RE: [xml-dev] Microsoft's deeply cynical appeal to"standards com pliance"

["Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <clbullar@ingr.com>]

One really has to wonder if Gates was away playing 
"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" with Regis when the 
decision to do this was made, because this is one 
way to turn a billionaire into a millionaire.

Dumb.  No other word for it.  Sorry, MS folks, 
because I'm not a pitchforks kinda guy, but this 
one really lowers the overall estimate of the 
Emerald City IQ.

len

-----Original Message-----
From: Edd Dumbill [mailto:edd@usefulinc.com]

Readers of this list may have come across this story:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cn/20011025/tc/msn_com_shuts_out_non-microsoft_
browsers_1.html

The story has appeared on Slashdot too, but there's a particularly
invidious angle to it which is worth raising in this community.

Basically, non-IE browsers are not being let into MSN.com.  Opera and
Mozilla & derivatives are being shut out.  The Microsoft representative,
Bob Visse, the director of MSN marketing, handwaves saying that the
reason these browsers are locked out is because MSN either don't know
that they "support W3C standards" or they can't insure the customer will
get a "great experience."