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Balmer Vows to Kill Google
An anonymous reader writes "Probably due to the Microsoft suit against Google over human resources, some very heated exchanges have turned up in some court documents. Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer has apparently
vowed to kill Internet search leader Google, according to documents filed in the increasingly bitter battle between the rivals." From the article: "At some point in the conversation, Mr. Ballmer said: 'Just tell me it's not Google,'' Lucovosky said in his statement. Lucovosky replied that he was joining Google. 'At that point, Mr. Ballmer picked up a chair and threw it across the room hitting a table in his office,' Lucovosky recounted, adding that Ballmer then launched into a tirade about Google CEO Eric Schmidt. 'I'm going to f***ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to f***ing kill Google.' Schmidt previously worked for Sun Microsystems and was the CEO of Novell."
Discuss.
And First Post.
isn't it slander and defamation to post quotes like that without the evidence to back it up?
If Ballmer's not careful, his subordinates will start calling him "Carpet Biter" behind his back.
Can I do it? can I do it?
RE:["Ballmer then launched into a tirade about Google CEO Eric Schmidt. 'I'm going to f***ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to f***ing kill Google.' Schmidt previously worked for Sun Microsystems and was the CEO of Novell."]
what an immature neanderthal...
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
Kill the rabbit, kill the rabbit...
That the CEO of Microsoft is a calm and collective guy. With good management come good software. I am glad that 90% of the worlds computers are running software by responsible and rational managers.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Google Plans To Destroy Unindexed Information Sorry, couldn't help it. Besides, it's from Zonk.
It comes as something of a surprise that Steve Ballmer doesn't know how to spell the word "fuck".
Or maybe "f***ing" is the poster's way of representing Ballmer's dribbling, shouting, flobbing, ranting, malsonorous splange of words laughingly called his voice.
Nice man.
It's odd when something like that comes up, because in the press conferences and public appearances they're all calm and concentrated, but seeing this reminds you they're just people like us...
Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
and how is that not backing it up?
Just who the heck is this f***ing Balmer person anyway?
Microsoft lacks class. It's visible in their products and apparently shows also in personal behavior of their leaders. It's interesting to watch Microsoft's Channel 9 to see this in their corporate culture. No wonder they get mad at Google.
Steve Ballmer To Star With Eric Schmidt On Broadway
A truly epic love story gone bad.
He looks a bit like Tony Soprano on that article's picture, this is truly scary.
I kind of half imagine him like Scarface at the end of the Pacino movie.
- sigs are for wimps.
In other news, it has been announced that Steve Ballmer has changed his name Tony Montana.
I was listening to a commentry by Dvorak about this, and he believes that Microsoft shouldn't worry about Google because it can't compete against it anyway. Apparently the Google bot indexes websites 10x more than the MSN Search one. Although I wouldn't mind seeing a Microsoft search integrated 100% into Longhorn (we can't see a Google one obviously because of the above), but only if it was decent.
That's my two cents.
I'll subscribe to Slashdot when I see a month without a dupe, a typo, or an article the "editors" didn't read.
to want to kill someone who's spoiling your party, no?
Java Oracle Linux Enthusiast
I dont know if I would threaten anyone who was Deeply involved with the Evil that is (or can i safely say was(please?)) Novell.... Ex Novell Admin 3,4,5 and 6.... Recovering daily through OSS therapy....
The world's smartest bug zapper www.zapstats.com/kickstarter
So Ballmer is a typical, emotionally unstable meglomaniac like Gates?
Film at 11.
If he threw a chair with me in the room, he would have been eating it.
I see that he has remembered the "We will bury you" line without having remembered the fate of the utterer which he is likely to emulate in some near future.
Since a corporation legally has the same rights as a person, does this mean that Balmer could be facing charges for such an action?
Of course I'm joking, but it's nice to see the daily Microsoft article mixed with the daily Google article. Sure saves time. If I didn't have cobuyitaphobia I'd approve of this synergy.
I've got to say, with the Summer of Code, it looks like Google will kill Microsoft first though.
Get your Unix fortune now!
two men enter, one man leaves
two men enter, one man leaves
TWO MEN ENTER, ONE MAN LEAVES!
I hope Google has a very competent security staff at their main offices. Oh, you took what he said metaphorically? Silly you.
Steve Ballmer can kill anyone he wants! Steve Ballmer throws chairs ALL the time and don't even think twice about it. This guy is so crazy and awesome that he flips out ALL the time. I heard that Steve Ballmer was eating at a diner. And when some dude dropped a spoon Ballmer killed the whole town. My friend Mark said that he saw Steve Ballmer totally uppercut some kid just because the kid opened a window.
And that's what I call REAL Ultimate Power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yup...
one of the richest people on the planet (top 5 AFAIK) and hasnt spent anything on charity or society (eg. space travel etc)
fuck him, he will rot in hell with the rest of the greedy bastards who take everything and give nothing
I think anger may be a result of being in close contact with Satan, but it could also be a result of being in contact with God, for that matter.
I think Balmer is an idiot now, more than ever. He wants to destroy anyone who gets in his way, which means he is likely psychotic.
Which brings me to this, a happy little picture I made to commemorate the Massachusetts Office Party.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
I know the job violated the contract. But still, Microsoft is just so loveable. How can you not love them. The way they want to eleminate all other companies and be the single supplier for all your computing needs.
Kinda like if there were only one car manufacturer that only made different styles of MPVs. Now that would suck to be forced to drive one of those. No sportscar for you, but we have a big hulking MPV with shiny low profile rims.
We got a system that suits your need and style, and they are all from Microsoft.
so this is what we are supposed to aspire to, eh? ... clearly, power corrupts absolutely
personally, i feel sorry for Steve, he's obviously lost his soul
Doesnt this count as "Anti-trust" activity by Microsoft ?
I think we're up to Exhibit R that Microsoft is Pure Evil. Being right all the time is really a burden sometimes.
Not to be a spelling nazi or anything, but the subject title..
I'm pretty sure "Balmer" is spelled "Ballmer".
And his company too...
Read here the definition:
Are there actually people taking this stupid crap seriously? Obviously, Zonk's got drunk, or made a stupid bet, or decided he wants to get fired, and he's grunting out some April 1st-class stories.
Then again, maybe he wants to see the average Slashdot credulity.
The scene was more like this:
Balmer: 'I'm going to f***ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to f***ing kill Google.'
BillG: YEAH!
Balmer: Then I'm going to take this frikkin chair, smash his face with it, and lick the blood off the ring.
BillG: Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Watcha gonna dooooo....
Balmer: BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M REALLY PUMPED UP ABOUT!?!?!
BillG: Oooooh Yeah!
Balmer: I just saved a boatload of money by switching to Geico.
(Running on excercise machine)
BillG: You can dooo it!!!
... that Ballmer can be arrested for making death threats? Can this possibly be the end of Microsoft, in such an unusual manner?
After a daring raid in the previous episode, the Googlelots backed by Hades and Apollo, have captured and hold in the citadel of Beijing the beacon of search Dr. Chen; while King Ballmer of the Microsoft Empire, favored by Zeus & Athena, is rallying his allies from the US State department, Justice Department and everyone else who owns him tribute to undo this great injustice. The black sails are on the horizon, and war is coming in the early days of winter.
(with kind thanks to the epic stories I just shamelessly ripped off here)
Assuming that the chair-throwing and the mindset it implies are true... whose stock do you buy or sell?
Google?... Microsoft?... (OfficeMax?)
Seeing bad movies only encourages them. Watch responsibly
And exactly how does Ballmer intends to kill Google? It won't be as easy as killing Netscape, because this time Google does not depend on the sale of some software. Micro$oft, on the other end...
I'll take it you've never watched the Steve Balmer "Developers, developers, developers" video then? (aka Monkey Dance)
Well if you missed it: have a look here
Ripping an new rectum in the fabric of spacetime.
