[26368] in Perl-Users-Digest
Perl-Users Digest, Issue: 8540 Volume: 10
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Perl-Users Digest)
Wed Oct 19 00:05:33 2005
Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 21:05:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: Perl-Users Digest <Perl-Users-Request@ruby.OCE.ORST.EDU>
To: Perl-Users@ruby.OCE.ORST.EDU (Perl-Users Digest)
Perl-Users Digest Tue, 18 Oct 2005 Volume: 10 Number: 8540
Today's topics:
Re: Microsoft Hatred FAQ <my_email_is_posted_on_my_website@munged.invalid>
Re: Microsoft Hatred FAQ <my_email_is_posted_on_my_website@munged.invalid>
Re: Microsoft Hatred FAQ <davids@webmaster.com>
Re: Microsoft Hatred FAQ <davids@webmaster.com>
Digest Administrivia (Last modified: 6 Apr 01) (Perl-Users-Digest Admin)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:49:44 GMT
From: Roedy Green <my_email_is_posted_on_my_website@munged.invalid>
Subject: Re: Microsoft Hatred FAQ
Message-Id: <4vcbl1dkek9kr86embmgrj70vk945t99ho@4ax.com>
On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 11:53:29 -0700, "David Schwartz"
<davids@webmaster.com> wrote or quoted :
>The only obligation Microsoft has is to their shareholders.
>>
>> If you genuinely believe that, you are a psychopath.
>
> That's almost as convincing as "that's what you think".
Taken literally, you think MS has no obligation to obey the law, to
its customers, to its employees.
I don't think you will find many CEOs espousing those sentiments,
though you will in alt.politics.bush from those who have just read
their first book outside of school reading and picked an Ayn Rand
novel.
--
Canadian Mind Products, Roedy Green.
http://mindprod.com Again taking new Java programming contracts.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:51:06 GMT
From: Roedy Green <my_email_is_posted_on_my_website@munged.invalid>
Subject: Re: Microsoft Hatred FAQ
Message-Id: <u3dbl1l2pbsdluivl7l4enl9k440ci9tif@4ax.com>
On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 11:53:29 -0700, "David Schwartz"
<davids@webmaster.com> wrote or quoted :
>>>
>>> Wrong. The only obligation Microsoft has is to their shareholders.
>>
>> If you genuinely believe that, you are a psychopath.
>
> That's almost as convincing as "that's what you think".
If your only obligation is to a group of person, that makes you a sort
of slave. What about obligations to family, community, yourself?
--
Canadian Mind Products, Roedy Green.
http://mindprod.com Again taking new Java programming contracts.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:30:42 -0700
From: "David Schwartz" <davids@webmaster.com>
Subject: Re: Microsoft Hatred FAQ
Message-Id: <dj4el3$q07$1@nntp.webmaster.com>
"Roedy Green" <my_email_is_posted_on_my_website@munged.invalid> wrote in
message news:4vcbl1dkek9kr86embmgrj70vk945t99ho@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 11:53:29 -0700, "David Schwartz"
> <davids@webmaster.com> wrote or quoted :
>>The only obligation Microsoft has is to their shareholders.
>>>
>>> If you genuinely believe that, you are a psychopath.
>>
>> That's almost as convincing as "that's what you think".
> Taken literally, you think MS has no obligation to obey the law, to
> its customers, to its employees.
No, taken stupidly. Hint: would or would not MS executives disobeying
the law constitute a betrayal of their obligation to their shareholders?
> I don't think you will find many CEOs espousing those sentiments,
> though you will in alt.politics.bush from those who have just read
> their first book outside of school reading and picked an Ayn Rand
> novel.
The validity of an idea does not depend upon who it comes from. This is
a sad attempt at guilt by association.
DS
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:34:55 -0700
From: "David Schwartz" <davids@webmaster.com>
Subject: Re: Microsoft Hatred FAQ
Message-Id: <dj4esv$q09$1@nntp.webmaster.com>
"Roedy Green" <my_email_is_posted_on_my_website@munged.invalid> wrote in
message news:u3dbl1l2pbsdluivl7l4enl9k440ci9tif@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 11:53:29 -0700, "David Schwartz"
> <davids@webmaster.com> wrote or quoted :
>>>> Wrong. The only obligation Microsoft has is to their shareholders.
>>> If you genuinely believe that, you are a psychopath.
>> That's almost as convincing as "that's what you think".
> If your only obligation is to a group of person, that makes you a sort
> of slave.
If you voluntarily take on a job that includes obligations, and have the
right to leave any time you want, you are not any sort of a slave.
> What about obligations to family, community, yourself?
Microsoft has no family, and doesn't have a self in this sense.
Microsoft executives have obligations to family, but this should not affect
their performance as executives, in which capacity their obligations are to
their shareholders.
As for obligations to community, no, there is no such obligation. An
executive who devoted his company to his community against his shareholders'
wishes should be fired. The company exists as a vehicle to execute the
desires of the shareholders. That's why they get to vote on who runs it.
That does not mean that acting to support the community can't be the
shareholder's wishes or can't be in the bests interests of the shareholders,
of course. But qua corporation, it's purely a vehicle to execute the
shareholders' wishes.
Corporate executives also have an obligation to obey the law, of course.
If, hypothetically, you had a company that had a majority of shareholders
who wanted to break the law, an ethical executive would pretty much have to
quit.
DS
------------------------------
Date: 6 Apr 2001 21:33:47 GMT (Last modified)
From: Perl-Users-Request@ruby.oce.orst.edu (Perl-Users-Digest Admin)
Subject: Digest Administrivia (Last modified: 6 Apr 01)
Message-Id: <null>
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End of Perl-Users Digest V10 Issue 8540
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