I’m Kevinjohn Gallagher, and I used to Work for Microsoft.
I do not have 2 heads, I have not signed a pact with the devil, I have never been seal clubbing, I have no intention of world domination, I do not have a secret lair, I do not drink in Starbucks, I have never tried to kill Batman nor Superman, I am not a member of any secret organisation, I do not hate open source software, and I do not hate Macs.
For 5 months, at the end of 2003, I worked for Microsoft as a Developer on a project.
It was the singular most creative environment I have ever experienced. Not the best job, not where I did my best work, not the role with the most satisfaction, not any of those general statements you might expect to hear. No, Microsoft was the most liberal encouraging nurturing and creative development environment I have ever been in. It was the actuality of what Cisco pretended to be, and my 5 months there were fun on so many levels.
But…
That does not mean I am oblivious to the flaws in Microsoft. I use a non-Microsoft browser, I use a non-Microsoft server platform, I use a non-Microsoft phone, I use a non-Microsoft search engine, I use a non-Microsoft personal stereo, I use a non-Microsoft… etc. I’m sure you see the point I’m going for there, even if it was laboured.
I write all of this because I am accused of being a Microsoft ‘fanboy’ (or if you’re under 16 “ u r a M$hit Gay FanBoi kktnx”), often because it’s hard to feel sometimes that Microsoft get a fair shake at the stick, especially when it comes to blog posts and comments.
I feel, and if I’m wrong please correct me, that companies like Adobe, Sony, Apple and Google are all companies out to make money in a capitalist economic system and are not indeed the Dalhi Lama or Bob Geldof.
If it’s wrong for Microsoft to try and create a monopoly (and it is), why is it a good thing for Apple to try and create one with their DRM based ‘only plays on an iPod’ music?
Oh, it’s Apple. Sorry. Gotcha.
If Microsoft buying Yahoo would create a monopoly on Search Engines and thats a bad thing, why is it a Good thing that Google partners with yahoo instead?
Oh, it’s Google. Sorry. Gotcha.
If Microsoft release a ‘flash killer’ called Silverlight, and thats a bad thing, why was it a Good thing that Adobe built a ‘flash killer’ called Live Motion?
Oh, Adobe. Sorry. Gotcha.
Um, even after Adobe then sued MacroMedia to try and actually kill Flash?
It’s Adobe, we’ve forgiven/forgotten/pleaseDontMentionThis/
ItWasBeforeMostFlashDevelopersLeftSchoolAndTheyStillThinkWeAreTheCoolGuys/ignored this.
I am not, and will never, say that something Microsoft has created is perfect (god knows it aint). But the suggestion that anything and everything is better because it’s NOT built by Microsoft is crazy. It amazes me that after all these years, the ‘online community’ of we who witter (or is it Twitter these days?), still truly believe that it’s a David and Goliath battle between “us” and “them”.
Maybe it’s just me that thinks that not everything is Black and White?
I’m Kevinjohn Gallagher, and I used to Work for Microsoft.
(written on OpenOffice Writer for Linux, and copy & pasted into FireFox 3, while listening to some tunes on my Sony Discman)
