New Documents Shed Light on Microsoft's Tactics

Tigen writes "As the NY Times reports, even as MS prepares to face penalties from the European Union, testimony during the second week of trial in the consumer class-action lawsuit in Minnesota has revealed some embarrassing internal documents from Microsoft which were not disclosed in the 1997 federal antitrust lawsuit. Items include a 1990 letter from Bill Gates to Andy Grove, and Microsoft's illegal tactics against the Go Corporation, a Silicon Valley startup."

What's this?

[TypoNAM]

Microsoft has actually been a bad big corp? Tell me it isn't so...

OK it's so, let the "Exchange server ate my email" excuse begin!

Sounds like a Movie Script

[sirdude]

Sounds eeriely like a movie script minus Erin Brockovich..

MS word.doc

[ratfynk]

I just wonder if there are MS word docs out there ready to reveal more about the evil empire. It would only be fitting if Intel and IBM leaked some old word.docs from Redmond.... naw Microsoft couldn't be that stupid.

A simple solution

[dodgyville]

Microsoft would not leak so many embarrassing documents if they never wrote anything down. But, I hear you say, surely people will just record what they say and leak the recordings. Well, not if they conduct all their business in mime. So that is my suggestion. Microsoft should do everything by mime.

-

Re:Andy Grove intimidation?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, and I heard that ObviousGuy can't orgasm unless he kills a dog.
Of course, that's just what I heard.

Re:What's this?

[Alphix]

dont you mean "the Exchange server wrote my email"?

Re:A simple solution

[Too Much Noise]

and the app that will open the application/ms-mime files will show Ballmer frantically dancing his mime-encoded message on your desktop.

Can't wait for it to happen ... a Mozilla plugin in linux too, please ^_^

Re:Article

[AftanGustur]

Whenever you append "&partner=google" to the end of a NYTimes URL, you're in sans registration.

Well, whenever you append "&partner=[Anything]" you are in ...

Try http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/24/technology/24sof t.html?ex=1080709200&en=81be83eda9c09dad&ei=5062&p artner=AlQaida [nytimes.com]

Re:What's this?

[spellraiser]

Recently overheard somewhere at One Microsoft Way:

What's this: "New Documents Shed Light on Microsoft's Tactics" ?!

I thought I told you guys to SHRED those documents, nod SHED them!

Re:A simple solution

[prockcore]

So that is my suggestion. Microsoft should do everything by mime.

text/funny

Re:Article

[flewp]

Whenever you append "&partner=google" to the end of a NYTimes URL, you're in sans registration.

But what if San wants to use his registration when we already are? Then what will he do?!

Re:Andy Grove intimidation?

[Moonpie Madness]

Im submitting this from my gitmo cage right now! It's not so bad really, though this tablet PC is just junk. I mean seriously! Damn thing only gets 12 fps on counterstrike.

Re:Great Friend...

[cmacb]

Well, I've tried telling my Windows support leaches that I don't remember much about Windows any more, but it doesn't seem to help. They go on and on anyway about all the things they have already tried and still they get this message on start-up that doesn't stay up long enough for them to read but tells them that something is missing.

I suppose I COULD give them outright bogus advice... "Try deleting some of your registry keys. Too many of those can cause problems like that." But then, that wouldn't be very nice would it? On the other hand, once their system was totally toast maybe they'd be more inclined to give a true manly operating system a try.

"Dat girly-man operating system should be a ting of de past" - Ahnuld

Not relevant...

[Coryoth]

From the article:

A Microsoft spokeswoman said that many of these newly disclosed documents were not relevant to the trial, which focuses on Microsoft pricing actions.

Oh, of course, sorry. Yes, these documents aren't relevant for the current trial, so we should just ignore them completely and pretend they don't exist.

"These are not the documents you are looking for..."

Jedidiah.

Re:The Microsoft Damage.

[pubjames]

people give you very weird looks when you tell them you don't use windows

Yes. I had to suffer my sister lecuring me about how clever Microsoft was to "invent" Windows and the web (Internet Explorer == web), and she rolled her eyes in disbelief when I tried to explain to her that they didn't actually invent them.

Embarassing Public Document...

