Steve Ballmer Reveals His Secret Twitter Account

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Steve Ballmer Reveals His Secret Twitter Account

Posted by CmdrTaco on Tuesday November 9, 2010 @06:28AM from the i-wanna-watch-the-steves-wrestle dept.

alphadogg writes "'Quietly' is not a word that would usually describe any action performed by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. But quietly is exactly how Ballmer has conducted himself on Twitter, a site he joined over a year ago unbeknownst to most of the technology world. Just a few days ago, Ballmer was speaking in Kiev, Ukraine, and according to a transcript on the Microsoft website, Ballmer responded to an audience member who asked 'when are you going to start tweeting?' Ballmer said: 'I have a Twitter account. I'm just very private about who I really am on Twitter.'"

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Inquiring minds want to know... by Locke2005 · 2010-11-09 06:29 · Score: 4, Funny

How many tweets has he sent out containing just the word "Developers!"???

--
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
1. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 06:31 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Fortunately for us, he's limited to throwing 140 chars at a time.
2. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 06:39 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Honestly it shows the difference between him and Bill Gates. Gates is tweeting all the time. Balmer 4 tweets in a year. Gates *LIKES* tech plays with it, it is his life. Balmer it is something to sell. It also shows quite clearly why MS has stagnated tech wise for the past 10 years.
3. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by The+MAZZTer · 2010-11-09 06:41 · Score: 1
  
  None.
4. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by MightyMartian · 2010-11-09 06:45 · Score: 0
  
  Which is why he'll be bringing out iTwit in the first quarter 2011. It will run a version of iOS, and you'll have to buy every letter from the App Store, but only after you sign an EULA stating you won't use the letters to spell bad words.
  
  --
  The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
5. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by YodaToad · 2010-11-09 06:48 · Score: 1
  
  Uh, wrong company?
6. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by CannonballHead · 2010-11-09 06:51 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I'm not going to defend all of MS.
  But to say it's stagnated is an overstatement. Windows 7 was decent. Windows Live Essentials is pretty decent (and free). Windows Live Mesh is pretty nice. That new kinect thing seems to have gotten favorable first impressions. Even IE 9 seems like it's going to be a huge improvement (perfect? of course not, but huge improvement).
  Could they be better? Oh, definitely. Did they have rough years? Totally. Could they have done better? Of course. Are they actually "stagnated" right now? I don't really see that.
7. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 06:58 · Score: 0
  
  Woah.
8. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by samkass · 2010-11-09 07:01 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  to say it's stagnated is an overstatement.
  Windows 7 and Microsoft Office make up 95% of their profits, so the rest are-- to use an Apple phrase-- hobbies. They have subsidized XBox and Windows Phone 7 development with Windows/Office profits to the tune of billions of dollars. In 25 years they haven't created a new product line that's made more than a tiny fraction of their two big products. In comparison, Google didn't exist at all back then, and Apple gets 60% of its profits from products that didn't exist 4 years ago.
  
  --
  E pluribus unum
9. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Jeremiah+Cornelius · 2010-11-09 07:03 · Score: 1
  
  Look, when he's sending updates to buddies about his adventures in Phucket and Pattapong, he really doesn't want YOUR attention, does he?
  
  --
  "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
  Never been known to fail..."
10. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by blair1q · 2010-11-09 07:07 · Score: 1, Redundant
  
  That joke makes me want to mispronounce that word.
11. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:07 · Score: 0
  
  Wrong Steve.
12. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by MyLongNickName · 2010-11-09 07:12 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Please turn in your geek card, Slashdot ID, and stay 50 feet away from any electronic device.
  
  --
  See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
13. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:26 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  > sign an EULA stating you won't use the letters to spell bad words.
  Or to diss MS, or even (heaven forbid) mention Linux.
14. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by michelcolman · 2010-11-09 07:26 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  No, he's just very private about who he really is at Apple.
15. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:28 · Score: 0
  
  Because how many tweets you send out is a reliable indicator of how interested you are in tech...
16. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · 2010-11-09 07:44 · Score: 1
  
  responding to undo bad mod. Finger slipped. Meant to rate "funny".
  
  --
  Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
17. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by i41Overlord · 2010-11-09 07:44 · Score: 1
  
  That's actually a bit misleading. Sure, Microsoft has been selling operating systems and office productivity products for more than 25 years. But Windows 7 and Office 2010 haven't been out for that long, so you can't imply that Microsoft isn't introducing new products. They have a couple of really popular brands and they're going to continue leveraging those names as long as they can.
18. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 08:07 · Score: 0
  
  And what's wrong with that? Not every product can possibly grow into multi-billion sales. Most products aren't mega-sellers. Windows and Office, yes they are the cash cow.
19. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 08:13 · Score: 0
  
  Well done, good sir!
20. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by DarkVader · 2010-11-09 08:15 · Score: 0, Troll
  
  There's nothing misleading about it. Windoze 7 is just windoze NT 6.1 - a service pack for Vista (NT6.0), which as we all know is a failed attempt to rewrite XP (NT 5.1), which is just a facelift of 2000 (NT5.0), which is a marginal improvement on NT. It's not a new product, it's an incremental change to a bad operating system released in 1993.
  Office 2010 is yet another bloat addition to their same old office product that's demonstrably a worse product than when Excel and Word were introduced in 1985 and powerpoint in 1987 on the Macintosh. The current user interface on windoze is garbage, it would benefit greatly from bringing back menus. It's somewhat better on the Mac, but it really needs a serious bloat trimdown.
  So no implication that they aren't introducing new products is needed - you can just go ahead and say it. They aren't introducing any relevant new products, and haven't for a very long time.
21. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by magarity · 2010-11-09 08:26 · Score: 1
  
  Because how many tweets you send out is a reliable indicator of how interested you are in tech...
  I thought the number of tweets you make indicated how much of a narcissist you are.
22. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by NatasRevol · 2010-11-09 08:27 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Functionally, usefully, what do Win7 & Office 2010 have that WinXP & Office 2001 didn't have?
  What functional difference would your parents notice?
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
23. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by NatasRevol · 2010-11-09 08:29 · Score: 1
  
  Why is he following Walt "I love Apple" Mossberg?
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
24. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by jekewa · 2010-11-09 08:34 · Score: 0
  
  A stupid ribbon bar.
  
