Microstiff – A Nirvana Moment in Journalism

Occasionally, someone comes along and says in one paragraph what I and others would take reams to say, if at all. That someone is Whisperycat.

Whisperycat left a great message at the Mary Jo Foley site in response to the question: “Can Microsoft brand its way to coolness?”

Corporate thuggery and bullying aren't really cool. Flouting EU law because the fines don't make a dent in their profits, isn't cool. Entering into meaningless pacts with Novell in an attempt to undermine Linux ain't cool. Supporting SCO through Baystar wasn't cool. Selling hugely expensive licenses for buggy, virus prone software that needs ever more resource to run it, isn't cool. Paying people to astroturf on user groups and forums isn't just uncool, its creepy. And any organisation that's ever stooped to using the names of dead people on its astroturfed letters to US senators, is very uncool. Microsoft can't be cool in the same way that the IRS or a Debt Collection Agency can't be cool. You can't buy cool, you can't infiltrate cool, steal all its secrets and then pretend you've become it.

BONUS: And now, on the same day, a "second coming" of Journalistic Nirvana? Synchronicity? Serendipity? Hope? Read here, from the WSJ, how just one person can actually and painfully "get 'er done" at Microsoft. And...notice the candor of the article. Ray Ozzie's alive and well after all. Wow!


Mini-Microsoft: No-so-limited Kim
Mini-Microsoft: Microsoft Academy
Mini-Microsoft: Microsoft FY07Q1 Results