Somebodies making more money than you?
Jeebus on a pogo stick, get a grip.
Either buy some nukes or chill the fuck out.
If you're so damn upset just revoke all Chinese copies of Windows and hire an army to enforce it.
Or please just shut THE FUCK UP.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_will_bury_you
:)
Reminds me of that recent article about testing CEO's for being a sociopath.
I was shocked to see this was actually not a The Onion article like last time.
That monkey dancer never cease to amaze me.
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
He made a death threat against everyone at Google. He should be in jail.
Why is it that people with this kind of anger and dysfunction are chosen to head gigantic corporations?
Chomsky always points out that it's the corporate SYSTEM that causes things to happen they way they do, and it's often not due to evil people.
I think however, there are exceptions to this argument.
Ignore Alien Orders
why aren't they fighting over me? .. :(
Seriously
I feel kinda pico-ickle insignificant
Schmidt was CEO of Novel and Sun and now Google? WTF was Google thinking hiring hiring him? I think my pet dog could have run both those companies into the ground just as well.
This article has recently been linked from Slashdot. Please keep an eye on the page history for errors or vandalism.
Were copyright terms extended again while I wasn't looking?
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
Please tell me why we care about the alleged postal temperament of the adult being who :
1. tried to motivate a bunch of geek screaming "developers, developers, developers" on top of his lungs as if they were a bunch of rock fans and obtained a very tepid response, but an instant internet phun-of-the-month success, in the league of Asshat and Wassaaaap
2. who was so embarrasingly sweating while screaming and running from each side on the scene he looked more like my fat grandpa playing tennis then some company big brass.
3. that aside from this nice show of being able to ridicule himself for the better good of the company and his own one, has the same mentality of each and other private guy : you work, I cash.
Tell me again, aside from understanding what he's trying to take away from any "associate" next..why should I care ?
I dont understand why its so important for Microsoft to kill any competition. If they succeed in creating a bigger market they still earn more money even with lots of competitors. Is Microsoft really nothing more than a wanking session for two really pathetic men? One would have thought they would have matured by now and start to think about what they leave after they die. Why not start doing good things for computing for a change? MS has been the biggest roadblock in software evolution to date and nothing can change that if Microsoft doesnt start to behaive like grownups.
HTTP/1.1 400
we are trying to make ballmer calmer. First we drop the l and we are moving to replace the b with a c.
My Mom can beat your company up!
//WR
If you've only been a casual observer of Steve Bomber's behavior over the years, you wouldn't have reason to doubt Lucovosky's account. I feel almost as though I were there and it's a vivid memory.
Research shows that 67% of those who use the term "research shows", are just making shit up.
Google should seriously consider getting the boot in early around search and tools, preventing Microsoft bundling things in with Longhorn just to "kill" the company.
Certainly they'd have a good case in the EU, the question is whether the US Goverment would side with an "upstart" like Google over a company that clearly has the same approach to life as Donald Rumsfeld.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
I'd like to see a webcast of that in action !!
Ballmer: I want him dead, I want his family dead, I want his house burnt to the groud, I want to get up in the middle of the night and piss on his ashes.
Thats probably what he REALLY said, quoting Al capone from the untouchables.
You can't be sued over what you only say in court. If you repeate the same slander or libel outside of court, you can be sued for that after the case has ended (regardless of whether you're found guilty of perjury), as SCO's executives might find out soon.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
Do to explicit complaints, Microsoft hath been ousted from this here suit.
Microsoft is like...no, it's much worse.
Thank you guys, I so needed this this morning. Amongst everything else I managed to find something to laugh about. Though I'm sure it's.. ahem.. not a laughing matter.... (not intended flaimbait, and no sarcasm intended, it floored me as I read the article)
How Now Brown Cow
You know, it's good to know that there's somebody with enough 'cojones' to do things like that. I like that Balmer guy.
For all those of you that are thinking; 'Ah... Microsoft... they suck.',,, well, you dumb schmucks... why do you think they're in the position they're at right now? Because of guys like Balmer. You need big cojones to carry such a big company forward... which is more than can be said for your one-room, five computer website development corporation
Now, he threw a chair across the room, flying through the air! How cool is that?! I just have to wonder how many thousands of $s did he break in that move.
C'mon people! There was a time in America where you could have somebody shot for things like this. We need more guys like Balmer. Yeap, more of them!
Microsoft can't coexist with anyone. To them, "the competition" is anyone in the computer industry who is making money or gaining power who is not them. You cannot possibly say MSN search or, say, microsoft netmeeting were serious products Microsoft cared about or which were serious competitors to google or skype when they started up; you cannot possibly say the appearance of skype or google threatened any product that Microsoft was even meaningfully supporting. Yet skype and google gain mindshare, and suddenly making the "google killer" or the "skype killer" become huge priorities. Or at the other end of things, Microsoft ignored Adobe for years as long as they were powerless, profitable but consigned to a "niche", predictable; but suddenly Adobe starts having influence on popular file formats in the form of PDF (invented) or Flash (bought), starts showing signs of growth, and suddenly it becomes absolutely essential for some reason that Microsoft create a PDF Killer.
... then the first thing that happens is the most powerful company in all of software suddenly has it as priority number one to take you out, duplicate your product and give it away for free, subsume your functionality into the OS, etc. They won't always succeed at this, but they have at least the ability to make your life and job very difficult without even breaking a sweat. And it has been demonstrated that even in the most flagrant case of destructive behavior, even if they are tried and convicted of illegal acts, there will be no consequences for them.
Microsoft keeps demonstrating, again and again, that they believe no one may have power but them, and keep killing companies to attain that goal. And people just keep pretending this is somehow good for the market, because the idea that market forces could lead to something other than the perfect outcome is just something some people just don't want to admit could happen.
But this is hurting the market, in the most direct way possible: Microsoft's expansion strategy is based not on finding the next big thing, but on stopping it before it starts.
Supposedly the computer industry lives and thrives on small discoveries that grow to the "next big thing". You know, the proverbial cliche of the startup in somebody's garage, a new way of looking at things, an idea that could change the world, yadda yadda yadda. But more and more the fact is-- and most people see this-- if you find that brilliant idea, if you sweat and pour your life and blood and tears into making the new next greatest thing,
What is the point of trying to build, or finance something revolutionary like Skype, if you know that whatever it is (even if it isn't something Microsoft does yet) Success will just result in Microsoft signing a corporate death warrant? The answer is obviously "because you love what you are doing", but what about the people who don't love what they're doing enough to take the risk of so much wasted effort? Are there people who would be going out and doing new and interesting things they aren't doing now in a world where trying to change the face of computing is rewarded rather than punished? What kind of chilling effect is this having?
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
Does this count as a death threat?
In addition he did say he would bury the person at Google.
I think that just maybe the police should get involved. Death threats should be taken seriously, and doubly so by people that are obviously not on an even keel.
I think society needs protecting from potential killers like Ballmer.
(yes, this isn't meant in a totally serious way!)
I can just see this turning into some new unrealistic reality TV show.
"Battle of the CEO's"
It pits CEO's of different companies against each other for pink slips to the companies themselves. Some of the tasks that they undertake would include.
1. Chair hurling.
2. Most cruel boss.
3. Who can make a worse decision
4. Who can get the intern to quit first
5. Longest tee shot
and etc... Funny thing is that this would actually be reality TV as opposed to the crap they have on TV right now.
It seems that you have to be and act like that, if you wanna be successful in the big corporate world.
It is actually a chivalry to be as aggressive as possible to climb the carrier ladder and if you wonder why you are still waiting for a promotion, you should consider to throw a chair in the presence of your boss while you're ranting against the competition.
It's sarcastic, but unfortunately there is a truth in it.
De-Evolution is real.
HULK SMASH!
