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What-ho, guess what I just got in my inbox? Why, one of these: an unsolicited e-mail from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer attacking Linux on the basis of "indemnification".
What did I do to get on Ballmer's distribution list? (Yes, I checked the headers—the e-mail originated on a server within microsoft.com, received directly from an internal 10.x.x.x address.) Apparently I'm either a subscriber to Microsoft's executive bulletins (which I'm not), or one of the "other business decision makers and IT professionals" that didn't move quickly enough to get out of the line of fire.
So now I'm the lucky recipient of legitimate Microsoft SPAM. That's their new marketing plan. Wonderful, huh?
And Groklaw has a searing takedown of its central point, too:
If I got that email, I believe I'd ask Microsoft for indemnification for viruses and malware. No? They don't offer that? Zounds. That seems like a more common threat than patent infringement, don't you think? I believe they should offer that right away. Yes, definitely. I suggest you all ask for that, those of you stuck in the Windows world, right away. Virus indemnification. That's the ticket. After all, such troubles do affect your total cost of ownership to a significant degree, don't they? Then there's the worry that you might get sued after one of your employees unwittingly sends a virus to another company. For sure, we need some studies on the true total cost of using Windows.
Does this bizarre move smack of anything but desperation? I can't see why they'd do this if they weren't scared to death.
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