What shell we do with the Microsoft.....

> When you use a Microsoft product why do you do so?  My answer is: Because
> someone else used some specific MS product which I can't get for my OS
> and I need to share information with that person.  For example (Word/Excel
> documents) other Office suite manufacturers try their best to keep up with
> MS "improvements" in their document format and provide filters so you can
> read MS documents.  But they are always a step or two behind so I am
> forced to use an MS product to share.  The gun HAS been placed to my head.
> I did not choose to buy a MS product I simply chose to work with someone
> else who chose to buy an MS product.
>     As for microsoft's business practices ... they are intended to
> ensure that this gun is placed on as many temples as possible.  MS is much
> like a one way hash function.  If someone uses an MS product anyone who
> wants to share with them must also use an MS product ... examples:
>     document formats (word, excel)
>     Windows media files (ever find a way to convert back to an MPEG?)
>     kerberos (we'll see about that one)
> MS is in a particularly good position to apply "leverage."  With their
> desktop OS and Office suite market share no one has a chance of competing
> since there is little ability for sharing.  "Nobody gets fired for buying
> IBM^H^H^H Microsoft)."  I know some people have been sucessful switching
> to StarOffice or maybe someday back to WordPerfect Office ... but try
> going to your Boss and saying: "We're shifting over to StarOffice but
> we'll be unable to open those powerpoint presentations from XXX Marketing
> and unfortunatly we will have to use ASCII text for all of our contracts
> with our customers."
>     Maybe I am exaggerating a bit here, but there IS a gun to my head.
> And this is one area which could use some working on.  It would be nice if
> every time MS (or anyone else for that matter) came out with some new
> screwy "standard" format we (the non MS world, free software whatever)
> could quickly reverse engineer that so that the free software world could
> have access to all content which has gone through the MS hash function.
> They screwed up kerberos so that you need an MS client and MS server?
> Well figure out how and work around it ... uhhh ambitious I know ... not
> to mention NEVER make undisclosed changes to proven cryptographic
> protocols ... actually don't make any changes, unless you don't care if
> they work or not.