There may be times where it seems like the difference between a passionate genius and a dangerous madman is thin and difficult to place.
The thing is though.
They really are two different things, and it matters which one that someone is.
(Balmer) I'm prepared to scour the earth for this m0thucker. If Eric goes to Indo China, I want a MS employee hidin' in a bowl of rice, ready to pop a cap in his ass.
- these are not the droids you are looking for -
You know Schmidy is just harboring some serious grudge against MS right now. If Balmer thinks he's the only one with the motivation to compete, he doesn't know what it's like to be driven vengenance. Schmidt is like the underdog who've been kicked around and have finally made his break. We all know how those stories end.
EvilCON - Made Famous by
Hard return, meet soft return.
Imagine, if you will, Dr. Claw, banging on his desk, alarming his cat:
I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME GOOGLE! NEXT TIME!!!
Next time Microsoft gets sued and pretends it has destroyed the emails, they should point to this incident as an example of how they find emails when they want to - even deleted emails on a local PC.
Sure, it's the system. The problem with that argument is that it takes the people who put the system into place out of the whole discussion. Doing so, you neglect that it's the people who institute the system and the ones that execute it that make it even exist. Doing so, it makes it seem that the system is the problem, not the people- but then, look at what happened in WWII... The system's the one that set up the scenerio for the horrific acts performed- why didn't we blame the system? Oh, that's right, following orders doesn't count in that- just as the people who instituted the system was guilty of the acts.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
ill mkae you come, Gadget next time
wasnt dr claw just barry whites voice?
Official transcript from the actual conversation.
So stop spreading your F.U.D !!
You only say lies about Microsoft because you are jealous of their success mm-kay?
If you could see me now, you would see a huge smile all over the face. :D
:)
;P
Finally there's someone who is able to do to microsoft what they did to other companies for decades.
And the fact that ballmer gets that angy about (because it really hutrs him inside) even makes it more enjoyable for me.
Hopefully he becomes that angry that he gets a heart attack... and bill too... so the dragon - without both of his heads - dies alltogether.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
well enough to detroy it. For me, their nice clean interface (no flash, huge graphic files, or other unrelated material) make them a perfect home page. They load super fast and get me the results I want. I don't think anyone can beat that, because it is EXACTLY what I want.
I will visit other sites from time to time, but I always want to start like that. Yahoo used to be close enough, but they morphed into the typical bloated mess that other high profile web sites have become.
Investors should take note of these types of situations.
While we all think it funny, it offers insight into the emotional response of the CEO of the world's largest software company. It shows his a weakness, that he is personally threatened by Google, and a despiration, that he feels Google just one upped him. There is a difference between being passionate about your products and being threatened by your market mates.
Is this the type of personality you would want running the company your 401(k) was invested in? Your retirement future, child's education, or second house at the lake, all riding on the ability of a short tempered reactionist who would scream and shout and create a personal vendetta not only aginst a competitor, but CEO-to-CEO?
In many cases the CEO is a significant reason to invest in a company - that's why there are such massive stock sell offs or buy ins when leadership changes (look at HP recently as an example or further back to Chrysler, GM, etc).
I'd rather invest in a company who's CEO is headstrong and confident enough to try to innovate their competition our of existance, not temper tantrem their CEO to death.
I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
I think Balmer is violating Nintendo's Insanity Patent.
No, it was Freddy from Scooby Doo. Or Hefty Smurf, or Megatron, or the Gremlins, or just about every animal voice you've ever heard in a cartoon....
Overheard in the Google boardroom --
Balmer: I've done far worse than kill you, Google. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her: marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet, buried alive. Buried alive.
Google: BAAAAALLLLLMER!!!!!!
I vow to kill ballmer. And Microsoft.
Wipe them out - ALL OF THEM!
Well, this is certainly amusing behaviour from a Grade-A jackass. I tend to think that he's right, though. Go ahead and try and bury Google. Ballmer will next be muttering "bring 'em on!" and something about "if you install the Google Browser, then the terrorists will have won" and "Google just hates our MS-Lifestyle".
With any luck, Ballmer will have a coronary.
Did anyone that's bashing Ballmer and Microsoft actually read the article? Here's the summary:
1. Kai Fu-Lee was an important executive at Microsoft and was a key resource on their expansion into China.
2. Even before quitting at Microsoft, Kai Fu-Lee was working secretly for Google by sending them Microsoft documents. Google admits this, but their defense is that it was public information anyway.
3. Kai Fu-Lee had an employment contract with Microsoft that Google conspired with Lee to violate. At least two violations occurred including his non-compete agreement and working against the company you're working for while you're working for it.
4. A judge already ruled preliminarily in Microsoft's favor, stating that Lee could not do the duties at Google he was hired to do.
Of course, anyone surprised by this hasn't been paying attention to Google's actions lately. They're trying to be the next Microsoft and as such will be not only utilizing every play from their playbook, but also inventing some new evil tactics as well.
I'm a big tall mofo.
Aren't HR people responsible for having coorp employees tested?
What about this guy hurting somebody because he got mad?
Can anybody sucessfully litigate against MS* or this gentleman (cough..d**khead..cough) in case of phisical violence?
--
*- Tons of luck with that one!
kybred
yeah, in the tradition of microsoft killing off good products to protect their own....
That does it. How an guy in Microsoft can expect to say such things and get away with it is beyond me. Google, I wish you the best of luck.
Any chance we can just get crazy 'ol Pat Robertson to suggest that the Almighty should invite Eric up to heaven for a cup of coffee?
Microsoft says "Your potential... our passion..."
It seems Ballmer really is passionate about other companies reaching their potential.
Of course what they don't explain is that it's "passion" in the sense of "scourging with barbed hooks," as in "Passion of the Christ."
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
While many of us here are , shall we say, less than impressed, by Microsoft's product, it is hard to argue about Microsoft's business record. It is one of the most successful companies in the world. Mr. Balmer may be a hot-head, but cream does rise to the top, and this guy's business skills should not be taken lightly - he should rightfully be feared. Do NOT take this lightly, he has a proven track record and has beaten Mr. Lucovosky TWICE now.
..........FULL STOP.
"Lost another one to google!"
...and he still turtle waxes his bonce
Resident of Skara Brae since 1985
I find this story very interesting, because back when I was in college I interned at Intel. Very first day we went through antitrust training because Intel had been burned a couple of times on antitrust issues. One of the big points they made was don't ever claim that some technology is an "AMD-killer" or that we're going to "kill" a certain company. Statements like that can be used in antitrust proceedings as proof that you were actively trying to force a competitor out of the marketplace. Not sure if it applies here, but there are definitely some similarities.
Yeah, bury Google. That will win the hearts and minds of the market.
baaaahahahahahahahaha!!!! now THATS news!
*plays the Apogee theme song music*
Spell it as it should.. "I'm going to fucking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to fucking kill Google." not that american censorship b**ls**t :D
Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The thing is with Balmer at least the whole world knows he is an enormous asshole. With Google the threat is greater where people think of them as some benign fluffy friend when the reality is no one knows how they are using their data.
Be warned; Google 1, MS 0 is a hollow victory in the long term. The important thing is healthy COMPETITION which people, particularly US companies seem to have forgotten. I for one don't want a world ruled by Google anymore than I do by Microsoft.
I like rational people running the companies I invest in. Irrational people make stupid choices.
I too was thinking this. If anyone in Google has brains (I'm pretty sure of this), then they should be literally "pooping" in their pants.
I presume if he threw the chair at (the) windows would (it/they) have crashed heavily?
Microsoft is like a wild dog with rabies that needs to be put to sleep. They rabidly attack anything that is shows the superiority of OSS. Google is not very commercial and uses OSS. It just plain rocks; it works and with minimal to zero hassles. Microsoft can't have that egg on their face. Also, how about yahoo.com compard to hotmail.com for mail ? Sure hotmail used to use alot BSD servers too before they switched. However, Yahoo runs on mostly FreeBSD period. Who is the number one website on the internet ? Yahoo.com. Not microsoft.com or hotmail.com.
