Microsoft

A Foundation Of Misdeeds

Microsoft has put its foot on the other side of right from the very beginning. The whole IBM/CPM/DOS debacle may have been a messy start, but it was a start that launched one of the biggest success stories in the history of the business world. They made DOS for the first PC’s ever introduced from IBM, and they made a bundle in the process. They were able to work it out so they could sell it to vendors other than IBM as well, and they made a bundle off of that move too.

They fought hard in the marketplaces, nailing clones like DR DOS to the cross while they sought to go one-up on them by bundling some of the best third party utilities out there into their DOS operating system. They kept an eye on everything in the business, including the evolution of the GUI over at Apple (who got it from Xerox, etc.) and while smiling and assuring Jobs that they would not copy the concept, they quietly worked on their own GUI, later dubbed Windows.

They cornered the early market on applications for the Windows GUI by not only cranking out some pretty good applications, but by doing so through the exploitation of undocumented API calls. Advantage Microsoft. They knew how to play the game in a brutally ruthless fashion, and they did it better than almost anybody. They turned Windows into a huge cash cow by striking bundling deals with OEM’s. They worked their magic once again by including their Office products in those very same, very exclusive bundling agreements. Customers ate it up at the time, because they were getting incredible value for the dollar. The industry, however, was not so thrilled.

Businesses that had to compete with Microsoft cried foul time and time again. At first it sounded like sour grapes because they did not think of it themselves, but as time moved on, tangible evidence began to surface that convinced many that Microsoft had been using illegal tactics to help foster and maintain their near monopoly on the desktop operating system market. Every time the competition came out with a nice add-on, Microsoft seemed to include the same feature in their operating system and give it away at a loss. Central Point and Norton had backup programs, but why buy them when Microsoft throws one in for free? Well, as you might have guessed, Central Point and Norton don’t have backup programs any more.

An Olive Branch?

Microsoft has been hammered, absolutely hammered, by geeks in the press, including me. They have been burned in effigy, vilified and condemned to the dark recesses of the planet for the horrors they have perpetrated on our world (well, maybe that is a bit harsh). Maybe they have finally had enough. Maybe they are tired of being beaten down by all sides. Why do I say this? Because Bill Gates, in a stunning reversal, has admitted that Microsoft has dropped the ball in terms of security. What you say? But Windows XP was supposed to be the most secure operating system yet! Well, it turned out not to be, and frankly, I think Bill Gates was angered and embarrassed by that fact. His people told him it was rock solid, and they let him down. Now he has decided to do something about it.

I don’t know if he has decided to make security the number one priority because he is embarrassed and upset, or because he genuinely wants to listen to his customers and address their concerns, but whatever the case, it can only be looked at as a positive move. Bill Gates can be magnanimous because he can afford to be, but I want to believe in my heart of hearts that there are real, positive intentions here. Even the worst of us can change given the right circumstances, and maybe Bill Gates has finally decided to listen to the masses yearning to be free (err, secure I mean).

Many of us are paranoid about all of the Internet security issues, including Microsoft’s own Passport technology. If they want to succeed in shoving this gruel down our throats, they’ll have to convince us that our worst fears won’t be realized. I believe that this refocus on security instead of glitzy and shallow feature additions is a very, very good move on the part of Microsoft. I genuinely hope it pays off for them and for us.