I don't listen too much Heavy/Hairy metal, but when the mood strikes, there's just one choice: Megadeth. My favorite album of theirs is “Peace Sells, But Who's Buying?” In particular -- Bad Omen. But it wasn't until tonight that I had cause to really think about just how freakin' meaningful a particular lyric in that song is:
The ceremony, Is sure to be cursed. They ask for his blessings, But, down comes the worst.
The symbolism here really struck home following this exchange (part I, part II) that had with one J.B. Surveyor in the context of Microsoft's latest Enterprise Inter-Op message. It's my contention that Microsoft is not merely engaging in the latest round of education about Enterprise Inter-Op simply to start attracting new and bigger customers to their platforms, but that its just as much aimed at us -- the Microsoft Development community.
What do I mean? Well, its pretty simple really, and its a pattern we're starting to see emerge from the company. Remember PDC 2003? What “big thing” did we go home with? Writing Secure Code. This followed a heavy blitz of security talks. What is code security, why is it important, what's Microsoft doing about and what and how do they see us best doing the same. As enforcement, we now have the Digital Blackbelt Series.
What distressed me about the conversation with JB though was just how some paranoid the “not-Microsoft” community seems about the whole initiative. Are their fears well founded? I think they do have some basis in fact. Are they productive toward building something better? I'm don't think so. Its pretty hard to want to engage with somebody that doesn't trust you unless you have good reason too. Its even harder when they aren't interested in making a sincere effort to do so. Its darned near impossible when they aren't equally as interested.
That's why I tend to be very pro toward ideas from the Open Source camp. I seem to remember writing a letter that was printed in the July 1986 edition of “Communications of the ACM” advocating freeware. To this very day, I want to learn how to make myself better so I can fumble that forward into the the communities I participate in better. Both sides have things to learn from the other; there is real value in supporting standards as best one can; the right attitude must be there. Suspecting the worst -- that is this just some accursed ceremony -- isn't that. Its up to both us in the community and Microsoft to not make these blessings into tribulations down the road.
Let's give Microsoft credit for trying to do a good thing but let's also remind them trying isn't enough: staying committed to the cause is essential. Because when they don't, we don't either. Then everybody loses.