I guess he hasn't heard about the army of laser equipped, brain melting robots yet.
The article doesn't say that. It says Microsoft alleges Fu-Lee sent Microsoft documents.
You're right. The article does say that Microsoft alleges Lee sent Google information while still working for them. You're wrong in that you missed Google's defense to this allegation which I've copied here:
although Google insists all the material that Lee relayed to Google had been made public previously.
That's clearly an admission that it did occur, they're just saying that they could have gathered the information in another way as well because it was public. That's hardly a defense.
Again, two alleged violations occurred. As for non-compete clauses, there is high suspicion in the industry and in the courts these types of agreements are even legal.
First, it seems pretty clear cut to me that what he's doing would violate a non-compete agreement. Microsoft hired him to do X for Microsoft, Google pursued him "like wolves" (from their own internal documents) to get him to do X for Google.
Second, you're correct. If a $50,000 per year programmer signs a non-compete agreement with his employer and then finds another job for $55,000 per year, there is a legal gray area as to whether the non-compete agreement can be enforced. You can't stop someone from earning a living. You're wrong though if you think this applies to someone that Google has offered to pay $10 million dollars.
I'm a big tall mofo.
Better think twice before threatening the penguin, Steve.
I do not see that line anywhere in the article.
There ain't no rules here; we're trying to accomplish something.
did he say these words? As long as Lucovosky says so.
things could turn more complicated when balmer would deny it. there's no way to tell. it has been a person to person concersation. truth is out there.
All you need is for Balmer to say the following: 'I'm going to f***ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to f***ing kill .'
And your company has the support of the largest base of geeks in the world.
Balmer should have been a little more careful who he yelled his threats at. Next time find somebody who's not happily moving to the company you're threatining!
What the hell's a "gewie?"
I thought this to, cause looking around my office, I have alot of microshaft products.
"The only problem with Microsoft is they have no taste... I don't mean that in a small way -- I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don't think of original ideas, and they don't bring much culture into their products... So, I guess I am saddened, not by Microsoft's success -- I have no problem with their success; they've earned their success for the most part -- I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third-rate products." -- Steve Jobs; Triumph of the Nerds/PBS documentary interview (May 1996)
If you're somehow stating yes, that you'er agreeing to the grandparent,as evidenced by the number of MS products you own, then yes I agree with you and MS is a powerful, evil company.
..........FULL STOP.
is it because aussie papers are being written as US papers sleep?
is it because US papers simply dont want to report this stuff?
is it because US papers dont want to rock the boat?
i dont know... but it seems to me the SMH gets mentioned *alot* - make me wonder why.
I was always thought Ballmer was a little thick-necked.... looked like he was on the edge of rage.... Now it all makes sense. Any moment that shirt of his is going to rip open and you're going to see his hair turn black and his eyes turn green.
"RRrrrrrr. Hulk mad. Hulk smash Google!"
Our current government is "pro-Business" rather than "pro-Market".
Being pro-Business means that you pass laws designed to protect the revenue streams of businesses (copyright extensions, DMCA, patents on "business methods", etc).
Being pro-Market means that you pass laws designed to facilitate competition in a market and curb the excesses of existing companies.
Does anyone here actually believe that the CEO of a juggernaut like Microsoft isn't a psychopath?
See previous Slashdot article.
Linux - because it doesn't leave that Steve Ballmer aftertaste.
An original blog entry...
....
http://battellemedia.com/archives/001835.php
At that point, Mr. Ballmer picked up a chair and threw it across the room hitting a table in his office. Mr. Ballmer then said: "Fucking Eric Schmidt is a fucking pussy. I'm going to fucking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to fucking kill Google."
The Doormat
If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention.
If Google ever releases an operating system, it will be after they use their extremely powerful search engine leverage to drive an entirely new class of applications that make Microsoft's stuff seem quaint.
Office applications are commodities and so are operating systems. All Google has to do is keep supporting the web and they will become the primary application of it. Sitting on top of all of that personal content, all of that information, and doling it out to consumers, they can just keep marching ever forward. They have M$ over a barrel because if Microsoft ever -broke- compatibility with google, their own fan base would erupt and switch to a browser that didn't break google, crippling M$ strategy all together.
Let Microsoft have the operating system. By the time Google is done with them, a Windows that has to be priced ever and ever cheaper to compete with every other clone that can at least run google is all that Microsoft will have left.
This is competitive jiu jitsu at its finest.
This is my sig.
Rich sport fans with million dollar yachts still throw tantrums. Someone photoshop that Steve in a diaper and bonnet; I'll give you a buck for it.
Chewbacon
The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
Lucovosky is a smart guy but is also a prima donna quite capable of embellishment. Let's just say there are undoubtedly two sides to this story. I read the story linked to from the original post and note that Ballmer said that Lucovosky exaggerated the meeting. Based on my interactions with Lucovosky I would tend to believe Ballmer. That said, I have no doubt that Ballmer was passionaet and noisy. Anyone with an Internet connection knows that (Developers! Developer! Developers!).
The cave men would poke out the eyes of the wooly mammoth and watch it thrash around until it starves to death, then eat it.
Find Balmers/Gates/MS's weak spot and they'll go the way of the wooly mammoth (even if SB is not so wooly himself).
Sounds like he's starting to do a little thrashing around now anyway. MS has peaked and they know it. Besides they're both getting a little long in the tooth (tusks) anyway.
The moment I read your post, one of my colleagues said something about Spiderman on her phone...
I never understood why Bill Gates didn't retire once he was worth an astronomical amount of money.
You hear about Ballmer flippin out, throwing chairs because he lost someone to Google, but what does he care? How OLD is he?
I'll guess... early 50's, and looking at him, he's not exactly in great shape and probably has a shitload of stress to deal with, which means he'll be dead in 20 years.
Why not just fucking retire? You're worth billions... so what personal feeling of satisfaction is to be had by conquering google? Even if you don't conquer google, you'll still be filthy fucking rich.
What's the point? It's not like they offer quality products..
We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!
Which essentially makes it a person. MS is a corporation too, so I guess they are held responsible instead of Ballmer personally.
This is pretty normal in business circles. A lot of business types are highly competitive. I don't know what the deal is here...
Sivaram Velauthapillai
Seeking the meaning of life... @slashdot of all places
..when he once in a while gives a speach for his employees.
This story is alleged to occur this way by a man whom Microsoft is currently suing. Microsoft says it didn't happen that way.
It sounds to me like you don't believe in Microsoft and are predisposed to believe negative things about them. Given this, I highly recommend you don't hold on to any Microsoft stock.
I'm not as certain about what this means for others though.
I will say this, I'm certain Microsoft is feeling a lot of pressure due to the brain drain problems with Google. Every company in tech is.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
Does anybody in the known universe with a vague grasp of English edit these bloody thing?
"Lucovosky said in his statement. Lucovosky replied that he was joining Google"
WHAT?
Ooooh I love it. I just love it, the chair, the swearing, its just so perfect.
I notice cowboyneal has modified the confirmation script image...
#hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
Who works at a company Microsoft is suing. and more to the point, left Microsoft to be at that company.
And I should mention, I sold Intel at a loss a couple years back when I tound out how they ran their business and treated their employees. You just shouldn't own stock in a company you don't believe in.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
N/T
yeah, just like Ogre from Revenge of The Nerds..
:P
But instead of yelling "NERDS!" all the time, he yells "GOOGLE!"
DEAD DEAD DEAD DELETE ME
Best fucking comment on /. I've read in a long long time... I literally spit water all over the floor I nearly gagged on it hahahahhaahahaa
The price is always right if someone else is paying.