  --
  End the FUD
25. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by NatasRevol · 2010-11-09 08:37 · Score: 1
  
  I know you're being facetious, but just to stop others early.
  Ribbon bar == menu bar on vague icons, that change & move around. ie no functional difference.
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
26. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Late+Adopter · 2010-11-09 08:39 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Only the difference between their Win 7 sales and the sales of XP/Vista they would have made if Win 7 hadn't come out matters. In other words, how much did the release of a new version of Windows inspire people to buy Windows more. Non-zero I'm sure, but not the full amount of Win 7 sales either. Likewise with Office.
27. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by jekewa · 2010-11-09 08:55 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  I was being a little facetious, thanks for picking up on that, but the ribbon bar (of which I'm no fan) is a bit more than a change of a menu bar with changing icons. There are interactions that can be made right on the ribbon bar that make it a bit more than just a menu bar + tool bar.
  Fundamentally, I agree that any tech savvy user will see it as just a re-worked menu and/or more useful tool bar, but it is a tremendous functional change in the way the programs operate beyond the main input window (e.g., the Word document). It's 80% eye-candy changes, 20% rearrangement, and 90% more annoying.
  More to the point...it's what everyone (not just parents) notices is different in the newer versions of Office, since it's so present, and there's not an easy way to opt out of it.
  
  --
  End the FUD
28. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by bazonic · 2010-11-09 08:56 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Wow.
  
  I get your sentiment, but you're just pulling numbers out of the sky now. Microsoft makes a huge chunk of cash from Server, SQL, Exchange, SharePoint, etc and the associated CALs for those products. They are also becoming a force in the small to mid-size ERP world with Dynamics. And you can't swing a dead cat without hitting another MS CRM installation.
  As anyone that does anything near corporate IT shops knows, Microsoft's presence in the back office is not a "hobby."
29. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by jrroche · 2010-11-09 09:29 · Score: 1
  
  Saying Windows and MS Office make up 95% of Microsoft's profit is not a comment on the irrelevance of Microsoft's other products, it is a comment on the size of the market for those two other products. It's like saying a handful of companies in the US make up the majority of profits for US companies as a whole, so clearly all startups and small businesses are irrelevant and pointless. Windows has something like 90% market share for the operating system market. Do you have any comprehension of how much bigger the home PC operating system market is than the gaming console market? Of course XBox is going to represent a sliver of Microsoft's profits, that doesn't mean it's an irrelevant product or that Microsoft has done nothing new in 25 years.
30. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 09:38 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  I stopped reading your post as soon as I saw you type "Windoze" twice.
  Grow up and realize that companies - all companies - exist to make money. Money comes even if you don't have the "best" product. Crying about it won't get you anywhere.
31. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 10:15 · Score: 0
  
  Gates *LIKES* tech plays with it, it is his life. Balmer it is something to sell.
  Cf. Donald Knuth who won't even do email.
32. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by CannonballHead · 2010-11-09 10:16 · Score: 1
  
  Well, I thought we were talking about tech, innovation, useful programs, etc. I didn't know you wanted only profitability. I am not sure how to measure some of their services, like the aforementioned Windows Live Mesh, in terms of profitability, since it is free.
  Yes, they have subsidized other products, and yet still continue to make them and improve them. Sure, the Kinect thing isn't profitable yet... but was that the initial accusation? that MS's profitability had stagnated? Just because something isn't profitable doesn't mean it's not a good product.
  As for "Windoze" 7 (your post a bit below this)... no, it's not a new product. Who said it was? Do you really want a completely new OS right now? Is a Linux distro trash, too, because it's not profitable and because it's an old operating system?
  Windows 7 is an improvement. So far, in my anecdotal experience, it has outperformed XP, has better hardware compatibility, has some nice usability tweaks, is more stable, and appears to be more secure by default.
33. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 10:18 · Score: 0, Redundant
  
  I'm so tired of people thinking that all Microsoft does is Windows and Office. Step into the enterprise realm and you will see the big money....we've spent over 300k with Microsoft and only a portion of that is desktop software. Server OS (75%+ market share), SQL, Exchange, Azure, CRM, Unified Messaging, Virtualization,
  Xbox is a profitable division now, true in the past it wasn't, but the 360 and 24 million LIVE subscriptions changed that
  http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2010/06/25/microsoft-by-the-numbers.aspx
  Just because the lumbering giant is late to a couple consumer parties, doesn't mean it cant come in and quietly steal the show or at least buyout the talent.
34. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by CannonballHead · 2010-11-09 10:20 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  You're saying that the current Office is "demonstrably worse" than the 1985 version? I am having a very hard time taking that seriously :) But, for argument's sake: please demonstrate.
  Also, when you say "worse," what do you mean? More RAM usage? More disk usage? Performance? Usability? Functionality?
  Current user interface on "windoze" is nice. I like it. Please define, objectively, "garbage," otherwise your anecdotal "I hate it!" is just as worthless as my anecdotal "I like it."
  I could always one-up the anecdotal evidence argument: I am comparing to extensive gnome usage (Ubuntu 10.10) and limited kde 4x usage (Sabayon). I'm able to move around and quicker in Windows. I like the pinned-to-taskbar program thing. Jumplists are nice on occasion.
35. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by NatasRevol · 2010-11-09 10:33 · Score: 1
  
  But functionally, ie what you can actually do, it isn't any different than a menu bar, just a different representation of the same actions.
  And, thus, nothing different.
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
36. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by kaiser423 · 2010-11-09 10:38 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  no shit. His point was that they're not really having much success with new items. Hence the use of the word "stagnation".
  
