On Sat, Jul 06, 2002 at 10:09:19AM -0700, Chuq Von Rospach wrote:
> (quoting me, Rich Kulawiec)
> >> [2] I certainly care as an individual. Use of Microsoft products is
> >> both unprofessional and unethical.
>
> You know, I'm no great fan of Microsoft, but I still use some of their
> stuff. When it makes sense.
>
> Rants like this remind me a lot of the kind of rants the environmentalists
> toss out, the ones that have caused so many environmental groups to be
> marginalized out of any useful purpose. [...]
I'm sorry that you find it necessary to term principled positions
as "rants" and thus attempt to explain them away -- without actually
addressing their substance -- by marginalizing them.
I'm not sorry that I expect (among other things) software products
to be excellent. I was taught, both formally and informally, to
always strive for excellence and not to accept anything less --
and that includes my own work. I base my professional judgements
on that principle because I think it's best for all concerned
(clients, users, uninvolved third parties, me). The day I
relax those standards and am willing to settle for second-best
or third-best (or, in the case of Microsoft products, dead-last)
is the day I should cease professional activities, because I will
have abandoned one of the most important principles behind them.
I will have become just another drone, churning out junk. Does
that make me an uncompromising perfectionist (with an attitude)?
Yes. I think that's what I should be. I think that's what we ALL
should be. You're certainly free to think whatever you wish.
I'm also not sorry that I expect (among other things) the vendors of
software products to be excellent. I am under no illusion that any of
them have achieved this goal; I do not find that sufficient reason,
however, to stop demanding that they strive for it. Definitions of
"excellent" in this context vary widely, but mine includes adherence to
what I consider to be basic ethical principles. It's sometimes difficult
to make this judgement based on incomplete or conflicting informtion.
But this does not entitle me to abdicate my responsibility both as a
professional and as a person: I can only make the best judgements possible
given the information available to me. And I choose not to purchase,
use or support products made by vendors that I feel have been particularly
egregious in their violation of the ethical principles that I believe in.
On this point, I cite Microsoft's industry-leading history of unethical
conduct [1], which IMHO has had a massive negative impact on the Internet
and on the field of computing in general.
I don't expect that anyone else will necessarily agree with either
my technical or ethical assessments. That's fine -- although I may
attempt to persuade them to do so by arguing my position, and they may
attempt to convince me of the merits of their position. I do, however,
expect them to respect my choices and the principles that they're founded on.
---Rsk
[1] I note in passing that Verisign is making a credible attempt
to challenge this lead. I don't do business with Verisign, either.
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