Microsoft Expert Witness Stumbles

parking_god writes "MIT prof Stuart Madnick, testifying on MS's behalf, was caught out twice when a government attorney asked him to name an OS (other than one made by Microsoft) where the browser couldn't be removed. Madnick also faltered on several other questions." Basically he doesn't understand what GNOME and KDE are, and since we're all holier-than-thou know-it-alls around here, we might as well laugh at Microsoft's expense ;)

Comments

Coincidental Slashdot Fortune

[DLWormwood]

He missed an invaluable opportunity to hold his tongue.
-- Andrew Lang

Talk about perfect timing for a random draw from the fortune file...

Simpsons

[hotsauce]

*Bully from Simpsons voice* HA-ha!

The most popular prof...

[Merk]

So lemme get this straight -- this guy is a CS prof at MIT, home of the FSF. He voluntarily agreed to testify on Microsoft's behalf, and then didn't know the difference between an operating system and a desktop environment?

Man, this guy's courses must be popular! I bet you really have to fight to get in to: "Introduction to flicking on the power switch thingy 101" and "How to click on the start menu 304"

Re:The most popular prof...

[billnapier]

DOS is an OS? Really? Maybe just barely...

The Master was explaining the nature of Tao to one of his novices.

"The Tao is embodied in all software -- regardless of how insignificant,"
said the Master.

"Is the Tao in a hand-held calculator?" asked the novice.

"It is," came the reply.

"Is the Tao in a video game?" asked the novice.

"It is even in a video game," said the Master.

"Is the Tao in the DOS for a personal computer?" asked the novice.

The Master coughed and shifted his position slightly. "The lesson is over
for today," he said.

Re:wait a second...

[tb3]

This guy is clearly out of his depth. Here's his homepage at M.I.T. He seems to be more of a management expert than anything else (kinda like a graduate-level PHB).

However, he is the auther of the classic textbook "Operating Systems". So classic that it was written in 1974, and has been long out of print. What the hell was MS thinking? This guy wouldn't know a GUI if it bit him!

shells

[mikeee]

You mean there are shells other than emacs??

Re:shells

[egreB]

Nono. Well, emacs maybe a shell, Vi(m) is an whole beach.

Haha. Dunno if that worked in english, though.

Re:shells

[ruin]

Nono. Well, emacs maybe a shell, Vi(m) is an whole beach.

I think you misspelled "bitch."

Or possibly beast.

"House of cards"

[Keith Russell]

How's this for a ringing endorsement of Microsoft's products?

[Madnick] showed the judge a diagram that depicted Windows as a system made up of dozens of oddly shaped, interconnected pieces. Madnick said the diagram showed how Windows was like a "house of cards" that could collapse if any of the pieces were removed.

Emphasis mine. Source: ZDNet: Microsoft's MIT prof gets grilled by states

Mind you, this was a witness for Microsoft. Amazing. Microsoft is so arrogant, it can claim gross incompetence to avoid incrimination, and still look forward to getting away with it.

Re:well, isn't he right?

[klaun]

The article ribs the witness for calling KDE an operating system. Well, no, KDE is a user interface / window manager / shell sitting on top of the Linux (or other) kernel. Same as Explorer, which is a user interface / window manager / shell on top of the Windows NT kernel (in NT/2000/XP anyway). Perhaps he should have said KDE/Linux, but do we really want to go there?

Well, I'll go right out and buy a copy of just the Windows NT kernel with no MS window manager and install that other window manager for the Windows/NT OS from ... um ... Oh I guess there isn't another window manager for MS OS, and come to think of it Microsoft doesn't offer their OS without a Window Manager. Come to think of it they claim a Window Manager is an integral part of an OS. Strange that... guess all those systems with no console don't run an OS.

Re:But what *is* an operating system?

[i0lanthe]

In this sense, Linux/KDE and Linux/GNOME both constitute OSes on which the web browser cannot be removed.

Except that someone else has already argued above that, in the case of KDE, it can. And probably by the time I post someone will say the same for Gnome.

I'm afraid I can't comment on which of you folks is actually right... since I use Linux/twm (fear my l33t "operating system" :-).

Did you see his Microsoft projects?

[Kris Warkentin]

Co-Director, PRoductivity From Information Technology (PROFIT) Program: http://mitsloan.mit.edu/research/profit/index.html

Co-Principal Inbestigator, COntext INtercharge (COIN) project: http://context.mit.edu/~coin/

PROFIT and COIN - yep. Must be a Microsoft shill.

Re:don't be too polemic

[Rogerborg]

• it's true that any KDE-based distro is in the same situation as Windows is

It's 100% true... less a few tiny differences.

1. KDE isn't an operating system.
2. KDE isn't a monopoly operating system.
3. KDE isn't an illegaly leveraged monopoly operating system.

So apart from it being completely, utterly different to anyone but an uninformed hermit, it's exactly the same.

Re:don't be too polemic

[sheldon]

This is sort of like arguing Ford wasn't responsible for installing Firestone tires on the Explorer because tires aren't a car.

Yeah, didn't make sense to me either.

Re:yeah, and...

[markmoss]

shouldn't that headline read: "Witness for MS caught dissembling"?

Only by pretending to be an expert when the only OS he knows is Windows...

Re:He is not part of (EE)CS

[Fastball]

Perhaps his migration to the dark side of management has tainted the Jedi mind tricks he learned from the comp sci department.

Re:Generally pathetic witnesses for Microsoft

[sg3000]

Okay, look, just because Microsoft's witnesses have proved that they didn't read the settlement, got favors from Microsoft to testify, or generally can't tell between an operating system and an old shoe doesn't mean that Microsoft is doing poorly in the case.

I mean, you're acting like illegally abusing your monopoly to shut out competition and reduce consumer choice with hopes of cornering the market on desktop operating systems, office productivity software, media, and the Internet is a crime or something. What you're failing to take into account is I got Solitare for free. That's right, FOR FREE! Is that the sign of a heartless monopoly? No, of course not. And do I see you offering me free, cheapo quality shovelware? No, all I get from you are a bunch of "facts" and "news". Well, you can keep your "facts", Mister-- I've got a game of Klondike I must win!