Chad Smith wrote:
To whom it may concern,
Some people have questioned why I do what I do. Some have asked "why
are you always putting pro-MS stuff up?" and "Why don't you leave and
go talk to your friends on the other side?". Some have been more
direct "If a conversation has Chad in it – it goes straight to the
trash". I've been accused of working for Microsoft. I've been called
a troll, a plant, a flamer, and worse.
The fact is, I don't work for Microsoft. If they offered me a job,
I'd likely take it, especially if it was as easy as writing emails to
open source projects all day. I doubt Microsoft, as evil and rich as
they may be, has so much money to waste that they'd actually pay
someone to troll email lists. They may have the money, but I think
they like money too much to throw it away like that.
Another fact is, I don't hate OpenOffice.org – and I don't want it to
fail. The opposite is true. I've done many things to promote
OpenOffice.org.
I have reviews and links to it on my website. My website that I
bought and paid for. The website that I maintain in my own free
time. The website that, although there are ads, has not made me penny
one.
I have written articles for other websites that promoted
OpenOffice.org, along with many other open source projects, like
Firefox, 7-Zip, Audacity, Blender3D, GIMP, and others.
I have convinced at least one local computer shop owner to start using
OpenOffice.org instead of MS Works or MS Office in his new systems.
Saves him money, saves his customers money, gives his customers more
functionality, etc.. He even includes Firefox and Thunderbird, even
though IE and Outlook Express are built into the OS.
I've built computers for other people, and filled them with open
source programs. I've sold, given away, and traded many CDs with
OpenOffice.org and other open source programs on them.
I use NeoOffice/J at work (which I used to compose this email) and OOo
2.0 at home.
I've submitted IssueZilla reports, voted on other reports, contributed
to builds, helped with marketing projects, like submitting my own
designs for the splash screen and helping fill in the blanks for the
Comparison Chart of Office Suites.
I've answered numerous user questions, and, of course, given my
opinions on the marketing lists, discussion lists, CD lists, and more.
I've even contributed money directly to other open source projects,
and bought a domain name for another, and bought overpriced T-shirts
to support others.
Now, the real question, if all that is true (and it is) – why do I
seem to support Microsoft Office and Windows so much and so vehemently
on these lists?
I simply think that Chad gives M$ far more praise than they deserve.
#1) Because I am very familiar with MS Office and Windows. I've been
using Windows since 3.1, and have used many versions of it – including
3.1, 3.11 for Work Groups, NT 4.0, 95, 95 with USB support, 98, 98 SE,
ME, 2000, and XP. I've used MS Office since before I cared to
remember the version number. Including 95, 97, 98, 2001, XP, 2003,
2004. So, I have some idea of what they are, and are not, capable of.
#2) Because I don't believe Microsoft is evil. Believe it or not,
having a deep-seated hatred of all things Redmond is *NOT* a
prerequisite for using, loving, or supporting OpenOffice.org. Maybe
some people believe that it is, and maybe that's why you can't
understand me. Maybe it really is, and I am out of my mind. But I
think you can like, support, and promote one thing without destroying
or despiting the other.
I believe that M$ IS evil for the simple reason that it is a monopoly,
and ALL monopolies are evil. Remember the old saying "Power corrupts
and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Being a monopoly grants a
company pretty much absolute power at least in its industry. If any
company is a monopoly, the tempation to act as a bully is just to strong
to resist for most corporate leaders.
#3) Because I believe it is important to "know thy enemy". You have
to have an honest understanding of who your "enemy" or opponent or
competitor is if you want to know how to best them. Having a
simplistic view that "M$" is an "Evil Empire" out to destroy the world
and eat babies and rule the universe with an iron fist, may e fun, but
it's not functional. Thinking that everything MS makes is garbage and
has no use or purpose may make you popular with the "cool" hackers at
your next LinuxROOLZ-MSDrulss party, but it's not going to make OOo a
better program. There are plenty of things that MS does right, and
it's good to learn from them. If that makes me a proponent of
"cloning" then so be it. But I think if someone does something right
– even if it's someone evil, then I want to be able to learn from
their success – and their failures. It's equally important for us, or
you – if I can't be a part of your group anymore – it's important to
understand what your "enemy" does that is wrong. But since *soooo*
many people are willing to tell you what MS does wrong, I don't think
you need my help there.
#4) Because I don't think a smear campaign is the best practice for
marketing. Calling your opponent names, and saying they can't do
anything right, and claiming that everything they do is crap may be
acceptable on the playground, but in real life, it's not an effective
way to promote yourself. Smear campaigns only seem to work in
politics. Throwing mud is not going to make people download OOo more.
#5) Just because I don't "get" or, more accurately, don't buy into,
the all-importance of ODF doesn't mean I don't get or like or promote
OpenOffice.org. Maybe some of you have forgotten, but OOo has been
around for a full 5 years before it starting using ODF. It existed
for at least 3 years before ODF was even a concept. I don't see them
as inseparable and unified. I see them as 2 completely different
things. OpenOffice.org is something I like, and use, and promote.
ODF is useless to me, (as, is my belief, most people) until such time
as most people can use it. That means when the market leader supports
it. So, until KOffice or OOo gets a 50% or higher share – or until
MSO supports ODF in its original download or CD (as in, not some 3rd
party or separate download filter) – then ODF is a useless Geek-toy as
far as I'm concerned. And I think it is a *HUGE* mistake for OOo to
tie all its marketing, and all its success to (what I see as) a
*doomed* format.
#6) As one of the few, (and sometimes I feel) only people willing to
say anything about MS is anything other than evil light – I spend most
of my time "supporting" them. If there were more people with an
honest concept of what MS does and what they are, then I wouldn't have
to speak up for them so much.
#7) And lastly, because I believe that marketing should be honest –
even if it means admitting – to the public – that in some areas, the
competition is the better choice. Now, I don't mean that should be
your slogan "Buy MS – they're better than us!" not at all. But
admitting that there are uses for OOo and there are uses for MSO.
Sometimes they are about equal, sometimes OOo is better, and, believe
it or not, sometimes MSO is better. You should be able to admit
that. If you ever want OOo to improve, and to gain marketshare, it
*has* to be able to improve – not because it is bad, but because no
program is "perfect". If you want it to improve, you have to admit it
has shortcomings. And some of those shortcomings are filled in MSO.
This is way I do what I do and say what I say. This is why I support
MS and tear down ODF. I think honesty is important. I think fairness
is important. And I'm not going to change on that.
-Chad Smith