  Coming in and saying that they're successful leveraging their established brands really just reinforces the point.
37. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by compro01 · 2010-11-09 10:42 · Score: 1
  
  Office - no idea, don't use it.
  Windows 7 has a few nice things over XP, such as the WGF. No more losing the GUI if a 3D game crashes or hangs in the wrong manner, for instance.
  
  --
  upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
38. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by CrashandDie · 2010-11-09 10:56 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  140 characters ought to be enough for anybody.
39. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 14:17 · Score: 0
  
  Yup, time to change the "BORG" image from Bill Gates to Steve Jobs. It's way overdue.
40. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by sootman · 2010-11-09 14:32 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Here are some numbers not from someone's ass.
  Windows and Office are major, Server is a rather distant third (judging by history, it looks like the the top of the purple part is mistakenly cut off at the end), online services are a loss, and "entertainment and devices" is a small positive (at the moment.)
  And, for fun, here's a similar graph for Apple.
  
  --
  Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
41. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by nacturation · 2010-11-09 15:48 · Score: 1
  
  Why is he following Walt "I love Apple" Mossberg?
  Because he knows the teachings of Sun Tzu?
  
  --
  Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
42. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by RWerp · 2010-11-09 15:51 · Score: 1
  
  What other revenue stream Google has, than search? If MS is a one trick pony, the more is Google.
  
  --
  "Long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead." (John Maynard Keynes)
43. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Thinboy00 · 2010-11-09 17:33 · Score: 1
  
  No, wrong Steve: There's "The Steve" (Jobs), "The Other Steve" (Woz) and "The Other Other Steve" (Ballmer).
  
  --
  $ make available
44. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Thinboy00 · 2010-11-09 17:35 · Score: 1
  
  Google has one source of revenue (ads). Everything Google does on the side is a "hobby."
  
  --
  $ make available
45. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 18:20 · Score: 0
  
  Stagnating would probably be a good move on Microsoft's part. Recently, they've been moving forward so slowly that it only serves to highlight their total inability to gain marketshare without throwing piles of money into it.
  The Kin phone is a great example. Stagnating would have been a good idea here. What they did was worse than stagnating.
  Silverlight? Microsoft should have stayed stagnant. They didn't do anything to Flash's marketshare, and it turns out that such technologies are losing major ground in the face of improved JavaScript engines.
  As a web guy, I have to point out that Internet Explorer, even in its most recent incarnations, is still several GENERATIONS behind other browsers in terms of support for standards and general features. IE isn't an outright failure in terms of marketshare (although it's sure heading that direction quick), but it is undeniably holding back the web. Nearly every website would be faster, cheaper to develop, and generally better if not for IE. There is no ambiguity here at all. If you keep up-to-date on the cutting edge of the web and read blog posts by the IE team, it's pretty clear that there is a culture of not giving a crap about what's best for consumers, and web developers just get dragged along for the ride.
46. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by f0rk · 2010-11-09 20:06 · Score: 1
  
  I hate to see The Woz mixed in with these kinds of Steves.
47. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by lxs · 2010-11-09 20:23 · Score: 1
  
  If teh Ballmer doesn't tweet every bowel movement then he has gained some respect in my book.
48. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by vux984 · 2010-11-09 20:51 · Score: 1
  
  Functionally, usefully, what do Win7 & Office 2010 have that WinXP & Office 2001 didn't have?
  Tons of stuff. Serious. The new versions of office are much easier to work with in terms of placing/manipulating images in documents. Charting in excel is both more functional and more attractive. Outlook has the ignore button. Outlook imap support is markedly better. Managing headers and footers is easier. The help tool is markedly better.
  As for windows 7, its more secure. A lot more secure. Its not perfect, but its a huge upgrade. At the end of the day its an operating system, you don't use operating systems. You use applications, and ideally the operating system stays out of the way. Win 7 does that pretty well. I like the new ui widgets. I notice the hardware acceleration performance boost. I like gadget/sidebar thing. The new taskbar, with document previews, and so forth is better. Joining wireless networks is better, setting up printers is better. Setting up network shares is better.
  How is a new car better than a 30 year old car? Tons of little refinements, but driving hasn't changed much. If you can drive an automatic 1980 Toyota Camry you'll be fine in an automatic 2010 Honda Civic. The fact that driving hasn't been completely reinvented 6 times over the last few decades isn't a bad thing. Cars do tons more than they used to... but its all the little things that are peripheral to the experience. The core of steering/braking/accelrating is still the same.
49. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by bazonic · 2010-11-10 02:03 · Score: 1
  
  The chart you link to is pretend to support the article. They don't have the divisions right - there is no "Office" division at MS. Even though they don't have it right, it still supports my argument - it shows Server and Tools doing more business than Windows. The "Business" division includes Office (with Project and Visio) and the ERP products - Dynamics and CRM. Here is a better breakdown of revenue by division.
  
