By Paul Rickard03/23/97

A lot of people have told me that this campaign is a waste of time, and it'll never do any good. Other people have told me I'm crazy, that I have too much free time (no argument there). My opinion on this I'm sure you already know, because nobody in their right mind would do this if they thought they wouldn't win. Well, you're right, I do think we can win. This last week has re-enforced my belief that Microsoft, even though it is all-powerful, will fall.
I don't think it will be due entirely or even mostly to the MSBC. This campaign is very, very small compared to Microsoft and theres no way we could ever have a chance of beating them alone. This campaign is a way to vent frustrations, to join together and set the wheels in motion. The purpose of this campaign is to show that the whole world does not love Ms the way it's always portrayed to, and to show that in fact, many people hate the company. The purpose of this campaign is to show the world what really goes on at Microsoft, and what really happened, and what will happen. The purpose of this campaign is to make waves and let other people and other businesses topple the Redmond monopoly because of what we'll do.
Even without us it's starting. Not only are competitors beginning to openly oppose Microsoft, but the company is beginning to destroy itself from the inside with sloppy work and big software bugs. A major bug was found in Microsoft's FoxPro programming tool, and the huge security bugs in Ms' Internet Explorer 3.0 and 4.0 beta have set back the production of Windows 97 (which will be centered around MsIE 4.0) to at least mid-1998. If they don't start making a better product, then public dislike of Ms will certainly grow.
Already many in the public are dissastified with Ms, complicated programs and unpredictable crashes, hype and delays have taken their toll on their customer satisfaction rate. If we can bring the problems with Microsoft more into the public eye with this campaign, then the dissatisfaction will climb. More people unhappy with Microsoft means more people buying and using alternatives like OS/2, Netscape, and Novell. More people buying alternatives means less money for Microsoft and Bill Gates.
The best thing we in the MSBC can do is keep giving information to people, keep boycotting Microsoft products, and keep getting more people to join. If we can get enough members, we'll have the power of majority. If we have enough members, we can bring this campaign to the press and let the truth about Ms get out. If we can get enough members, maybe the United States government will reconsider Microsoft antitrust rulings. Those are big 'if's, but they are ifs instead of 'cannot's.