Good morning Bill;

Good insight and review Bill! Your term “arrogance” and reference to Ashton-Tate are accurate to me. May I add “indifference and greed” to the list to in part describe Microsoft?

I remember George Morrow coined the term “Vapor Ware”, indicating a marketing campaign to describe a product that had not been released and may never be released. George’s company produced a lap top computer (early 1980’s) and was doing well. At a computer show in San Francisco, his staff announced to the public the new “Executive” model would be released in six months so “do not buy the present model”. The public waited for six months while sales went way down. When the new model was introduced it was too late. The company went under.

If I were going to create a new product I would not advertise it until it was ready for release. Talking to the public about a product that is meant to replace your company’s main products is risky. .NET received too much hype before it was ready for release. Microsoft failed to do its homework and that brings me back to the term you used "arrogance"!

Microsoft can afford to make mistakes and still do well compared to other companies. If Microsoft were more concerned with the public they serve they would be better appreciated in the market place and not viewed with so much negativity. The business model presented by Microsoft does not endear them to the business world or the individual.

I view Microsoft as a “necessary evil” as the software they produce is our corporate standard. It is like working with the devil but I do not have to like it. The things I will do to support my family are most interesting.

Tom