LWN: Comments on "Microsoft Open XML standards vote foments politics, dismay (News.com)"

LWN and annoying adverts

rsidd — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 08:31:06 +0000

Why on earth are you bothered by an ad at the bottom of the page? And that, too, a text-only ad in a separate box?

Don't you ever read print newspapers or magazines? Or are you not bothered by ads in print media?

LWN and annoying adverts

nix — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 00:03:45 +0000

At least get rid of the Generic Viagra ad down there. Spammers are surely
not welcome here...

LWN and annoying adverts

drag — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 21:40:31 +0000

Yep yep.

I pay for it so I don't get adverts. People who didn't pay for it shouldn't be complaining.

Anyways, I read websites for content, not aesthetics. So keep up the good work and I hope you make a crapload of money at it, too.

Microsoft Open XML standards vote foments politics, dismay (News.com)

AJWM — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 19:20:51 +0000

It's interesting how Microsoft's involvement in this is steadily de-escalating with each repetition of the story.

The first few times I heard it, it was a Microsoft (Sweden) manager who sent the email to a couple of dozen Microsoft partners with thinly veiled promises of special deals or additional marketing support in exchange for their signing up and voting.

Now it's down to an "employee" (true, but doesn't sound as bad as manager) sending email to just two Swedish partners.

I don't know what the truth is, but I find the phenomenon interesting. Two months from now I daresay that Microsoft won't (according to any stories then) have been involved in any voting pressure shenanigans in any countries at all. (No doubt thanks in part to Microsoft's Ministry of Truth, er, PR department).

Microsoft Open XML standards vote foments politics, dismay (News.com)

ncm — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:22:22 +0000

The good news is that MS is very, very worried about this. That means if they lose, and assuming they have analyzed things correctly, it will really cut their revenue stream. We all pay MS a tax via all the companies we
buy from who can't seem to avoid paying MS directly. The more of them who find ways not to pay MS, the less you and I end up paying them.

LWN and annoying adverts

jospoortvliet — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 17:30:02 +0000

Do whatever you need to get LWN up and running, please... sure, as
unobtrusive as possible, but I'd rather have good articles with ads than
bad or no articles without.

LWN and annoying adverts

ballombe — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 17:07:14 +0000

Can we also get rid of the Saatchi,etc. advert at the bottom of the main
LWN page ? At least make it an iframe so it can be blocked easily.

TIA

LWN and annoying adverts

ms — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:49:17 +0000

You'll be able to block then with Adblock.

LWN and annoying adverts

maceto — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:08:12 +0000

Liked the fact they were off by default, thanks!!

LWN and annoying adverts

corbet — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 15:57:56 +0000

These ads are an experiment, but they may help us go a long way toward our financial goals. Subscribers can turn them off - in fact, it defaults off for them...

Microsoft Open XML standards vote foments politics, dismay (News.com)

chel — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 15:49:33 +0000

Microsoft's director of corporate standards, Jason Matusow, acknowledged improper activity in the case of Sweden's vote, where a Microsoft employee sent an e-mail to two Swedish voters and enticed them to vote for Open XML in exchange for marketing support.
IMHO the voting process should be stopped and the standard rejected. A new voting process should only start after a full investigation. Otherwise ISO will loose its credibility. One should not get or try to get ISO standards by buying votes.

LWN and annoying adverts

zooko — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 15:46:13 +0000

I don't see any such Intellitxt-style ads. Where are they?

LWN and annoying adverts

Cato — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 15:29:13 +0000

Please get rid of the green-underlining-of-keywords (Intellitxt type) adverts... These are one of the most annoying types of adverts, only just behind moving images. I'm quite happy for LWN to go ad-supported, like many other sites, but please don't go from almost no ads to the most annoying type in one fell swoop!