See here: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/steve/defa ult.mspx
It's `Ballmer` - not `Balmer` - people.
Actually, what Ballmer is doing is true capitalism; it's just the extreme of it. Capitalism is great, but this is exactly what it turns into when allowed to go unchecked. That is why we have governmental controls. Too much government = communism; too little = ruthless Capitalism (e.g. Ballmer).
While I agree that Ballmer's strategy is maniacal and disgusting, you can't reproach him by saying that he isn't true to Capitalism, as though Capitalism is this machine turning out benevolence and fairness.
This is akin to saying that all we need is true Democracy. Democracy is great too, but pure Democracy is pure majority-rule and no protection of minorities. If 51% wanted to ostracize blacks, then, hey, that's democracy. Fortunately, we don't live in a pure democracy. We have very undemocratic institutions such as the Constitution and the Courts.
Thus, you can't condemn Ballmer as though he's not following "true" Capitalism. He is; that's the problem.
The quote at the bottom of the page seems very apt:
"It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this. -- Bertrand Russell"
Developers Developers Developers Developers!
Developers Developers Developers Developers!
Whooooo!!!! Ahhhhhh!!
"[b]The allegations[/b], filed in a Washington state court, represent the latest salvos in a showdown triggered by Google's July hiring of former Microsoft executive Kai Fu-Lee to oversee a research and development centre that Google plans to open in China. Lee started at Google the day after he resigned from Microsoft."
unless that thrown chair somehow broke Geraldo's nose...
Eloi are stupid, throw morlocks at them!
I fought the Goo-gle and the Goo-gle won
I fought the Goo-gle and the Goo-gle won....
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
"We will bury you." -- Nikita Kruschev, Soviet Premier, predicting Soviet communism will win over U.S. capitalism, 1958
What?
Ok, we've got a word _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ::spin::
"I'll take an 'r' please" ::buzz::
"Sorry, no 'r'" ::spin::
"I'll take an 's'" ::buzz::
"Ooh, sorry, no 's'" ::spin::
"I'll take an 'l'"
"Yes, one 'l'"
_ _ _ _ _ _ L _
"I'd like to buy a vowel; 'o'"
"Three 'o's"
_ O _ O _ O L _ ::spin::
"I'll take a 't'"
"Sorry, no 't'" ::spin::
"I'll take a 'y'"
"One 'y'"
_ O _ O _ O L Y ::spin::
"I'll take an 'n'"
"Yes, one 'n'"
_ O N O _ O L Y
"I'd like to solve the puzzle"
"Go ahead"
"MONOPOLY!!!"
"Very good, that's $2500 for winning that puzzle--" ::ding ding ding::
"And that sound means this is a bonus puzzle."
"Yay!!! Big money! Big money!"
"Alright, name the largest monopoly in existance"
"Microso--"
--SIGNAL LOST--
+5 insightful, no shred of evidence. What does he sound like, exactly?
We need a flag before trying to storm Redmond. Revolution.org is a squatted domain, but since domain squatting isn't proper .org usage it shouldn't be a problem taking it.
My magic confirmation word for this session is 'conquers'!
They took the offer because, as one said, it was like having someone hold a gun to his head.
This was roundabout 1982 IIRC. So Microsoft's been doing this a long time and not only to large companies but also to small ones (AFAIK it was a 3-person operation).
needs to look into where all the other bodies are buried. If that's what he said, he's admitting to the murder and disposal of other humans remains.
This is not the first time that Steve Ballmer goes over the line. He is responsible for much of what is wrong with Microsoft. He is not a business man, he is on a egomaniac crusade against the rest of the world. It is my belief that Microsoft without Steve Ballmer would behave much more ethical in the industry, and not like a drunk and blind elephant in a porn shop.
//Cartoon
oh yeah, MS Army v0.95 in beta. Never mind.
I just knew naming my first born son "Google" was a bad idea!
Why all the upset? This is trash talking just like in sports. So what if Balmer said he's going to f**king kill Google. I want to hear how Google's people are going to take Balmer behind the shed and open a can of whoop-ass on him. Or better still, have Balmer make a "guaranteed win" statement where everyone wins a xbox if they lose.
I think it's great. We need more of this. Who wouldn't go for a Gate-Jobs bare-knuckle! Wouldn't you love to see Stevie give a knee to the groin of Bill? How about the solar panel guys in a cage match against the coal burners?
Business is just like sports to these guys. A left to the head and a right to the billfold! MBA? NBA? What's the Diff?
Mod parent +1 Funny.
--
If your gov't chooses killing as policy (CIA trained Arabs in 1980), expect others to choose the same.
Even Microsoft does not deserve such a prosopopeia... While they are both disgusting, Rumsfeld is completely useless while some people use Microsoft products...
+1, best comment so far.
--
If you support dishonesty and violence, don't say you are Christian.
..or whatever they call fake wrestling nowadays.
"BLUEeeeeeeeeeEEEESCREEEEN BALLMERrrrrrrrrr"
*screams ala Howard Dean and then bits his own ear off*
When you look at how Microsoft hat stifled innovation all over the place... What if Gates and Ballmer are actually luddites? What better way to stop innovation from happening than by conquering the high tech market?
USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
It was a traffic monitoring equipment company called Traf-O-Data.
--
Bush lied. 100,000 died. Violence & lying show a lack of social sophistication.
He did, after all, go to India for spiritual enlightenment, and had seriously considered going to Japan to a Zen monastery. I think this side of Steve Jobs is the side that gives him his "vision", and India was most likely the place where he was taught in the ways of "Reality Distortion".
Not much of that could be said about Balmer, who reminds me more of the typical arrogant businessman, who's only where he is now because of Bill Gates.
Best. Webhost. Ever. Dreamhost.
'I'm going to f***ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to f***ing kill Google.' Schmidt previously worked for Sun Microsystems and was the CEO of Novell."
What else do you need to know about Microsoft? The company is run by an ill-tempered bald ex-football player who's in it for the sport and kill, nothing else. Ballmer deals in concepts like "team spirit", "take no prisoners", and "offense/defense", not bits, bytes, and software.
Ballmer is also overestimating his own business acumen. Ballmer didn't "bury" Novell or Sun; to the degree that Novell and Sun have problems, they are self-inflicted or due to changing market conditions. I can't think of much Ballmer has done as a businessman that was particularly clever; most of what he has been responsible has been shady or outright illegal bullying of other companies. Shady deals he really is good at.
Sadly, there are some good engineers and technologists at Microsoft, but they are just pawns in Ballmer's grand game and strategy. Well, fortunately, they seem to be leaving for greener pastures. Which brings us back to Ballmer's chair throwing...
If Ballmer is wondering why Microsoft is loosing people to Google, maybe he should just look in the mirror. One of the first rules of good management is to never loose your temper. Of course I am assuming that chair throwing incident is true. And statements like burying people can get you in a lot of trouble also in court. But what the hell. It's Microsoft. They can get away with anything. Just look how they handled the Federal government. And then again, just look at how China handled Microsoft. You'd think our own government could have done better.
OK. I asked Apple, and they say they liked their marketshare when it was 3 times higher before Win95. I also asked Netscape (who you conveniently don't mention), and they liked their marketshare 50 times higher than it was before Explorer. You can make the same case for Novell, Word Perfect, etc.
MS waits until an idea works, then they steal it, then they try to kill you. Few survive this pattern. Symantec's doing well simply because MS has never cared about security - Symantec has no role if MS goes away, so they're not a threat. With regard to skype, let's see where they are in 5 years. MS is going after google now - let's wait to see how that plays out. MS is still beating linux among people who actually pay for their OS.
No one has yet survived against MS, in any instance where MS has actually declared war. The only examples you'll get are companies like Symantec who pose no risk to MS.
Now this is a sign of maturity, isn't it? Explains a lot, actually...
* Changes and delays with their OS product.
