Microsoft actually does learn from its mistakes, and the Netscape mistake was a huge learning experience. Microsoft learned that it really doesn"t do subtle well, and that virtually any memo can, and likely will, be leaked to the press. As a result, while the company will attack Linux and open source directly from time to time, it actually can"t -- and really has never been able to -- make the subtle moves that are being attributed to it.
I was chatting with a journalist a couple of days ago to help with background on a story on Microsoft designed to debunk one of the most common misconceptions surrounding the company. I started to realize there were a lot of them -- some I actually held myself -- that either were no longer true or never had been.
This came to a head the other day when an Apple advocate wrote to me that he would rather give his money to Apple than to Bill Gates. I spent some time pointing out that Steve Jobs is on the overpaid CEO list and Bill isn"t. I also pointed out that, as an engineer, he would likely better identify with Bill, who lives and breathes technology, than with Steve, whose strength is more in creative marketing, particularly after his recent executive changes that clearly favored the iPod over the Mac. This got me to thinking that maybe it is time to look at some of these misperceptions, both recent and long-term, and put them back in perspective.