What PC means to Microsoft.
It seems that Microsoft has taken it upon themselves to police our language. This would be funny except that MS Word has become such a standard in all offices now that it will affect the language used by people who do use a thesaurus. I wouldn't mind it so much if their thesaurus was open so that third party packages were available but I don't think it is.
Oh, the above link to the NYTimes Online requires you to be registered. Registration only costs you a little privacy. TANSTAAFL.
[ related topics:
Humor Microsoft Political Correctness Heinlein
]
comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment made: 2002-02-21 05:33:05+00 by:
Dori
Oh, jeez, I'm defending MS... how the hell did that happen?
The problem is that MS has, in the past, been sued by idiots who don't
understand how search engines work (see this
article, for instance). Enough stupid lawsuits by stupid people, and
it's simpler to just junk all words with all possible negative connotations
than to try to figure out what might possibly offend someone at some
future time.
Dori
Backup Brain
#Comment made: 2002-02-21 05:33:05+00 by:
Sam
I think if you replace the www with archive you can link to nytimes without
registration, at least you used to be able to...
Sam D
#Comment made: 2002-02-21 05:33:05+00 by:
Larry Burton
Well, now that's just absolutely ridiculous. I'm all for positive encouragement of people but sometimes the only thing positive to find is that the person is positively a jerk.
#Comment made: 2002-02-21 05:33:05+00 by:
Dan Lyke
Have I ranted recently about the sorry state of the US legal system? I hate to say it, but I too understand where Microsoft is coming from. And there's no clue stick big enough for thwapping the American public over issues like this, but I guess we get the government we deserve.
#Comment made: 2002-02-21 05:33:05+00 by:
Dori
Dan and I are both coming in on Microsoft's side?
All I can say is, how much are lift tickets in hell?
Dori
Backup Brain
#Comment made: 2002-02-21 05:33:06+00 by:
Larry Burton
No, I understand why Microsoft did what they did and if I look at this completely from an objective viewpoint I would make the same decision that they made. However, there is no passion in objectivity. I would fight these stooopid law suits just on principle and I would win, on some level, and I would be broke. I think it would be worth it to me.
Maybe I've been reading too much Epictetus.