[jesseblue]

...can be seen here: Link [feisar.de]

HAHAHA

[dolo666]

SO.... for all ye programmers... // what they must have coded
if($partner) $access = 1; //should read

switch($partner){
case 'google':
$access = 1;
break;
case 'slashdot':
$access = 1;
break;
default:
$access = 0;
break;
}

Re:Article

[psoriac]

By revealing this information you are allowing people to circumvent the NYT's access protection mechanism. I'm going to have to report you for violating the DMCA. I'm sure the NYT lawyers will be in touch with you shortly.

I'm being a good PATRIOT, see? See?

Re:Andy Grove intimidation?

[ScouseMouse]

Oh i dunno, never been to an MSCE camp have we?

Re:A simple solution

[pubjames]

So that is my suggestion. Microsoft should do everything by mime.

But then someone might video it! Of course if they switched the lights off then you could still video it with an IR camera.

So I really think that Microsoft executives should conduct their business in mime, with the lights off, wrapped in tin foil.

Re:Sounds like a Movie Script

[Dashing Leech]

Which immediately makes the script more appealing.

Re:The Microsoft Damage.

[Paradise Pete]

Go could've given us this in the late 1980's, early 90's. Microsofts' machinations, however, prevented that from happening.

And flying cars. Don't forget the flying cars.

Re:Article

[ykardia]

And now that the link is on slashdot, the admins at the NY Times will wonder why AlQuaida suddenly is their biggest partner! Picture their faces when they run their log analysis tool...

Re:What's this?

[SpaceLifeForm]

They had no choice, the MS shredder had crashed.

Re:The Microsoft Damage.

[RAMMS+EIN]

``Using something other than windows is almost a stigma in some circles (circles the average slashdotter has little contact with, and avoids as much as possible)''

That's just _so_ right. And it works the other way around, too. Imagine how astonished I was when I figured how many people WHO STUDY CS not only use Windows, but INSIST ON IT. It was simply shocking. I'm happy I don't have to work with them. Oh, and they accuse me of being a Linux zealot.

Re:Article

[sangdrax]

Isn't that forbidden by DMCA? :)

Re:Sounds like a Movie Script

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you mean that MS killed a paranoid programmer to steal his stuff and his friend is going to go through a really bad script and will make Tim Robins all pissy and down right spooky?

if so, i already suffered through that with my little sister. PLEASE let it not happen again.

Thanks, Microsoft

[ballpoint]

for removing the shameless hype about Go Corp from the IT press.
During a few months you couldn't open a computer magazine without Go Corp being hyped in every article.
Every article during that time had Go Corp hyped in every paragraph.
I got so fed up of reading about Go Corp in every paragraph in every article in every computer magazine that I cancelled a few subscriptions.
Then good enough access to the internet came along, and I didn't need those subscriptions anymore, and Go Corp was but a vague memory.
Can we stop bringing up daemons from the past, and leave Go Corp for once and for all behind us ?

Re:Great Friend...

[Ender Ryan]

Surely you wouldn't presume to tell someone how to behave with their own friends, would you?

Maybe in the circles he runs in, that is tactful :)

Re:Psion Lives on in Symbian

[NickFitz]

Its Handwritign recognition is exemplar,

Except with the words "handwriting" and "exemplary" :-)

Who's on First?

[Tablizer]

and Microsoft's illegal tactics against the Go Corporation

Bill: Go stop Go

Lackie: What?

Bill: Stop the Go company

Lackie: Oh, go and stop a company, but which one?

Bill: THE Go company

Lackie: Oh! Go!

Bill: Yeah, now go!

Lackie: You mean they renamed it from something else?

Bill: No, I mean you. You go.

Lackie: Okay, I'll go and stop Go

Bill: Stop it!

Lackie: Yeah, stop Go.

Bill: No, I mean stop repeating me.

Lackie: Maybe I should go.

Bill: Okay, but don't forget to stop Go.

Lackie: Got it! I will stop It.

Bill: It's Go, not it.

Lackie: Me or the company?

Bill: Nevermind, I'll do it myself, now GET THE HELL OUT!

Re:Thats so Awesome.

[geekoid]

You can't have Bill Gates haircut and be cool.
No matter how evil or how much money.

What happened to...

[bckrispi]

The advice read in part that the focus should be shifted from "killing the competitor" to "providing a better solution to the customer's problems."

Well, we saw how long that corporate strategy lasted...