Well, Microsoft isn't the first to delay a major product release, even in the computer industry. Look at Apple and Copland, for example. And everyone here seems to love Apple. To be fair, though, pulling out some of the major APIs Microsoft has planned for Vista so that they're not tied to the OS release is probably a good idea, given how few customers are jumping to the next Windows version immediately upon release these days.
* Development of huge initiatives that business partners want and customers don't want like DRM and trusted computing
Are you serious? I'd say a great many very important customers want Microsoft to deliver DRM. Try the major record labels and movie studios, just for starters. You are confusing two key terms here. This is Microsoft. Microsoft sells retail products, but it is also a technology company. When you say customer, that's not the same thing as consumer.
* Not adapting to changing business models - open source for example.
Make no mistake, if Microsoft has an Achilles heel, this is it. Microsoft is very, very tied to the retail channel. It can no more pick up and adapt to the open source model than it can just decide to try out a subscription pricing model like Sun is trying now. Agile it is not; but then, it's still making money hand over fist, so maybe it doesn't have to be.
* Ability to market, but not deliver - like the MSN search that was going to be more accurate, etc...
Apple and Copland. IBM/Motorola and faster PowerPCs. PalmSource.
* Competing against yourself - AXAPTA, NAVISION, GreatPlains... how many competing and overlapping ERP/CRM packages do you need?
You're giving one example and maybe there are more, I don't know. But Microsoft clearly doesn't really know what it's doing in the business applications market, but it doesn't want to be pushed out of that market until it figures out what it's doing. Does Oracle really need Oracle Applications, PeopleSoft, and J.D. Edwards?
* When was the last time there was a major real change in office, anyway?
You're just regurgitating rhetoric now. I'd say there have been a lot of them. OneNote, Sharepoint Services, and XML file formats are three that come to mind. Outlook has been steadily improved to the point that it's a pretty usable application now. I even appreciate the little UI improvements, like the balloon view for document annotations that got introduced in Office XP.
* Oh, and ceeding the entire low end of the computer industry to Linspire and linux (when was the last time you saw a new windowsXP computer for $250)?
You really think the kind of person who only has $250 to spend on a computer is going to learn Linux? Not to start a flamewar or anything, but that kind of customer wants to play games, not participate in the wonderful world of software freedom. Microsoft's position is that the fate of these machines is to have their hard drives wiped and replaced with pirated copies of Windows, and though I love it that you can buy systems with Linux pre-installed, I think they're right on this one. Also, is it wrong to cede a market that there's no money in? Are any Microsoft shareholders going to revolt because Microsoft doesn't want to compete for tissue-thin margins on the low end?
Breakfast served all day!
We've got some 20,000 readers of slashdot. (forgive me if this figure is wrong) And with that amount of users we can pretty much overload any site...... March forth to the M$ft site and hitteth the refresh button all-damn-day-long.... So at the end of the day we can all see an Apache error saying the site is down.....
Of course, someone will at some point as everything is impermanent and all power ends some day. Before that, however, attachment of Balmer and the like brings them much apparently suffering which they deal with by screaming profanities and throwing furniture. And that's something I find distasteful. It's rather hard to respect a man in his late forties with emotional reactions of a spoiled child.
when you are in your tent reacting to news of battle, throw a chair
it will clearly deomonstrate your judgement and power
Huh?
While that may not be clearly readable, it is perfectly correct english.
Maybe you need a refresher course?
threatening to kill someone is a serious offense. who the fuck does he think he is? a NOLA looter?
the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
I hate google, always have. They contribute nothing except a bunch of craptastic goooooogle ads and they're simply overrated. Despite Ballmer's mental instability, nothing would make my day more than to watch google's stock price fall into the penny stock range and listen to the faint screams of people jumping out their office windows upon realizing what a mistake it was to invest in google. Google has its place in the world, but it's sure as hell not at the top. Then again, neither is it Microsoft's place either. It sure is lonely up here, though.
I post at -1. Clearly I'm not a poster child for slashbot.
*Sings
I feel pretty....
Oh so pretty.....
It's either on the beat or off the beat, it's that easy.
I moderate therefore I rule!
--
I bet he started sweating profusely and screaming "DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS!"
What a freakin' tool. Somebody put his ass back in the cage.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
...is more cowbell!
Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
how dare Google make useful products and services that both the public and advertisers seem to love ?
how dare they do that to poor little Microsoft ?
What we have are two very different forms of capitalism: Big Business Capitalism and Free Market Capitalism. They are different and generally mutually incompatible. Yet they can both claim to be the "real" form of Capitalism.
Big Buisness Capitalism has historically been the foundation of Social Darwinism.
We as a country made a very conscious decision in the middle part of the 19th century to move away from Big Buisness Capitalism and use the government to protect the marketplace. This eventually led to very large social and economic changes occuring in the early part of the 20th century. The idea that the Free Market is something to be protected is something that has been further advanced by fears that we could see a sort of fascism by Big Business.
Now, to tie this in with the writings of Karl Marx. Marx was writing at the time of the Industrial Revolution and Das Kapital largely discusses the nature of Bug Business Capitalism. Marx rightly pointed out that this form of Capitalism was unsustainable in any real way and resulted in a large number of social ills (he saw it as better than the Feudal economic systems it replaced however). Marx therefore concluded that as this form of capitalism collapsed under its own weight, that it would be replaced by a system where the workers ran and owned the means of production. In general, this has not happened. However, Marx was right in that this form of capitalism did fall in the developed world. What has increasingly replaced it, however, is not Marxian socialism but *free market* capitalism. I am actually genuinely surprised that Marx did not see the rise of antitrust laws, for example, as the foundation of what would replace or modify the forms of Capitalism he was writing about.
While Free Market Capitalism does "socialize" one of the important aspects of the "means of production" it does not do so by declaring factories, energy infrastructure, etc. as common goods but rather by focusing on a more abstract concept of the "marketplace" as a common good and something to be protected by the government. This is why we have antitrust laws.
What Microsoft is doing is fundamentally at odds with capitalism as it is established here in the US. They have on their record a court finding that they violated antitrust law. I.e. they are a convicted monopolist (yes, they were conviceted in a civil case, but there are plenty of court documents which uphold the concept of a conviction in a civil case).
Another interesting angle of this case might be if counterclaims are filed as a result alleging that Microsoft is abusing its monopoly to hurt Google (MSN search is the default search engine in IE). IANAL, but I believe that the principle of collateral estoppel might put Microsoft in a bad position here. Maybe even bad enough to cause them to drop the suit in exchange for the counterclaims to be dropped.
LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
I've gotten several of these for work & friends -- Linspire everytime, not once did it come with Windows.
The subject and verb of the sentence, "I've just heard from Lifewish: the moon..." is
If the one who wrote it actually heard you say it, then the sentence is not a lie. It contains a fallacy - the moon is not actually made of cheese - but the sentence is not about the substance of the moon; it's about what was heard.
thank you Mrs. Hamilton, 3rd grade teacher.
The only thing that Balmer threw was the hissy fit. He forgot to take some mints and that's why the chair topled over.
I doubt that we will ever figure out - and I suspect that even if we did figure out we couldn't do much about it
"To crush your enemies... To see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."
I thought the random quote at the bottom of the page for this story was fitting: It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this. -- Bertrand Russell
its stressfull enough with high-tech constantly changing and then you have the (lawyer invented)software patent situation, and now our not-so-friendly Mr World Domination boss to deal with.
Man, I would not to like to work for him, I have worked for bosses who have "exploded" and theatened violence, and, of course, you can't expect most world-domination super-corp types to be real nice when they "play the game". Hey, the world is full of a lot of super competitive people/countries,
Talking about psychos,I can't wait for future bio/nano/tech (hopefully not MS tech, look, I need a brain upgrade before I mmwnrftzmarf..), to make us all younger so that we can fight the future (nano/bio/space/nuke)wars between US and China and India and mars and the moon and the asteriod colonies in the coming centuries.