  My point was, Windows and Office do not represent anywhere near 95% of revenue, as the post I was responding to claimed. If you tease all these data sources, it looks like Server and Tools and the ERP/CRM portion of "Business" division represnts over a third of MS revenue.
50. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by NatasRevol · 2010-11-10 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  Do Office 2010 or Win7 either do anything fundamentally different than their predecessors? No. (Especially not an ignore button...)
  And your car analogy is apt. And why I have a 1995 car that still drives fine.
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
51. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by NatasRevol · 2010-11-10 03:07 · Score: 1
  
  Sorry, I don't see Ballmer being that zen/good/clued in.
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
52. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by vux984 · 2010-11-10 06:42 · Score: 1
  
  And your car analogy is apt. And why I have a 1995 car that still drives fine.
  Precisely. The question do Office 2010 or Win7 do anything fundamentally different is essentially a non sequitor.
  You can't make a word processor fundamentally different and still have it be a word processor. All word processors are fundamentally the same thing. Ditto for spreadsheets, and even operating systems.
  From a users perspective even OSX isn't fundamentally different from Windows 7, especially to end users.
53. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-10 07:01 · Score: 0
  
  One of the funniest jokes I've ever seen on Slashdot. Sir or Madam Coward, I salute thee.
54. Re:Inquiring minds want to know... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-10 07:38 · Score: 0
  
  It might be a change, but it's no innovation. I fail to see how it's materially different from the UI presented by CAD and 3D apps have presented for quite some time.
Darn it! by satuon · 2010-11-09 06:30 · Score: 1

Darn it, you found me! Oh, ****, I just gave away my slashdot account, too!
Even more pointless by Hatta · 2010-11-09 06:32 · Score: 4, Insightful

Isn't the entire point of twitter communicating with a large audience? If no one knows who you are, then what's the point?

--
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
1. Re:Even more pointless by Jugalator · 2010-11-09 06:38 · Score: 1
  
  Isn't the entire point of twitter communicating with a large audience? If no one knows who you are, then what's the point?
  Besides, Twitter supports private feeds if you're a user who don't want random people to read your tweets.
  I think he's missing the point if he's running an open twitter feed *and* want to be secret. WTF?
  
  --
  Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
2. Re:Even more pointless by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 06:38 · Score: 0
  
  No. That's what the privacy settings are for. You communicate with the audience you want to.
3. Re:Even more pointless by garcia · 2010-11-09 06:39 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Isn't the entire point of twitter communicating with a large audience? If no one knows who you are, then what's the point?
  I don't care about the dude behind @ShitMyDadSays (the Twitter account, not the absolutely horrendous TV show) but I love what he puts out there (I follow him by RSS though). Hell, a lot of the people I follow on Twitter I don't know anything about but I find what they have to say interesting.
  YMMV.
4. Re:Even more pointless by mini+me · 2010-11-09 06:40 · Score: 1
  
  Twitter's success has come from the fact that it has no one specific use-case. You can use it to communicate with millions of people, or you can use it to manage SMS broadcasts with only your closest friends, or you can use it in millions of other ways. It is up to you to determine how it best fits your needs, if at all.
5. Re:Even more pointless by thethibs · 2010-11-09 06:48 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  The point is quietly following people who talk too much and using whatever information falls out.
  
  --
  I'm a Programmer. That's one level above Software Engineer and one level below Engineer.
6. Re:Even more pointless by vlueboy · 2010-11-09 07:01 · Score: 0
  
  Isn't the entire point of twitter communicating with a large audience?
  Not to state Balmer is an example, but sheeple like my mother misunderstand social media conditions because the sites *want* you to sign up even when you don't need to. /. has few nags to sign up on the front page and most importantly, we've always been able to post AC. Twitter and facebook have public areas too, but they misleed noobs to believe they can't watch videos, tweets or the Queen of England's facebook page till after forking over registration info.
  The companies win, because now they can datamine them, even if postings aren't being made.
7. Re:Even more pointless by guyminuslife · 2010-11-09 07:02 · Score: 1
  
  If that were the case, then 99.9% of Twitter accounts would be pointless.
  (What I'm saying is, I agree.)
  
  --
  I don't believe in time. It's a grand conspiracy designed to sell watches.
8. Re:Even more pointless by Theolojin · 2010-11-09 07:11 · Score: 1
  
  Isn't the entire point of twitter communicating with a large audience? If no one knows who you are, then what's the point?
  I always thought the point was narcissism.
  
  --
  Life is short; think quickly.
9. Re:Even more pointless by stephanruby · 2010-11-09 07:29 · Score: 1
  
  Twitter is like email. It can be pointless and/or useful. It really depends how you use it.
  Take a look at your unfiltered email inbox, a lot of it is spam, a lot of it is announcements/mailing lists related, a lot of it is chit-chat (what your extended family did on vacation), a lot of it is someone carbon copying you on something (because they want to keep you in the loop just in case), and this is not to say that all these categories are completely pointless, they're not necessarily. It's just that if you judge email based on its most visible attributes, you're bound to make some incorrect assumptions about it.
  And I won't bore you with my own use of Twitter, I'm not trying to accumulate the highest number of followers, I'm not famous, I don't have the most interesting tweets, I hardly re-tweet anything from anyone else (I did once, that's about it), and chances are if you start following me, I won't reciprocate, so it's not like my own use of Twitter would even be super-visible to you.
10. Re:Even more pointless by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:33 · Score: 0
  
  > If no one knows who you are, then what's the point?
  Astroturfing doesn't work if it's known you have a vested interest.
11. Re:Even more pointless by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:35 · Score: 0
  
  If I mod points, I would give you a -1. Sheeple is a buzzword that does nothing to help the current discussion.
12. Re:Even more pointless by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:57 · Score: 0
  
  Of course, the whole point of a Twitter Account is lost, if you keep it a secret! Why didn't you tell the world, EH?
13. Re:Even more pointless by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 08:13 · Score: 0
  
  Isn't the entire point of twitter communicating with a large audience? If no one knows who you are, then what's the point?
  Different people use it for different purposes. Sometimes you just want to keep in sync with your friends/family and not the whole world.
  Some people don't send out, but simply have an account to follow others.
14. Re:Even more pointless by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 08:23 · Score: 0
  
  At least you didn't post that anonymously.
15. Re:Even more pointless by Yvanhoe · 2010-11-09 08:27 · Score: 1
  
  I always thought the point was a lie.
  
