Hating Microsoft II
I tried to leave a comment on Microsoft employee Robert Scoble's site yesterday but his comment window did not display the full text of what I had written in [gasp] MS Word and copied into the comments section</irony>. So I am reproducing here what I meant to say there in relation to his request for comments on how to create a win-win situation re: MS.
You asked how to create a win-win situation. So here's a couple based on the asymmetrical relationship between Microsoft and its customers.
Let's start first with the warranty "EULA". You can use, for example, the one for Office XP found here.
Step 1: Create a quality product and then stand behind it with a warranty worth a damn.
When you buy your car it has a bumper-to-bumper warranty that last years. When you buy a TV you get a warranty that lasts at least a year, if not three. If something fails in either, and you are hurt because of it, you can collect damages against the manufacturer because they are responsible for the loss.
Contrast that with the paragraph numbered 9, where it says Microsoft is not responsible for any "incidental, consequential and certain other damages." To a small business owner, as I understand it, this means if the third quarter profits suddenly shifts and Office XP *doesn't* automatically pick up the changes because of a bug in the software, and thus the company goes into bankruptcy, that's just too damned bad because the full risk of using Microsoft software lies with you, the customer. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise that the software will do what is promised (by TV advertising or otherwise) it does.
Try making a product that you are willing to stand behind with a warranty that puts Microsoft assets in jeopardy. If nothing else, this should focus people's minds on quality and create a basis for trust that does not exist now.
Step 2: Make everything transparent.
For example, most people who use Windows XP are willing to let Microsoft know certain information when a program crashes. This is based on the trust that whatever information is transmitted to Microsoft is directly related to the crash and will be used solely to fix bugs in Windows. And nothing else. I say it's based on trust because the customer has, as far as I know, no way of knowing what is being transmitted to Microsoft.
Ratchet up that a bunch and think about the Microsoft Windows Feedback Panel. This is optional software, downloaded from Microsoft, gathers even more information. Go to this URL to see what is being recorded:
http://wfp.Microsoft.com/dcp.htm
Even if I trust Microsoft, why is it important for Microsoft to record the names and locations of all directories within the Program Files, My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, and My Videos? Further, why does Microsoft need to record a complete listing of all of my files in root?
And then, why is it critical to transmit all of this information in binary format without the customer being able to review and decide whether they want to transmit the information? There is no reciprocity here. Everything is asymmetrical. I am being asked to trust Microsoft without any way, as President Reagan said to "verify." Why not provide a way for the user to see what is being sent?
I have other examples posted on by weblog: http://www.seto.org/mt-diary/archives/2003_11_03.html#000246
Thank you for this opportunity to comment on this subject.
Aloha,
Dan