Uh, in order for a statement to be libel or slander, it has to be a lie. You can say whatever rotten thing you want about a person, so long as it is the truth. A slanderous statement made under oath is perjury, by definition.
As far as I know, people have gotten in trouble in ways that reached into court for bringing up truths that were "slanderous" towards others. This does seem to happen often, even if the law *shouldn't* be letting it happen. Though I'm too lazy to try to dig up examples.
I remember sigs. Oh, a simpler time!
And he should be called The UnaBallmer because he's about as mentally stable as a bald Ted Kaczynski.
Liberals call everyone Nazis yet they are the closest thing to it.
Microsoft has deep pockets. If they really want to kill such a company, they have the deep pockets for an extended and nasty holywar. Then again, Gates is somewhat of a pragmatic person and would not approve of emptying the entire tank just to kill a medium-sized competitor that is not a significant threat yet.
I can see far more reasons to go after Linux than Google with Guns of Billions. Linux targets its cash cows, while Google is only eating around the edges. Thus, if MS wants a holywar, then aiming for Linux would perhaps be more logical.
Table-ized A.I.
He actually likes Apple if you listen to the end of his speech. Wow what an amazing guy.
http://saveie6.com/
http://saveie6.com/
Someone's been playing a bit to much Grand Theft Auto if you ask me...
Scott Swezey
news at 11 :/
Big frikkin' deal. In other news, little Janey vowed to kill school, after throwing teddy bear at dresser when mom grounded her for poor grades.
---
BTW, I'm a script with extra-ordinary powers of deduction.
Microsoft knows that it can't stay top-dog forever, and rather than running a race against competitors that are equally as fit as itself, it prefers to shoot them and win the race.
Having competition means that Microsoft actually has to work for its money, rather than just giving its products an annual facelift to get people to buy them.
Competition is why we find Microsoft putting most of its resources into Windows Vista.
Competition is why we find Microsoft focusing on security. This is evident because everybody used to accept that Windows crashed and got trashed at the drop of a hat; also, nobody considered that computers didn't have to crash so frequently until we started seeing articles saying that Linux was far more secure and stable than Windows.
Microsoft is currently scouring any market that involves technology, and if there's an area that's making money, in dives Microsoft - either cloning and killing the competition, or buying it.
I don't see so much innovation coming from Microsoft as stifling of innovation.
Linux/Open Source/Anti Microsoft News
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20050816 http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20050817 http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20050818
Hey dude, you talk of high gas prizes?
Gosh - Premium gas is roughly 7$ per Gallon in Germany!
Balmer sometimes acts like a cocaine addict
This explains...so much.
This sig is false.
By the way, I forgot to mention that Lucovosky's big innovation while at Microsoft was the Web services initiative called "Hailstorm." Hailstorm, for those of you who don't remember, was a set of XML-based services that were designed to give developers the ability to build in presence, notifications, calendaring etc. into web-based and pc applications. Neat idea well before its time and badly timed becuase they announced it when everyone was at their most paraoid about MSFT.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Arm, leg, neck, or nose?
Disclaimer: That is a joke. The man needs anger management therapy, not a physical assault.
//Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
It's obviously not being given to those at higher levels... or some people who think that because they set company policy, they can then ignore company policy.
//Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
Someone call the police! Murder I say MURDER!
I love it when an ape like Ballmer gets upset because somebody fucked him over!
I'd love to see Bill's reaction, since it was probably worse. He's known for having a vicious temper, too. He used to scream at customers - big customers, at that.
If they can't use their monopoly to bully somebody, they get pissed.
Tough nookies, Steve. Deal with it - if you can.
Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
Raster: http://www.code.cx/what-have.png
_ you_done_dani_.svg
2 /20305cs.jpg
Vector: http://openclipart.org/clipart/unsorted/what_have
Props to Dr. Seuss for providing the inspriation.
http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/pm/194
Why should we believe this? I very much doubt Ballmer is that upset of Google's dominance in the internet search market. Lets face it, thats small potatoes compared to the OS, Server and Office software Microsoft has crushed every other competitor with. When you read garbage like this, 3rd party heresay, you have to take it with a grain of salt and chew on it for a minute or two before swallowing it, instead of swallowing it whole and just believing it. While I am not fan of Balmer and he has done some pretty stupid things in the past, I just can't see anyone at Microsoft busting a nut over Google. If Google becomes a dominant leader in OS, Server, Office products, internet browsers AND search engines, then I can see Balmer an the rest of them at MS sweating.
In favor of noboy getting hurt, all chairs will be removed from future msdn conferences - IF ballmer is to appear.
Eg, bite me novell fanboi
This article has recently been linked from Slashdot. Please keep an eye on the page history for errors or vandalism.
I shouldn't be surprised any more at trash talking after the CEO of the Dance and "Developers, Developers, Developers", but that's all it is: another boorish remark.
Ballmer seems to be one of those CEOs who equates being overwrought with being enthusiastic.
ICQ: 28651394 = AIM/MSN/YIM: hsuwh = www.livejournal.com/~banazir
Have read my follow up to my mis-post which was posted 3 HOURS before you took me to task for not reading before I post.
Mark L. used to work at MS, now he works at Google. Google and MS aren't getting along right now. That's plenty of reason. And I don't know if you've encountered it, but sometimes people just like to tell stories because it's fun. See Douglas Adams telling the stolen biscuits story, claming it happened to him. http://www.snopes.com/crime/safety/cookies.asp
Besides, you don't know this guy. Maybe MS didn't appreciate him. And surely Google appreciates him more (in dollars at least), it's a pretty long leap to take this man's word.
Anyway, you do also realize that Ballmer said that the story was overamped, not just a flat-out lie. People are not video cameras. Their recollections are affected by their feelings. It's very possible that both people recall the same situation differently and that the actual incident wasn't the same as either of them say.
People will believe what they want to believe, I've learned that in my journey through life. I just thought I'd put forth an opposing viewpoint, how a person with different predispositions might see things being differently.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
I like about:blank myself. Have yet to find anything that loads faster.
-Terralthra...
If I haven't fallen for some kind of gag: this is a shame, but also a sign that Microsoft, no matter how many times it gets kicked in the nuts, will simply never learn. It seems they believe that you can *never* have too many enemies!
Anger management "issues". Clear potential for workplace violence. Keep an eye on this man. Write him up and let HR send him to a class.
Who else has dibs on Ballmer being played by Jack Nicholson? Seeing Jack run into Google's offices raging about their "pissant search engine" before falling into a vat of chemicals and becoming The Dorker ought to be amusing, and where he takes out Boss Gates - "you want the truth Bill? You can't handle the truth!" - should be truly Oscar worthy. I can only hope Jobs makes for a good Penguin in the sequel "Vista Security:As Good As It Gets"
It's always funny to me when people defend "capitalism" without even realising that the term was invented as a perjorative by its greatest enemy. (Surely this is the definition of being a reactionary...)
Marx distinguishes capitalism from straight commerce by pointing out that, in capitalism, workers neither own the means of production, nor do they own the fruits of their labour. Thus, companies that have stakeholding and share-vesting programs are less "capitalist" than those in which workers receive a direct wage.
It's certainly true that Google treats its employees better, but I don't know if it's less capitalist than MS. Depends if they dole out shares, I suppose. As for the idea that companies have to crush the competition, no this isn't really capitalism, though I would imagine it's a fairly natural consequence of the Milton Friedman/Chicago school of free market competition.
See third row down.
= en&btnG=Search+Images
http://images.google.com/images?q=Uncle+Fester&hl
To: SteveB@microsoft.com, SteveB@ceo.microsoft.com
:D]
Date: September 3rd, 2005
Subject: Whats your opinion on this, eh, Sexy Steve-Baby-Monkey?
