25 March 1999
Copyright, 1999, Max K. Goff, all rights reserved

 
Settle the Micro$oft suit? Why?

This week Bill Gates has been all over the cable, talking about I.E.5.0, talking about his new book (list price $726!), talking about settling the U.S. Government's law suit against the software monopoly out of Redmond.  Talk, talk, talk.  It's amazing to me how Gates can lie, outright lie, and get away with it.

His entire point in the government trial is that no one can stop Micro$oft from "innovating," from changing its operating system as it sees fit.  And integrating browser capabilities into the operating system are absolutely essential to Micro$oft users -- it's innovation, not market theft, not monopolistic shenanigans.  Essential to the operating system.

Then he turns around this past week and releases Internet Exploder 5.0 as a separate product!  Sure it's a separate product.  It always has been.  Does he (Gates) really think we're all that stupid?  Or maybe he thinks he really is that powerful -- and maybe he is.

The list price for Gates' new book "Business @ the Speed of Thought : Using a Digital Nervous System," isn't really $726, although earlier this week amazon.com actually featured the book at that price -- perhaps it was an error.  A check on their site today offers a hard copy version at the more reasonable list price of $30, discounted to $18 plus shipping if purchased from the internet book mogul.  Interestingly, the publisher's review of  this new missal talks about Gates' proposal for a 12-step program for companies wanting to do business in  the next millennium.  Ironically, that's exactly what businesses addicted to Redmond software need -- a serious 12-step program.  Stop the madness. Don't feed the giant.  With any luck, Gates' notorious hubris will prevent him from settling the law suit, and the inevitable clash will result in an exposure of Micro$oft's true agenda once and for all.

It's been an interesting week for me.  I'm actually applying for admission into CUNY's Ph.D.. program in Computer Science.  While I don't have a B.A., I do have an M.B.A. and years of industry experience, some of which has been hands-on coding.  Assuming I can pass the GRE (which is not a gimme), I may actually have a shot of getting admitted....something I need to do in my copious spare time.  :)  The thought of going back to school and studying at that rigorous a level is exciting.  If I don't get lucky and find myself not working on the post-graduate degree this fall as I'm hoping, then I'll be applying for a Ph.D. program in the Business school at CUNY for fall 2000 -- one way or another, I'm going to continue my formal education.

I spoke in New Jersey today; a large company that is also a large customer of Sun's.  It was a small group wearing ties -- the kind of group that makes me nervous.  Luckily there were a few engineers in the room disguised as executives.  It went reasonably well.  I was the only one in the room not wearing a tie.  I explained that the rules that govern my particular group at Sun preclude me from wearing a tie, so as not to give the impression that we're selling anything.  :)  Because we're not.  We evangelize.  There's a big difference; one that I never fail to appreciate every time I speak.

Next week I have a few meetings in the city.  And then the following week, I leave for the Middle East.  I've never been to the Middle East before, so it should be interesting.  I found out this week that I'll be traveling to South America later this spring as well.  This job wants to take me all over the planet, it seems.  And I'm glad for it.  It's not that I'm all that enamored with travel  -- anymore I'd just as soon stay home.  But I still feel so compelled to bring the messages that I preach to audiences all over the planet.  Messages like Java.  And Jini.  Open source and community source.  Excellence in software design versus profiteering from monopolistic business practices -- and hope.  Hope for humanity in software.  I still believe that there is hope and still think that software is the path that our hope must take -- whether Bill Gates settles the law suit out of court or not.