Erik has addressed the Microsoft question at the end of this blog post - final paragraph - he wrote for the Internet Blog in January: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/01/a_glimpse_of_the_year_to_ come.html
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tim Duckett Sent: 15 April 2008 08:55 To: backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk Subject: Re: [backstage] Ashley Highfield leaves BBC (almost) On 15 Apr 2008, at 05:41, Brian Butterworth wrote: Oh right, you mean like this... http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/14/bbc.digitalmedia1 "The former Microsoft executive Erik Huggers" Give the guy a break - so, he worked for Microsoft in the past. Let's assume for a moment that his joining the BBC was based on his merits - and not some lizard-controlled Illuminati plot to make Windows take over the world - and he might, just might, have learnt a thing or two about delivering projects despite messy internal politics after spending nine years at Microsoft. Given the history of the projects so far, I'd suggest those are skills that the BBC could use now and again. If he still owns stock or has some other conflict of interest, that would be one thing. But to relentlessly slag him off because of who he worked for in the past is simplistic at best, and plays right into the hands of those who dismiss the whole topic of interoperability as muesli-crunching irrelevance at worst. Personally, I think some of the decisions that have been taken in the past have sucked. But I don't see how this kind of ad hominem abuse is going to help persuade people that there is a better way of doing things. </rant>
