November 12th, 1999

[10:45 AM] Microsoft Eats Its Own: Follow-up by Staff We ran a story on Wednesday about an incident with a Microsoft retailer being sued by Microsoft. The original point of that story was to illustrate how Microsoft has such a voracious appetite that it will even eat those propagating their products. We received the following letter from an Observer who adds to the character support of the man being sued. Refer to the original article if you have questions on this. From Ken Sharp: Greetings, I am a resident of the Berkeley Springs, WV area and know both Mr. Boles and Mr. Mattson. I have met with Mr. Boles and Mr. Mattson concerning the telescope project Mr. Boles is trying to accomplish for our community schools. Mr. Boles motives in taking on this project are far short of profit motivated, and IMHO Mr. Mattson's integrity is beyond reproach on ANY level. In my wildest imagination can I envision Mr. Boles knowingly selling illegal software. It is my hope that you will continue to use your forum to keep the Mac community aware of this injustice, and to enlist their help. Not only can this save a man's livelihood, it can also insure the creation of a unique learning experience for the students of Morgan County. Best regards, Ken Sharp RR2 Box3800 Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 The Mac Observer Spin: Maybe this incident will convince Mr. Boles to become an Apple dealer and cast off the Redmond shackles. Of course, Apple too has had its own share of dealer-relationship problems in the past. Indeed, the company is even now rumored to be considering doing away with more of its retailers though VARs will supposedly remain. Still, when it comes down to it, would you rather be screwed by Apple or Microsoft? [Editor's Note: For the humor-impaired, that was a joke.] Microsoft