  --
  The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
16. Re:Even more pointless by NatasRevol · 2010-11-09 08:35 · Score: 1
  
  Best Twitter account out there:
  http://twitter.com/#!/BizNasty2point0
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
17. Re:Even more pointless by geekmux · 2010-11-09 08:58 · Score: 1
  
  Isn't the entire point of twitter communicating with a large audience? If no one knows who you are, then what's the point?
  No, the entire point of twitter is so wanna-be celebrities can let a large audience know they just took a shit 17 seconds ago.
  The sad part is there's actually a large audience there ready to receive said shitty news.
18. Re:Even more pointless by veeoh · 2010-11-09 09:52 · Score: 1
  
  Yeh sorta, but it's also good if you want to follow a lot of people in your industry, keep your ear to the ground so to speak.
19. Re:Even more pointless by Locutus · 2010-11-09 10:31 · Score: 1
  
  and you thought Ballmer was _not_ clueless?
  
  if he really had a close knit group he wanted to stay in comms with as Twitter does, you'd think that he could have had one of his interns gen up something special for just them instead of using a 3rd party tool while using it incognito.
  
  it makes my head spin trying to figure out why he would do something like this but then again, I stopped trying to figure Ballmer out. He'snot really in touch with what's going on out in the field so it's best to disregard him as a PR man for one product, Windows. IMO
  
  LoB
  
  --
  "Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
20. Re:Even more pointless by Locutus · 2010-11-09 10:38 · Score: 1
  
  sorry, it's a noop IMO. someone setup an account for him in April and then someone handed him a Windows Phone 7 device with that account configured. wow, Ballmer is jumping around on stage in Kiev tapping out he loves Kiev every time his feet hit the stage floor. yawn.
  
  LoB
  
  --
  "Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
21. Re:Even more pointless by farnsworth · 2010-11-09 10:42 · Score: 1
  
  Isn't the entire point of twitter communicating with a large audience? If no one knows who you are, then what's the point?
  I don't care about the dude behind @ShitMyDadSays (the Twitter account, not the absolutely horrendous TV show) but I love what he puts out there (I follow him by RSS though). Hell, a lot of the people I follow on Twitter I don't know anything about but I find what they have to say interesting.
  YMMV.
  I suspect that a lot of folks agree completely with what you said, but the guy you responded to was making the converse point -- if you are someone who a lot of people are interested in, and you use twitter, there is pretty much no point if you don't tell anyone. Reading through Steve Ballmer's tweets just reinforces the notion that the endeavor is completely pointless. He was probably just trying it out to "stay in touch with what the kids are doing." There is really nothing to see here.
  
  --
  There aint no pancake so thin it doesn't have two sides.
22. Re:Even more pointless by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 10:48 · Score: 0
  
  http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/4/23/
23. Re:Even more pointless by sootman · 2010-11-09 14:12 · Score: 1
  
  No, the entire point of Twitter is to communicate to whoever the hell you want to. Most of the people I know in real life that use Twitter have their accounts set to totally private and have only a handful of friends and family as followers.
  
  Twitter's origins lie in a "daylong brainstorming session" that was held by board members of the podcasting company Odeo. While sitting in a park on a children's slide and eating Mexican food, Jack Dorsey introduced the idea of an individual using an SMS service to communicate with a small group.
  (Text from Wikipedia, emphasis mine.)
  If anything, I'd expect Ballmer to have two twitter accounts, one public, one private. Or else I'd expect MS to release a clone of Twitter and he'd use that.
  
  --
  Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
24. Re:Even more pointless by thetoadwarrior · 2010-11-10 07:47 · Score: 1
  
  I don't really use it for communicating to anyone but I follow people and companies like Nasa and effectively use it as an RSS feed. I see no harm in using it that way and it's better than blabbing about how I did a poo this morning.
Me too. I haven't given out my twitter info either by BadAnalogyGuy · 2010-11-09 06:32 · Score: 0

Only my closest friends have my twitter information. I like it better this way.
Holy shit by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 06:32 · Score: 0

Stop the presses.
Wow. by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 06:32 · Score: 1, Funny

So Ballmer astroturfs personally? That's dedication!
1. Re:Wow. by mark72005 · 2010-11-09 06:45 · Score: 0, Redundant
  
  Now he's throwing chars instead of chairs
Who would want to follow... by bogaboga · 2010-11-09 06:34 · Score: 1, Flamebait

...Steve Ballmer, who is tech loser #3?
1. Re:Who would want to follow... by Locke2005 · 2010-11-09 06:38 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Is the number one tech loser the guy that can't spell "Business" in a URL?
  
  --
  I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
2. Re:Who would want to follow... by bogaboga · 2010-11-09 06:41 · Score: 1
  
  http://www.businessinsider.com/techloser/steve-ballmer
3. Re:Who would want to follow... by bogaboga · 2010-11-09 06:42 · Score: 1
  
  Sorry, that link has a typo!
  Here you go!
4. Re:Who would want to follow... by CODiNE · 2010-11-09 06:52 · Score: 1
  
  I find it interesting that you managed to spell "business" wrong yet got the rest of the URL right. Must be a Chrome user with broken copy and paste.
  I don't know if I'd trust that list though.
  Steve Jobs Loser #7
  
  --
  Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
5. Re:Who would want to follow... by gnola14 · 2010-11-09 06:57 · Score: 1
  
  ouch...
6. Re:Who would want to follow... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:09 · Score: 0
  
  OK, to start with they mean "loser" in the sense that they lost a lot of money, nothing to do with their business sense. They are invested in their companies and when the market tanks they take a hit.
  Second, you do realize that was written in 2008 right at the market bottom? The situation is much improved since then.
  All those guys are just fine and didn't do anything stupid.
7. Re:Who would want to follow... by balbus000 · 2010-11-09 07:10 · Score: 1
  
  Copy/paste is now working for me in Chrome.
8. Re:Who would want to follow... by MyLongNickName · 2010-11-09 07:15 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I really wish Slashdot would create a preview option.
  
