The future of Ubuntu Linux.... Will it make Micro$oft go bankrupt?

[marc]

Amedee Van Gasse (Ubuntu) said:

> My opinion is that the name of that company is (or has been in the past)
> "Micro Soft" (two words) or "MicroSoft" (CamelCase) or "Microsoft" (one
> word). It's name is not Micro$oft with a dollar sign, just like that
> other company isn't called Nov€££ (euro sign and two pound sigs).
> 
> Writing a monetary symbol in the name of a company is prejudice and
> brings unwanted emotional arguments into the debate. It shows little
> respect for a serious competitor for Linux in the operating system
> market, it is childish behavior, and I doubt if it agrees with the
> Ubuntu Code of Conduct.
> 
> If you want to discuss Microsoft, I suggest you do that in a
> professional way, with reasonable arguments. The Linux community as a
> whole benefits from a more professional attitude. Microsoft is not the
> Evil Empire, they are a worthy adversary. Let's show them who is the
> best and give the example. Or just ignore Microsoft if you are not
> capable of a professional attitude.

Geez, I usually agree with what you say, but this is w-a-y over the top.

To a tiny typographical snipe you attribute the following:

- prejudice
- incitement
- lack of respect
- childishness
- contravention of the CoC
- lack of professionalism (three times)
- contravention of the CoC

Is this place going to hell?

I'm pretty much tempted to forever write micro$oft in future. And M$ is a 
useful shorthand that's universally understood.

> About bankrupcy: I hope that Microsoft will never go bankrupt. That
> would not be good for the economy and for the software ecology. I
> believe in a darwinian struggle for software: continuous improval to be
> better than the competition.

Yup, but this isn't Darwinism! Darwinism is, in a nutshell: variation; 
struggle for existence; natural selection; and origin of species. 
Darwinism doesn't imply improvement.

> I would be much happier to see a Microsoft that adopts Open Standards,

I'm sure we all agree on this.

> and they are already taking very small steps in the good direction.

The fact is that history doesn't support the argument that M$'s 
intentions are honourable in this area.

-- 
Best,
Marc