I'll add to this....

IMO, we have the same responsibility to our customers as do doctors, lawyers, accountants, investment people... we should provide the right advice when customers want to do the wrong thing. Customers may not realize the side effects. Suppose they have an employee who is an epilectic and the blinking causes them to have an attack.

I've never said that Microsoft has the best UI standards, but they have spent millions of dollars on Ux research. Far more than I've spent, so I think they have a good idea on what works and what doesn't. What I have said is that most users are used to the Microsoft way, particularly Office, so they feel more comfortable when we create a UI that follows Office.

>But, as I've told Craig B. long ago, there are times when it's ok to use it. I had a contract with a company in the entertainment business and they wanted blinking marquee-styled lights rotating around the form. It looked cool and they paid well for it. Everyone is always quick to discount using them, but if the guy wants them, someone just tell him where to get a class or how to do it. Not everything falls under the MS UI standards.