  --
  See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
9. Re:Who would want to follow... by $RANDOMLUSER · 2010-11-09 07:26 · Score: 1
  
  Or rather, was back in December 2008.
  
  --
  No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
10. Re:Who would want to follow... by ColdWetDog · 2010-11-09 07:34 · Score: 1
  
  I really wish Slashdot would create a preview option.
  How to say this gently?
  
  It's just to the right of "Quote Parent".
  
  Maybe some new glasses? Coffee?
  
  --
  Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
11. Re:Who would want to follow... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:40 · Score: 0
  
  How to say this gently?
  It's just to the right of "Quote Parent".
  Maybe some new glasses? Coffee?
  How to say this gently?
  That was sarcasm.
12. Re:Who would want to follow... by MyLongNickName · 2010-11-09 07:47 · Score: 1
  
  Perhaps Slashdot should introduce a sarcasm meter as well. Follow the OP's hyperlinks, and you might get the joke...
  
  --
  See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
13. Re:Who would want to follow... by diegocg · 2010-11-09 07:55 · Score: 1
  
  I would like to be a "loser" like Ballmer...
14. Re:Who would want to follow... by mdemeny · 2010-11-09 08:17 · Score: 1
  
  Also, the link is about 2 years old - it claims Steve Jobs as a tech loser too... when in fact Apple is now #2 in the world in market cap (after Exxon). How quickly things can change...
15. Re:Who would want to follow... by kjart · 2010-11-09 08:29 · Score: 1
  
  As opposed to Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who are jointly #1?
16. Re:Who would want to follow... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 08:33 · Score: 0
  
  How to say this gently?
  Imagine the sound of a frisbee being thrown.
  Or, say, an airplane passing overhead.
  Or a joke.
  Oh forget it: WOOOOOSH!
17. Re:Who would want to follow... by ColdWetDog · 2010-11-09 09:24 · Score: 1
  
  Oops. OP was buried. Sorry, your comment just looked too inviting....
  
  --
  Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
18. Re:Who would want to follow... by treeves · 2010-11-09 12:13 · Score: 1
  
  "Whoooosh" always has kind of a gentle, breezy sound, don't you think?
  
  --
  ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
So what. by jellomizer · 2010-11-09 06:34 · Score: 1

So he is a rich CEO, he owns one of the biggest Tech companies. He likes tech, however everything he says is over analysed. Is it really that big of a deal. No. Like him, hate him, but he has a life outside of Microsoft PR too.

--
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
1. Re:So what. by Locke2005 · 2010-11-09 06:45 · Score: 1
  
  I hear his wife complains that she gets over-anal-ized too...
  
  --
  I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
2. Re:So what. by konohitowa · 2010-11-09 07:25 · Score: 1
  
  ,,, he owns one of the biggest Tech companies.
  Steve Ballmer owns a huge Tech company? Which one?
3. Re:So what. by NatasRevol · 2010-11-09 08:41 · Score: 1
  
  I'm thinking under-anal-ized...
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
4. Re:So what. by Rockoon · 2010-11-09 08:50 · Score: 1
  
  Either way, I'm sure its a pain in the ass.
  
  --
  "His name was James Damore."
5. Re:So what. by treeves · 2010-11-09 12:17 · Score: 1
  
  aQuantive. Look it up. OK, it's not really tech, but it's tech-related.
  
  --
  ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
6. Re:So what. by konohitowa · 2010-11-09 12:51 · Score: 1
  
  According to Wikipedia, AQuantive is owned by Microsoft, not Steve Ballmer.
7. Re:So what. by treeves · 2010-11-09 15:09 · Score: 1
  
  So desu. Watashi-no machigai.
  
  --
  ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
8. Re:So what. by konohitowa · 2010-11-11 08:03 · Score: 1
  
  Hey -- no worries. I think if anyone was going to own a major tech company out of the MS three, it would be Paul Allen.
  Anyway, my original response to jellomizer was more facetious than anything. He seemed to be implying that Ballmer actually owns MS, rather than being a shareholder.
Uh oh by Locke2005 · 2010-11-09 06:34 · Score: 1

Note to self: that 16-year old blond model you've been flirting with online could actually be Steve Ballmer!

--
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
1. Re:Uh oh by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:43 · Score: 0
  
  And you wouldn't be his bitch for a couple years for 1/2 of his money? :)
Ah, yes... by jd · 2010-11-09 06:36 · Score: 1

"I'm just very private about who I really am"
That's because being an extraterrestrial zombie with the desire to eat human brains softened by Windows and marinated in Aero would likely reduce his popularity.

--
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
I can neither confirm nor deny by Locke2005 · 2010-11-09 06:37 · Score: 1

...The rumors that my twitter ID is "SweatyMonkeyBoy69", said Ballmer.

--
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Actually twitter link by iONiUM · 2010-11-09 06:37 · Score: 3, Insightful

Once again I find the summary lacking. I had to read TFA to find the actual link to his twitter: http://twitter.com/stevebmicrosoft. There really isn't much there.. which explains why: a) he didn't announce it, and b) why we shouldn't care. Which of course leads to: c) why is this on slashdot?
1. Re:Actually twitter link by BadAnalogyGuy · 2010-11-09 06:43 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  why is this on slashdot?
  Stockholm syndrome.
2. Re:Actually twitter link by Locke2005 · 2010-11-09 06:47 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  why is this on slashdot? Because it's a great jumping off point for stupid one-liners like "How could Steve use any service where he is confined to only throwing around 140 chars?"
  
  --
  I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
3. Re:Actually twitter link by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 06:59 · Score: 0
  
  Because it is related to technology.
4. Re:Actually twitter link by 10101001+10101001 · 2010-11-09 07:13 · Score: 1
  why is this on slashdot?
  
