I still use MS programming tools and environments professionally, as many of 
you do.  I subsribe to several MS email newsletters to keep up to date.  Just 
checking my email tonight and I had an interesting missive from none other 
than Mr. Gates.  The bulk of the email was about MS's Trustworthy Computing 
initiative, which I will pick apart tomorrow when I have more brain juice.   
But he explains the reason for the email thusly:

"Before I share my thoughts about this in more detail, I want to give you some 
context on why I am sending this email. This is the first in an occasional 
series of mails that CEO Steve Ballmer and I, and periodically other 
Microsoft executives, will be sending to people who are interested in hearing 
from us about technology and public-policy issues that we believe are 
important to computer users, our industry and everyone who cares about the 
future of high technology. This is part of our commitment to ensuring that 
Microsoft is more open about communicating who we are and what we are doing."

There was a nice opt-in link to continue to recieve these emails, which I 
opted-in with Konqueror <G>.

It is interesting to me to see MS executives deciding that they should "get 
personal" with bulk emails attempting to explain how they are doing things 
right.  Also, note the reference to "public-policy issues" in the quote 
above.  They are sending emails to people who they percieve as on their side 
and trying to solidify the support base.  Marketing that looks like politics.

This is a full court press agains Free Software/Open Source and any other 
competitors/detractors of MS.  We couldn't have picked a better time to start 
pushing the Free Software/Open Source alternative.  We are grass roots.  They 
are big money speaking from on high.  We can still win.

Alan