Hi Stevey-Baby!
Just heard your delightful and not-at-all-rude comments about Google! Just thought I'd let you know my feelings (because of course, all of Microsoft are always interested in their users... aren't you?)
I just saw the attached video, and I thought I'd let you know;
'You're going to f***ing having a heart attack, You have done it before, and you will do it again. You're going to have a f***ing heart attack.'
Best wishes, and hoping you are fit and healthy Mr. Ballmer!
PS.. Oh, and good luck with your company! I hear it's not doing so well against some company named after a fruit, and some silly search engine? Now thats a shame... Maybe you should rename yourself to 'MonkeyAngryFatBastard' - you do look like a overweight monkey with a anger-management and an obesity problem.
PPS... If you don't get sarcasm, you sicken me. Why can't you just be happy for a company that's doing so much better - and, doing things so much better for their users, than you are?
[my name removed
Attached File: MonkeyDance.Mpeg [thx to tarmo.fi!] (really, its worth watching, just to see how much Steve Ballmer is out of breath at the end!)
I really can't stand that guy.
Dug
Wow, just... wow. Have a few more rails there, buddy. That guy is a nutbag.
When the CEO cracks up like that, you know they're seriously worried about what's going on.
smash.
I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
What the hell does this have to do with my "rights online"?
-- "I never gave these stories much credence." - HAL 9000
thats kinda funn considering that MSN search uses google so the idiots going to burry himself not that hed actully succed in taking down google
He eats spam for breakfast
You mean as opposed to "windows fags" who will just take it up the ass, and beg AND pay for more of the same??
All to suck on Bill and Ballmer's "micro" "soft" ??
Heh... go figure, I knew windows people were weird, but this takes the cake.
(if you all metamods start modding brainlessly, just leave this post alone, there's better places to earn your mod points for the day)
" What luck for rulers that men do not think" - Adolf Hitler
Seriously! 'I'm going to f***ing kill Google.' Is that any way for a professional to talk?
Monkeys... own..... ASCII Slashdot: |/.|
Many years ago I "shared" a hottub (figuratively speaking, of course) with this rotund fellow, and he seemed a very pleasant,if perhaps an excitable chap. I am sure most of his comments are due to stress, and if recent events seem to bode ill, I look forward to MS and all their latest triumphs. Let us cut him some slack, until he recovers.
.
- aqk
F U
Sounds like the giant will wake up soon and start to kick some Google ass. Google is young and admits that they are very vulnerable. It wont be long for the adjustment to kick in...
However, in true democracy, that is only the starting point. In a true democracy people are free to join and leave governmental groupings as they see fit.
My point is that MS is still killing Linux on non-whitebox machines, used in a business environment. MS don't care about the rest of the Linux market which doesn't make money. This is the point I was originally making - you can't really cite Linux as some sector of the computing market where MS was a step behind and lost. By and large, the market where Linux is thriving is the market that doesn't make money and hence doesn't interest MS. The market where Linux does make money is still dominated by MS.
Some don't realize it, but the non-free-as-in-beer Linux market has more in common with MS than it does with free-as-in-beer Linux.
This is a true story, right? I ask this, because recently Slashdot linked to a story on the Onion without making any indication that the story was untrue. But someone pointed out the presence of the "It's funny. Laugh." icon on the story. But I just looked at this story, and it has the same icon on it.
Fucking moral relativists.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
They sell support and services.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Google strikes back!
-- ain't it wunnerful, kind of a cybernetic jujitsu, wherein one moves so as to allow an opponent to act against himself.
In my fondest dreams, some kind-hearted hacker incorporates the Balmer monkey dance video into the startup graphics of Windows XP.
Allowing pompous blowhards to be seen in their most "flattering" light is a nice sort of vaccine for their attempts to instill fear into the hearts of those whose lives they have (or think they have) an influence over.
And so appropriate, a company whose corporate motto is "Don't be evil" being targeted by a company that is widely regarded as the acme of evil.
Kind of a capitalistic morality play.
That Balmer guy, he's just a sweetheart, y'know?
I call him "Balmy".
----------
And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control.
History has proven that.
All power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Lord Acton (1834-1902)
It was Steve Ballmer in the MS headquarters with a chair.
(About that picture, though. . . WTF is Ballmer doing with his hands? Looks like he's playing some messed-up invisible violin or something. . .)
www.linuxpenguin.net
I'd say downers and uppers.
Alas, a typical comment from someone who's a couple of digits short from being a golden meanie... Sometimes it helps to fib, O natchie!
.
- aqk
F U
What I want to know is where Balmers' eyebrows went? Are they singed off daily by the prince of darkness or did he contract some sort of strange STD of the face in the football locker room? I think it is the single most critical feature (or lack of feature) that contributes to his overall Freddy Krueger look.
Exactly. Sworn statement. Look at the context and see if you can imagine a Distinguished Engineer (one of only seven at Microsoft, according to a Time Magazine article I was reading) making up the verbatim quotation (and the chair throwing.)
On the other hand, such an event, if it did happen, is so dramatic that after the meeting it certainly must have gone through Lucovksy's head until he had it memorized verbatim.
All I can say to Steve is get a life. But to everyone else commenting on this story, the sucky part of it is that a majority of computer users are still using Microsoft Windows as their OS. That gives MS the upper hand. Until Google creates their own OS that runs apps that we can all use, we're basically hosed into running something that Microsoft on some level developed. Of course the OSX has something else to say about this as does Linux, and a few other variants. But the majority of apps run under Windows. On the killing side, it'd be great for him to try, that way they can lock his sorry ass up and maybe sell off Microsoft to those of us who'd rather see it trashed than succeed anymore than it has. Hey Steve, how much of the 65 BILLION that Gates has went to help the Katrina survivors? I'll bet it's because you hate black people that he did not give over a billion. Cheap Bastard! Amazing, Microsoft made all that money and it does not help as much as it could. In fact, if we calculated the amount of money businesses around the globe have lost due to Microsoft's crappy windows operating system and it's swiss cheese approach to engineering, it could probably surpass Bill Gates wealth by a factor of 10. The only reason I say that is daily businesses are losing money due to Microsoft. Daily. So maybe Google should take out the hit on Ballmer, Gates, and a few others at MS. Nah. waste of good energy. Focus on fixing problems at the local and state government levels. Michael Murdock, CEO DocMurdock.com Happy 10th Anniversary TOY STORY! (my name is in the credits of that movie) and R.I.P. Joe Ranft
Geez, I think Ballmer isn't using his head, Microsoft is a good company, it's just that maybe Google is better. I agree with you anonymous coward, he has plenty of developers and I think instead of him saying "KILL GOOGLE", he has to do it and prove it, as to not to look like a loser. best man wins! (because i think he's so pathetic, and man, he is so bitter because his people are leaving for google).
Of course. When you have more money than anyone else in the world, and you're in trouble with Uncle Sam, you can just buy BOTH major party candidates. You wait for the election, and then, voila... you own a president!
In 2000, I suspected Bill probably had deals with both Al and George. In August 2001, that suspicion was reinforced by this Seattle Times article. Also see: http://www.aaxnet.com/news/M010823.html.
I remember a few years ago, when Microshaft paid a few million dollars for the top Borland development staff. Borland was at the time a much much better product on Windows platform that either MS Basic, or C++. That really knocked the wind out of Borland. I say good to google. It's about time someone did to Microshaft what Microshaft has been doing to others over the last 20 or so years! Microshaft has been allowed to ride roughshod over the rest of the software industry for way too long. How do we go about teaching the masses this? They don't seem to understand or care?
Registered Linux User: 275424
i say you're all stupid jew morons. and thats why im an anonymous cowards
You should see the bullit holes in my CEO's office. No Really I have dealt with alot of real "fruitcakes "in my time. What he did was just an "Aw Shucks".