November 8th, 1999

[9:30 AM] Microsoft Takes A Side Trip To Cartoonland by Staff Showing that money can't always buy the best web concept, our friends in Redmond have taken a trip to what might best be considered Cartoonland. Observer Jake Wachman turned us onto a new section in Microsoft's web site called The Freedom To Innovate Network. The new site features an emblem that resembles the US flag with a computer where the stars would normally be. The web effort is part of Microsoft's attempt to rally the company's defenders after Judge Penfield Jackson found Microsoft to have monopoly power. The ruling was issued on Friday, after the markets closed This excerpt was taken from the site: We formed the Freedom to Innovate Network (FIN) as a response to the overwhelming amount of correspondence we received from around the US and overseas regarding the trial with the Department of Justice and other public policy issues. The FIN is a nonpartisan, grassroots network of citizens and businesses who have a stake in the success of Microsoft and the high-tech industry. The FIN will help you stay up to date on critical developments in public policy. Sign up for a free e-newsletter, tell us your thoughts, take action and stay informed. It's how you can make a difference! Hold your nose and check it out for yourself. Thanks to Jake Wachman for letting us know about the new site! See also The Apple Trader's analysis of the ruling. The Mac Observer Spin: There are a myriad of opinions surfacing on the Microsoft situation, to be sure, but this effort from the software giant, errr... monopoly, is nothing short of bizarre. It resembles nothing so much as a cartoon, or at least the outlook of a company that spends to much in cartoonland. The flags in particular are a combination of a disgusting, yet absurdly simplistic, hijacking of American imagery. The Drones that can't see through it deserve what they get. Microsoft can repeat the "Freedom to Innovate" mantra all they want, but it still won't change the fact that they have never been an innovative company. Freedom To Innovate Network - Microsoft