Microsoft PR Rep is the Switcher

Here's a followup to our earlier story about Microsoft's "inverse switch" campaign. The AP tracked down the switcher and spoke with her: she's an employee at a Microsoft public relations firm but says she actually did switch from Mac to Windows. Microsoft's page is still 404 (but Google's cache still works). The interesting part to me is that the AP "tracked Mallinson by examining personal data hidden within documents that Microsoft had published with its controversial ad." Hmmmmmm. (Kudos to obidonn, the first to demonstrate the use of a stock photo, which piqued interest in this story. As of noon EDT Oct. 15, other stock photos are still being used in anonymous Microsoft "testimonials.")

Comments

"Hidden" Personal Data

[Captain Chad]

In the MS Word document" (still available on the MS site), under properties, under the "Custom" tab, the

1. _AuthorEmailDisplayName

property is set to

1. Valerie Mallinson (Wes Rataushk & Assc Inc)

I guess that's hidden if you don't know much about computers.

AP == Associated Press

[yerricde]

How do we know the Anonymous Poster isn't an employee of Linux

I don't see "Anonymous Poster" capitalized that way anywhere in the blurb or the article.

If you're trying to draw a parallel between "AP" in the blurb and "AC" as a common abbreviation for Slashdot's Anonymous Coward, you're mistaken, but I forgive you: AP == Associated Press.

Be a Super-Sleuth!

[corby]

Hey kids!

Want to engage in real-life Kompooter Forensics just like AP does? Follow these easy steps!

1) Go to Google's cache of the article, since it has now been pulled by Microsoft.

2) Now click on the link at the bottom of the cache page, which reads "Download the submission form in Word format." Whoops! Looks like those kid whizzes at Microsoft didn't actually remove everything!

3) Haven't made the switch to Microsoft yet? Word still new to you? No prob. Go to the 'File' Menu and select Properties while you are viewing the Microsoft Word document. Don't worry! No chmod here!

4) Peruse the tabs to uncover all of AP's 'personal data', including Valerie's zany new website. You go, girl!

not the first time a .doc has betrayed its creator

[CoughDropAddict]

Bruce Perens nailed some of the puppetters behind the "software choice" campaign.

Re:Microsoft Word 10.0

[InnovATIONS]

Office XP, aka Word 2002 is listed as version 10 as well.

AOL did the same thing

[destinyland]

In 1994 AOL published a slick 30-page promotional brochure profiling four new members. They also made them up -- prompting much derision in alt.aol-sucks.

---
Destiny-land.
The happiest blog on earth.

Re:Good grief, where does it end?

[evilviper]

it can be just as secure as anything else in corporate America.

You've got to be absolutely kidding. I was with you up to that point, but nobody with an ounce of sense believes that for a second.

Even "Microsoft VP Jim Allchin [...] stated, under oath, that there were flaws in Windows so great that they would threaten national security if the Windows source code were to be disclosed." (http://security.tombom.co.uk/shatter.html)

The 13 year old script kiddie crowd is smarter...

[Futurepower(R)]

"Because the 13 year old script kiddie crowd wouldn't stoop that low."

The "13 year old script kiddies" are smart enough to remove not only the web page, but the files to which it links. Not Microsoft. You can still download the original files, using the original links, which I copied from the source of the original page (my italics):

Do you have an idea for a story? We'd love to hear from you. How have you used Microsoft software to make your home or work life easier, more fun, faster, or simpler? Submit your ideas, and you could get published on the Insider Web site! Submit Your Idea Today!

• Download the submission form in Adobe PDF format (ShowOffYourSkills.pdf, 64kb)
• Download the submission form in Word format (ShowOffYourSkills.doc, 27kb)"

Note that, if you look at the binary of the .DOC file, you can see this:

Comments To Valerie Mallinson (Wes Rataushk & Assc Inc)

A google search says Wes Rataushk & Associates, Inc is located at 5904 105th Ave NE, Kirkland, Washington. If you are in the area, stop by to joke with them about their business ethics.

It seems likely that someone downloading and submitting the form would have no chance of getting their story published because Wes Rataushk & Associates is paid to write them.

I try to help people have a balanced view of Microsoft: http://www.hevanet.com/peace/microsoft.htm.

who's that AP guy, anyway?

[Twirlip of the Mists]

I'm posting this so late, it's unlikely that anybody will read it. But I thought you guys might be interested to know just who, exactly, wrote this article for the AP.

His name is Ted Bridis. I'll quote him here.

I work in our Washington bureau, along with about 60 other reporters and
about 30 photographers, and have been covering Microsoft as a technology
writer since 1998 (I worked for the Wall Street Journal as a tech
reporter here in DC from 2000-2001 then came back to AP). I was the only
reporter to interview Gates during the antitrust trial, and I broke the
story about Oracle hiring private detectives to dig through the trash of
Microsoft's allies.

I decide which stories to cover based on what's newsworthy, in my
judgment and in the judgment of our editors. Ideally, a story we latch
onto will end up on the front page of many of the world's newspapers.
(In this case, although I anticipate the story will get pretty
reasonable "play," it's doubtful it would end up on p1 anyplace).

So this guy, who's evidently been around the block a few times, thought this story was worth covering. That's saying something, I think.

He also says that the story could contine developing in the morning. He asks us to stay tuned.

I'm Bored

[shepd]

Waiting for a DVD to rip.

So:

Go buy any old digital camera and try to download the pics on a RedHat system.

Go buy a DVD-R and try to burn a disc.

Go to any old website showing media (RealPlayer, QuickTime, Windows Media) and see how successful you are at viewing content.

Buy a Firewire DV Video Camera and see how successful you are in getting the video off and editing it.

Try to visit a site that's made for IE.
Go to the store and buy a game. (I'll give you these -- VmWare and other solutions are a serious bitch to setup, and don't work well except in certain Distros)

Buy a PDA and get it to synch up.

Your network card doesn't work, find somebody you know willing to come over and fix it. (Huh? If the card is broken, even your God(s) ain't/aren't gonna fix it.)

>The steps to do any of the above in Windows are very easy

Uhhh, sure... I mean, I mean, if you want to have every two or three DVDs come out as coasters (happens with Prassi Primo DVD for me) sure. Or if you want to use crappy outdated camera software that just lets you easily download one picture at a time through a slow ass serial connection, great (Fuji MX-1200). I've never done DV, but Kino doesn't look too hard. Or you can try Cinerella, which seems more full featured and easier.

>When a DVD-Burner manufacturer is swamped with "Uhh where's the Linux Drivers?"

DVD-R in linux doesn't use "drivers", unless you count the built in generic SCSI support built in linux (since well before DVD was available for most PCs) as a "driver". Try saying that about windows. Especially windows 9x...

HTH. And take it from me, there's NO software in windows that lets you use a Celeron 300 to burn DVD-R at 2x and surf the 'net at the same time.

Linux's motto should be "Spend some time now -- Then do more, quicker".