  Steve Ballmer is CEO of Microsoft, an important technology company
  Slashdot has a fixation on the evilness and failings of Microsoft (when there's plenty of tech company evilness and failings to focus on)
  Recently the Microsoft Kin, a phone targeted at social networkers, was released and quickly withdrawn from sale
  It sounds very much like one of the reason Microsoft Kin might have failed is that it did so horribly at fulfilling the expectation of social networkers, like having decent Twitter support
  The Microsoft Kin was seen by many as an attempt by Microsoft to connect to the youth (or young adult, at least) culture to spure sales, a feat that seemingly Apple has done reasonably well
  One of the seeming claims behind Apples success is precisely that its CEO becomes overly involved in product development
  Given your statements about Steve Ballmer's lack of remotely heavy Twitter use, it seems unlikely he'd be of much help even if he copied Apple in that regard
  Which leads to the final point, that as trendy and stupid as you might thing Apple is, they don't seem to engage their intended audience so badly in part because they don't try to connect in ways that are not their own strengths
  Does that answer your question?
  --
  Eurohacker European paranoia, gun rights, and h
5. Re:Actually twitter link by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:44 · Score: 0
  
  why is this on slashdot?
  Stockholm syndrome.
  I've often thought that, given that hundreds of millions of people suffer from a very specific type of Stockholm syndrome, it warrants its own name. "Redmond syndrome" was my first thought, but then all of the trendy computer users would consider the term too stuffy, and demand they be considered sufferers of something like iAbused instead.
6. Re:Actually twitter link by TemporalBeing · 2010-11-09 07:45 · Score: 1
  
  Steve Ballmer is CEO of Microsoft, an important technology company
  Yes, he's the CEO of Microsoft. No it is NOT an important technology company.
  
  --
  Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away. - Elvis Presley (source: imdb.com)
7. Re:Actually twitter link by yuhong · 2010-11-09 08:12 · Score: 1
  
  And names like this is not really secret. It is obvious that SteveB at Microsoft stands for Steve Ballmer, even if it can't be confirmed that it is really him.
8. Re:Actually twitter link by sco08y · 2010-11-09 08:24 · Score: 1
  
  Once again I find the summary lacking. I had to read TFA to find the actual link to his twitter: http://twitter.com/stevebmicrosoft. There really isn't much there.. which explains why: a) he didn't announce it, and b) why we shouldn't care. Which of course leads to: c) why is this on slashdot?
  To keep the diversity up. After this, a Linux story, then five Google and fifteen Apple stories.
9. Re:Actually twitter link by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 08:40 · Score: 0
  
  To boil down your points, what you're actually saying is that Microsoft is the focus of hate amongst the Slashdorks so any excuse will do. You may as well have brought up Microsoft Bob somewhere in your post. It would have been just as useful.
10. Re:Actually twitter link by CODiNE · 2010-11-09 08:51 · Score: 1
  
  The summary seemed a bit more on the "Hah hah" side than a fan boi newsflash or slashvertisement.
  Perhaps you were thinking of "Shadenfreude"?
  
  --
  Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
11. Re:Actually twitter link by Tarlus · 2010-11-09 09:04 · Score: 1
  
  I know you're trying to be funny, but... yeah, Microsoft is an important technology company.
  
  --
  /* No Comment */
12. Re:Actually twitter link by Talderas · 2010-11-09 09:23 · Score: 1
  
  It involves Steve who everybody hates, who is the CEO of a company that everybody hates.
  Thus the entire purpose of the article being posted is to foment Microsoft/Windows/Steve hatred.
  
  --
  "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
13. Re:Actually twitter link by david.emery · 2010-11-09 10:11 · Score: 1
  
  why is this on slashdot? Because it's a great jumping off point for stupid one-liners like "How could Steve use any service where he is confined to only throwing around 140 chars?"
  in this case: s/stupid/clever/
14. Re:Actually twitter link by vegiVamp · 2010-11-09 20:51 · Score: 1
  
  A modpoint, a modpoint, my kingdom for a modpoint !
  This may be the most insightful post in years, intentional or not.
  
  --
  What a depressingly stupid machine.
Really...? That more interesting than... by Nethemas+the+Great · 2010-11-09 06:38 · Score: 2, Informative

Ballmer selling off $1.3B worth of Microsoft? With plans to clear 75 million share before years end? I must say, I'm thoroughly confused...

--
Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
4 tweets, 2,278 followers by digitaldc · 2010-11-09 06:48 · Score: 1

and all I can tell is that Steve is now Russia's biggest cheerleader. Maybe he is using them for botnet security testing?

--
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
1. Re:4 tweets, 2,278 followers by geoffrobinson · 2010-11-09 08:01 · Score: 1
  
  Botnet developers are the biggest backers of Windows.
  
  --
  Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
Re:Me too. I haven't given out my twitter info eit by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 06:51 · Score: 0

Me too. I haven't given out my twitter info either (Score:0)
Wow, posting at zero nowadays.
Someone got modded down a little too often. Must be the inane stuff like this.
Re:Really...? That more interesting than... by thethibs · 2010-11-09 06:57 · Score: 2, Insightful

Your confusion probably stems from your ignorance of tax planning rule #1: Sell when capital gains taxes are low and likely to go high.
What he's selling is a small fraction of his holdings. How do you think these guys pay for their toys?

--
I'm a Programmer. That's one level above Software Engineer and one level below Engineer.
The real reason by noidentity · 2010-11-09 07:05 · Score: 1

"Developers... developers... developers... developers... developers... developers... developers... developers... developers... developers... developers..." wouldn't fit within a tweet.
Re:Really...? That more interesting than... by Nethemas+the+Great · 2010-11-09 07:18 · Score: 1

My confusion isn't in the tax argument. I get the notion of reporting a loss to offset tax burdens. But selling roughly 20% or $2B of his stake in Microsoft isn't a "small fraction." Particularly with present discussions about Microsoft's future floating around.

