Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!aurora!labrea!decwrl!hplabs!hpda!hpesoc1!hpindda!hardin
From: hardin@hpindda.HP.COM (John Hardin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: MSC 5.0 Bugs, Microsoft ``support''
Message-ID: <4330028@hpindda.HP.COM>
Date: 3 Feb 88 20:43:08 GMT
References: <248@pyuxf.UUCP>
Organization: HP Information Networks, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 35

>The suggestion has been made to:
>
>>"Please tell the rest of us on the network about the problem.
>>At least we can work around these bugs if we know about them.
>>In your report, however, include a restrictive copyright notice
>>particularly restricting Microsoft from using the report for internal
>>use and bug-fixing.  These bug reports are of very high commercial value
>>to Microsoft.  It does not seem like a fair trade to report a bug to
>>them and have them turn around and profit by it without renumeration
>>to the person who spent time diagnosing the problem."
>
>Come, now!  Isn't this a bit childish, like biting off your nose to spite
>your face?
>
>---------------------
>Steve Harrold			...hplabs!hpsmtc1!swh

Seems to me that the original poster is not out of line at all.
If we (the user community) are having a problem with an arrogant
and unhelpful vendor, we have very few options to remedy the
situation.  If the vendor is allowed to engage in this behavior
with impunity, we can expect no change in the behavior.  Clearly,
the best message one can send to such a vendor is simply to buy
someone elses product.  Many times, however, this not a viable 
option due to some other considerations like compatability with
other vendor's products or your company's decision to standardize
on a particular compiler, operating system, windowing environment, 
etc.  A hostile and uncooperative user community may eventually
bring about a change in the behavior of the offending vendor.
Surely we should only refrain from any action only if we are
satisfied with the current state of affairs.  Many times it is
better to promote change by letting a bad system fail than to
help it keep limping along.  (Why do I keep thinking about 
South Africa as I write this? :-) )

John Hardin