[brlug-poly] M$ Spams Free Speech Alley.

[Will Hill]

Not content with choking student inboxes with product announcements, Microsoft 
agents descended on Free Speech Alley today.  The spam announcing their 
intention to push "one note" arrived yesterday.  Today, a few students under 
the direction of a marketing agent, were out proclaiming the virtues of "free 
software" and indeed had a the touted "one note" on display.   I arrived late 
to the show, so there may have been more.  If Microsoft is looking to get 
back the "cool" factor they never had, this was not it.

The show was decidedly second rate.  They had two beat up laptops and an older 
model tablet PC set out on three ratty tables.  All of the reps were plump 
and slovenly dressed.  They were also poorly trained and had little 
experience with the software they were pushing.  Other groups, with fewer 
tables, were staffed by young healthy looking people who brought better props  
and attitudes.  The Microsoft people did not even bother with a table cloth 
and acted harassed by the trip outdoors.  A ripped up piece of carboard had 
something spammy about winning an XBox scrawled on it.  I wish that I had 
taken pictures to directly compare it with the Linux booth from the CCCC open 
house.  Most people would expect more from a company with billions of dollars 
in the bank.

The first thing I saw was an older woman standing between all the tables 
shouting about downloading "free software".  She was mostly wearing black and 
had on big sunglasses.  Her skin needed more sunlight.  She was handing out 
purple rubber band bracelets from China with yellow writing about tigerware 
and being smart.

I listend to her blather for a while and then asked her, "Is it really free?"  
She, of course, answered yes.  I told her that I thought it had already been 
paid for and she backpeddled.  I let her know that I knew that LSU had paid 
$500,000 for the "free" downloads and she just about shat.  

Not knowing what to say, she shut up.  I decided not to ask her if I could 
share what I downloaded with my friends and point out the implications for 
"ownership" of that $500,000 software.   Instead I took one of her little 
bracelets and told her that my little girl would love it.  The poor woman was 
unable to recover her bravado in the time that I stayed to look at the 
demonstrations.

"One note" was a disappointing little tabbed text editor for note taking.  
that also had a microphone.  If it had any wizz-bang features, the 
demonstrator was unaware of them.  I was left to imagine a typical Microsoft 
cluster of impossible formats, missing features, annoying features and poor 
stability that rivals Clippy for utility.  A program that indexes notes and 
integrates a camera and microphone with an easy to use editor  could come 
close to the flexibility of paper.  I'd still want to smack the keyboard 
operator, but the idea is cool.  I can imagine a note taking menu for Kword 
with buttons for grabbing a board shot, movies and recorder controls.    

Finally, I asked questions about downloading software and got a demo.  Indeed, 
lots of applications were offered to the Windoze client that never showed up 
when I checked it out under Konqueror.  I do wish they would let me look at 
and download software I've paid for that's supposed to be free.  The 
demonstrator was unable to tell me much else of use.  The "minimum" operating 
system the site really works with is Windows 2000.  This is the official 
Microsoft support cut off of software they were still selling two years ago, 
but no one there mentioned that and I'm not sure how they enforce it.  It's 
not worth my time to figure it out either.  For those of you intersted in new 
versions of software you have, the downloads might work better if you start  
out in Paws.  The first thing you will have to install is a new operating 
system.  Have fun with your $500,000 "commitment."

Overall, I preferred Free Speech Alley when it was a bunch of bible thumpers, 
school politicians and nut cases.  The blaring music and corporate barkers 
are more like a freak show of greed than a place to exchange ideas and voice 
opinions.  Microsoft is right at home in the new Alley, but they still don't 
have their act together.  






On Monday 24 October 2005 08:51 pm, Will Hill wrote:
> If you thought you could avoid the Microsoft tax by building your own
> computer while studying at LSU, guess again!