Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 14:55:40 -0500
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
From: "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Different subject now,you have been warned! [was:Re: [WSFA] Re: Has anyone read any goo
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

At 02:06 PM 3/28/05 -0500, Michael Walsh wrote:

>Did Microsoft go for top posting out of ignorance or "to force their
>way of doing things on an established culture".  And if on pupose, why?

It may originally have been ignorance...they aren't big on seeing what's
already in existence before they implement something.  They've proven that
many times.  Once the product was out there and feedback started coming in
about it, they could no longer claim ignorance, and at that point it pretty
clearly became "forcing their way".

Why would they want to force things to be done their way?  Because in a
world of standards you can get products from anyone and they will work
together well.  If you do things differently, then people have to use your
stuff...if you are big enough to force that (and MicroSoft often is).  I've
heard numerous times from business people who hate M$'s software (security
flaws, unstable systems, unfriendly user interfaces that you have to fight
to get things done, etc.) but use it anyway because that's what their
customers are using, and they have to use it to be compatible with their
customers.  This isn't always true, but that's what they believe and since
their livelihood is riding on it, they do what they feel they must, like it
or not.

The top post issue isn't quite as incompatible as, say, DOC format files or
encryption schemes, and can be worked around by end users when necessary,
but if their way became the accepted standard, then using other mail
programs would become awkward and people might change, thus increasing
their sales...or the other mailers would change to match them and they'd be
viewed as a leader.  Either way they win.

I think there's another factor in that the mind set of "we know best, do it
our way" is just ingrained in them now and they really don't care what
standards exist outside of their walls unless it actually eats into
profits.  That happened a few years back when they tried bucking the
Kerberos standards ...they tried to get everyone else to alter the
standards so that the way they implemented domains would work with the way
Kerberos implemented realms, but were told very firmly, "NO!  You are
broken, fix it or don't, the standard is not changing."  So they changed
their stuff.  Not working with established kerberos setups wasn't really an
option if they wanted to keep selling to big companies and universities.

-- Mike B.
--
"640K ought to be enough for anybody." -- Bill Gates '81