--
Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
Re:Really...? That more interesting than... by thethibs · 2010-11-09 07:22 · Score: 0, Flamebait

You're still confused. He won't be reporting a loss. He'll be reporting a profit; but he'll be doing it now, before Obama raises the capital gains tax.

--
I'm a Programmer. That's one level above Software Engineer and one level below Engineer.
I always knew by twoears · 2010-11-09 07:39 · Score: 1

I always knew he was a twit. This just confirms it.
So the whole story is... by kenh · 2010-11-09 07:40 · Score: 1

...that Steve Ballmer has a twitter account, but no idea what it is?
Thanks, that almost tells me something useful...
Seriously, what was the point of this? That's like finding out that Bill Gates likes to build PCs and buys his parts from an on-line vendor.

--
Ken
1. Re:So the whole story is... by kenh · 2010-11-09 07:43 · Score: 1
  
  Never mind - I failed to read TFA, my bad.
  Who knew that @stevebmicrosoft is Mr. Ballmer?
  
  --
  Ken
from the i-wanna-watch-the-steves-wrestle dept by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 07:44 · Score: 0

from the i-wanna-watch-the-steves-wrestle dept
Ah, CmdrTaco's true gay nature reveals itself.
SEC???? by TemporalBeing · 2010-11-09 07:44 · Score: 1

Didn't another CEO get in trouble over having a Twitter account and other social media? Perhaps the SEC needs to investigate Microsoft over the matter since Ballmer could potentially be giving advise or hinting at matters and cause insider trading to occur, even if unintentional.

--
Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away. - Elvis Presley (source: imdb.com)
1. Re:SEC???? by jimicus · 2010-11-09 08:09 · Score: 1
  
  As far as any sufficiently large business is concerned, nothing is illegal until such time as you have been taken to court and exhausted all the appeal avenues you're prepared to follow.
2. Re:SEC???? by yuhong · 2010-11-09 08:16 · Score: 1
  
  IMO public microblogging and Internet postings should be considered fair disclosure, espicially if the real name and company was disclosed.
Developers...developers...developers by mschaffer · 2010-11-09 07:46 · Score: 1

So, that's "Developers" 14 times in a single tweet.
1. Re:Developers...developers...developers by NatasRevol · 2010-11-09 08:25 · Score: 1
  
  No, that's "Developers!" 12 times....
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
2. Re:Developers...developers...developers by Sulphur · 2010-11-09 11:17 · Score: 1
  
  No, that's "Developers!" 12 times....
  More than that with macros.
3. Re:Developers...developers...developers by sznupi · 2010-11-09 15:19 · Score: 1
  
  Honestly, you need only 4. And next 4, in another tweet. And again. And...
  
  --
  One that hath name thou can not otter
Geek gossip at its best by Ceriel+Nosforit · 2010-11-09 07:55 · Score: 1

Geek gossip at its best. Thank you Slashdot.

--
All rites reversed 2010
fakestevejobs perhaps :-) by maxwells_deamon · 2010-11-09 08:00 · Score: 1

LOL
Re:Really...? That more interesting than... by misexistentialist · 2010-11-09 08:02 · Score: 1

Maybe he just wants to roll around in a mountain of cash. (Probably couldn't borrow it due the potential for sweat damage)
Twit on Twitter by NSN+A392-99-964-5927 · 2010-11-09 08:15 · Score: 1

Really I have better things to do in life. Hence I am not on facebook twitter etc and do not follow main stream media either. I like /. but that is about it.

--
All cows eat grass!
Typo in Summary by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 08:40 · Score: 0

It's Kyiv, not Kiev.
You don't have to worry.. by pizzach · 2010-11-09 10:30 · Score: 1

Now that MS is genuinely moving again I say it will take a max of 5 years for the MS 'battered wives' to return to their main man. He has his glam back. Then MS can finally go back to stagnating for another 8 years.
I do hope IE for Linux and Mac OS X make their guest appearances again soon. It shouldn't be too long.
[/end brutal truth]

--
Once you start despising the jerks, you become one.
In Soviet Russia . . . by cashman73 · 2010-11-09 10:35 · Score: 1

. . . BALMER TWEETS YOU!
more microsoft security by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-09 10:39 · Score: 0

security by obscurity....it works!
twitter.com/ManMonkeyLove? by mevets · 2010-11-09 10:56 · Score: 1

just a thought....
FTFY by Arthur+Grumbine · 2010-11-09 11:04 · Score: 1

Sorry, that link has a typo!
Here you go!
That link has a typo, too!
Fixed it for you!

--
Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
Re:Really...? That more interesting than... by LynnwoodRooster · 2010-11-09 11:42 · Score: 1

To the mods who rated the parent flamebait... HOW? Everything is factual, including the fact capital gains taxes are about to rise, at the express desire of the Obama Administration... I guess politics trumps reality on /.

--
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
Re:Really...? That more interesting than... by tbannist · 2010-11-10 01:41 · Score: 1

My guess would be that the downmodder (and there's only one down mod there) thought thethibbs was saying Obama is going to raise tax rates, which would be generally false since Obama's current proposal is to extend tax breaks for the lower 98% of Americans. Of course, the Republicans are blocking the extension of any of the tax cuts unless they're extended for everyone. The issue might be the appearance of cherry-picked facts or it might just be a simple misunderstanding what thethibbs was trying to say.
However, on the other hand, Nethemas has a good point, a marginal tax rate increase of 3% shouldn't be enough to convince someone to sell 1.3 billion in stock unless he thinks the stock won't make more than that in capital gains over the alternative time period that he would holding the stock. So it does look a little like Ballmer selling 20% of his shares in Microsoft is an indication of his lack of confidence in the company.

--
Fanatically anti-fanatical
That explains alot by thetoadwarrior · 2010-11-10 07:50 · Score: 1

Would he happen to be @thrownchair or @flyingofficefurniture?