Rockefeller: Hero or villain?

Summary: It takes not so long for Microsoft's violators of the law to be introduced to the next generation as trailblazers rather than saboteurs

REPUTATION laundering can be described in terms that are similar to "money laundering", which Wikipedia defines as "the process where cash raised from criminal activities is made to look legitimate for re-integration into the financial system" (or social system for that matter). As a good example, consider what Bill Gates is doing at the moment. It's an exercise in reputation laundering and armies of PR people are involved in it.

The anniversary of Windows 95 was celebrated some days ago and we found no less than two attempts to whitewash a criminal mind. Brad Silverberg appeared in several publications that portrayed him as a smiley innocent fellow [1, 2] even though Comes vs Microsoft exhibits, for instance, paint a totally different picture. Consider the following posts:

• Microsoft’s Brad Silverberg: “Cut Those F*ckers Off”
• Microsoft’s Brad Silverberg: “Please Make Sure This Request Doesn't Get Filled.”
• What Microsoft's Brad Silverberg, Bill Gates, and Al Capone Have in Common

Not everyone was so positive about the anniversary. Electronista for example went with the headline "Windows 95 marks 15th birthday in uncertain Microsoft future" (Vista 7 has not brought much improvement at all). Microsoft boosters and apologists like Wolfgang Gruener replayed the nostalgia, but it's clear that Windows 95 was more of a stunt than a technical success. ⬆

"In January of 1994, Waggener Edstrom began recruiting 100 key editors, 32 analysts, and 150 third-party vendors for the Windows 95 bandwagon. Lining up the national media and the business press was easy. Edstrom had been massaging those relationships for over a decade, sending flowers and cartoons and reminding editors of their spouses' birthdays and wedding anniversaries, earning her "Gates's keeper" reputation. Not only would these people tout Windows 95, they would also be more inclined to show sympathy for Microsoft when competitors started ragging them."

--Barbarians Led by Bill Gates, a book composed
by the daughter of Microsoft's Pam Edstrom