Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Response to TechWeek piece

Author:Dave Winer
Posted:8/22/1999; 7:40:46 PM
Topic:Response to TechWeek piece
Msg #:9783
Prev/Next:9782 / 9784

Re: TechWeek's David Needle on DaveNet.

Boy some things I said got mangled!

Here's what I said about Microsoft, roughly. It's a story I've been telling to friends, so I know pretty much exactly how it goes. Something like this.

When I was growing up I had two sets of grandparents, one of them were the "fun grandparents." But then I realized a few weeks ago that they really weren't that much fun!

I had the same realization about Microsoft. I appreciate that they listen and respond. As far as platform vendors go they're pretty good. But that's not saying very much!

They listen and then they act with cold-blooded ruthlessnes to lock people into their way of doing things.

Now the quote I gave about Microsoft makes sense. I've asked Microsoft to give it up, most recently in Embrace and Get Over It and in the piece on Office 2000.

As I've said many times here, I am not a Microsoft developer, even though I develop for and use Windows. I am like the people who develop in Java in that I don't want to be captive to Microsoft, but I'm different in that I don't want to be captive to Sun either.

Not being a Microsoft developer is something that Microsoft does not get. But I give them a lot of credit for keeping the conversation going. We speak different languages, but there's a common language of bits and bandwidth and so forth.

I am an Internet developer.

We don't need no stinkin platform vendors!

Whatever.




This page was archived on 6/13/2001; 4:52:02 PM.

© Copyright 1998-2001 UserLand Software, Inc.