The MBU is one of Gates' most clever creations. In true evil genius fashion, it serves as an intelligence operation that is funded by customers using Macs! Compare the DOS version of Word to its Windows counterpart and you see the MBU's footprint.

The patent cross-licensing deal entered in 1997 to settle the VFW lawsuit and extend Office/Mac gave Microsoft access to the workings of the industry's most productive and cost efficient coding operation. But like the brain of a rat suddenly plugged in to a super intellect, Microsoft couldn't understand or use most of what it gleaned. OS X was cranked out through four major revisions in five years while Gates' attempt to rewrite W2K flounders to this day.

Joe, you are only capable of reporting petty and insignificant stuff. I suppose that the whole idea of letting you in-charge of Microsoft Watch is to report Microsoft events, roadmap and direction.

But you report none of them.

You circle around your comparision of Microsoft products with Apple and Linux.

What's wrong with you

Joe; I have been reading you for several months now and have always extended you the benefit of the doubt. But your above post reeks of Apple fanboydom.

The only way it seems you can give Microsoft credit is through the back door after praising the "creativity" behind Apple since it is/was the MacBU team that created this. Because it came from that department, it generated a "Wow" from you and "Office for Windows and Silverlight teams should take notes and imitate."

God forbid you learn it was actually someone from Microsoft (who makes Office BTW), the Office team or Silverlight team who came up with this idea.

You'd probably lose your "Wow".

Still no word on cause of WGA outage or Microsoft’s future prevention plans
Posted by Mary Jo Foley

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=677

Quotes;

"Microsoft officials say they are continuing to investigate how the outage occurred, as well as why someone on the support team inappropriately told users the outage wouldn’t be resolved until August 28. If the team already knows what happened, so far, it’s not saying.

Meanwhile, Windows users affected by the outage are asking some good questions:

* Why did Microsoft seemingly have no redundancy/backup WGA systems in place? Is it up to users to have their own WGA disaster recovery plans in case this kind of outage happens again?
* Why doesn’t Microsoft offer a WGA warning which states there might be a problem with Microsoft’s WGA system, rather than immediately assuming users are running counterfeit software when the WGA check fails?
* Should a single failure to validate via Microsoft’s WGA mechanism result in a user losing Aero, Windows Defender, etc.? Why not make these “punishments” take affect after two or three failures to validate? Shouldn’t innocence be presumed rather than guilt?"
--------------------------------------------------

Micro$oft fixed the WGA server problem, so it rather obvious that Micro$oft knows what the problem was. What do they have to hide?

Chips , I understand your concern on WGA.

But there is no point to continue to whack the same issue again and again. Please move forward and carry on with your life

By the way , I don't understand why you guys like to write 'Micro$oft" , it should be 'Microsoft" .

What's wrong with a company which makes profit ?

Why don't you write 'Fujit$u" or "$U$E" .....

"I suppose that the whole idea of letting you in-charge of Microsoft Watch is to report Microsoft events, roadmap and direction."

Have you ever looked through a kaleidoscope? Trying to make sense of the "roadmap and direction" these days from Redmond HQ is like getting baked and then looking through a kaleidoscope. Oh WOW man!

Cheech , I rather prefer to look those uncertained Microsoft roadmap and direction through kaleidescope than reading those unfounded and low-graded comments from Joe

Ron, stop reading Joe If you can't handle the truth. Instead, pick up some Micro$oft PR brochures. You'll be fooling yourself, but then that will probably make you happier than reading Joe's columns.

When you're ready to handle some tough questions about Micro$oft, go back to reading Joe.

Maddog, I still keep reading Joe's column as I want to see how negative he is .

If you all hate Microsoft product , just don't buy them and use them . Why keeps hammering Microsoft over all these petty isssue ?

However , I bet that you are currently surfing with IE and Windows

Ron
Well said, I often wonder myself why guys like Chips (who is linux through and through) even bothers to come to Microsoft watch, but you something it is becoming less and less what it used to be, and more and more of Microsoft Bash !!
And isn't that what chips and people like him just love to do !!

Joe Wilcox
"MacBU hits one right out of the marketing ballpark. The Expression, Office for Windows and Silverlight teams should take notes and imitate."
People who hate microsoft would just love it they did what you suggest.
I can just imagine it "Microsoft copies Mac Ideas", or "Microsoft pinches more Mac ideas". Oh how people like chips would go for that one.
But Joe you should never have said that anyway, the statement itself is a put down, and Joe himself has dragged Microsoft over coals for doing exactly what he is now suggesting.
Joe you cannot have it both ways so that you can keep going off at microsoft over their bad business practices.

http://www.os2world.com/content/view/14868/1/

Microsoft buys the Swedish vote on OOXML

"As bad as it sound it currently looks like that the vote that took place at the SIS, Swedish Standards Institute, was a total joke due to the facts that 23 new companies applied to take part of today's voting and most of them in favour of Microsoft agenda."
---------------

This column was very enthousiastic about the iPhone.How about a word about the unlock of the iPhone. Took a teenager a couple of months to do it, that's how more secure apple software is than Microsoft's

Aaron J. Walker wrote: "Joe; I have been reading you for several months now and have always extended you the benefit of the doubt. But your above post reeks of Apple fanboydom."

Hi, Aaron,

Surely you jest. The concept is what I praised, and would have just as much if the Windows for Office team had created it. Look at the popularity of YouTube. People like to create stuff and show it off. People create beautiful documents everyday with Office--the vast majority using the Windows version--that could and should be showcased.

Art of Office is a place for users to do that and to show off Office's potential and help long-time users to see the product in a new way. People will show their stuff here, just like the video posters at YouTube. It's a brilliant marketing concept. The Office for Windows team should join with it or do something better. My praise isn't about Mac or Windows or Mac versus Windows. It's about a smart and well-executed marketing concept.

Joe

Having worked 5 years in MacBU, I would have to agree with you. When MacBU was developing Internet Explorer for the Mac, it was THE most standards compliant web browser in the field, far better than the Windows version. Tantek Celik developed a far better rendering engine, too. Although I'm not biggoted either way (Win or Mac) I can say that MacBU consisted of a large number of ex-Apple programmers that were disenchanted with the way Apple treated them.

I wish they spent time working on Office 2008 Mac instead of this

Joe:
I enjoy your written contributions even though I am not up to/down with the same technical level of expertise as many of those that comment here on your articles. My C64 with its' Zebco202 modem won't let me run those fancy Micro$oft products, so I won't comment one way or another. But Larry the Cable Guy said it best when it comes to some of the bitter posts from others about your views, "Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak"

I don't see companies like Adobe creating a user community to submit works. These communities are normally created by those that doesn't belong to the company. Take Newgrounds and SlideShare for example.

In addition, MacBU contradicts itself by saying "works done completely with Office for Mac", when the users submissions consist of Windows' Office. Art of Office just makes it seems like Office for Mac is the mainstream of Office's products.