These Difficult Times

Lately, a string of problems has Microsoft getting a little more than its usual dose of bad press.

Enormous software companies (such as Microsoft) suffer many difficulties — bad PR, anti-trust litigation, embarrassing dancing CEOs, and heavy abuse from hackers. But when seen from the perspective of difficulty, adversities such as these offer opportunities to overcome obstacles that smaller organizations never have. Little companies don't get put to the test the way big ones do; they are not subjected to this level of abuse and malevolence, but these trials make everything stronger, both their product and their organization... One would hope.

The hackers who exploit the holes within Microsoft are really doing it and the public a favor, an idea that I believe many people within Microsoft tacitly agree with. But from my layman's perspective, Microsoft does not appear to be learning from these experiences or taking advantage of the lessons that they present.

This leads me to wonder: who then is the greater burden for Microsoft? The hackers who so inconveniently and repeatedly yank down Microsoft's trousers? Or the fact that Microsoft keeps forgetting to wear a belt?

Hackers make you stronger. They are inconvenient, but they make you strong. Wear a belt, or suspenders, or whatever. Fool me once...