1. I just subscribed to this RSS feed a few minutes ago. And as a first time reader of this 'Unofficial Microsoft Weblog', I've gotta admit that I'm really shocked at the amount of Microsoft-bashing going on in just the first couple of posts.

Yeah-yeah, you've gotta 'keep it real' and all so it's clear that you're not drinking the Kool-Aid. But saying Microsoft sucks because they are copying somebody else is played-out. Give it a rest already.

The blog quotes, "Microsoft has finally woken up", "Microsoft did not try to hold pulbication's feet to the fire" and "I am always a little skeptical when I hear about Microsoft, or anyone talking about a big launch like this" come off pretty negative. Is that your intent?

I agree that the ribbon in Office 2007 being a fixed size blows. Does that equate to Microsoft thinking their ideas are better than yours, or that your thoughts don't matter? Prolly not because otherwise, why would they have so many chat sessions during the private Beta asking for feedback?

I was hoping this blog contained unbiased information about Microsoft products, features, pricing, betas & community info. The blog has a ton of good info, but the negativity is a bit off-putting. Maybe I'll get used to it. Keep blogging guys!

Posted at 3:12PM on May 26th 2006 by Tim Barrett

2. Tim, thanks for your comments. I appreciate your thoughts here, and to answer your questions, yes, sometimes things are a bit negative, but as you'll also notice, there is a lot of positive to balance it out as well. Much of this blog is our opinions, but we try to include useful information as well. I both love and hate Microsoft most of the time, since I have been in the business a while and deal with their snafus on a daily basis, but I can understand the negativity affecting your enjoyment of the posts. Honestly, I think Microsoft execs and decision makers often don't listen to the common every day business person, but decide what they think everyone needs (i.e. the ribbon), and do things regardless, meanwhile claiming that the customer is very important to them. I hear you, I will try to keep the bashing at a minimum if possible. Thanks, and I hope you stick around a while.

Posted at 7:04PM on May 26th 2006 by Ryan Carter