Can you believe it? Given Microsoft's history of antagonism, It's hard to believe anyone - let alone the Linux Foundation - would call on the FOSS community to respect Microsoft. No, if Microsoft wants respect, they should get it the 'old-fashioned' way - by earning it.

After Microsoft has treated our community like rogues for nearly 20 years, called us Communists, claimed the GPL was 'unconstitutional', hijacked our terminology and accused countless thousands of hackers and customers of violating patents without giving anyone any opportunity at all to correct these so-called violations, now the Executive Director at the Linux Foundation calls on us to respect Microsoft? I always had the impression that respect was earned.

The way I earned the respect of the audience at my former post (at LXer.com) was by earning it, not going in there and beating people over the head, and certainly not by accusing them of being trolls and so on. No, I had to work through the lively debates and to quell the overheated posts using nothing but my own personality. After an early major debate, the forums practically moderated themselves. People saw I was human and that I did not just delete posts simply because I didn't like something contained therein.

Oh sure, the gentle reminder that I was moderator helped some, but that could just as easily have backfired. And that's the point. A person, a corporate representative, a foundation executive - anyone, really - has to be careful to show respect in order to earn it. The same goes for Microsoft. Microsoft should not be granted respect merely for being Microsoft any more than I was given respect merely for being the Editor/Moderator. Microsoft needs to earn - let me spell that out; it's E-A-R-N - our respect.

I want to make it absolutely clear that Microsoft is the offending party when it comes to showing respect. Microsoft started this war when they could just as easily have welcomed us and joined the collaborative efforts. Even if they did not necessarily help us, they could at least have acknowledged that we had an interesting idea, and to show some willingness to study it. They had opportunities galore to engage in constructive dialog and criticism; yet they chose instead to accuse - falsely, at that - and threaten and intimidate us and even their own customers.

Now Zemlin wants me - and the community at large - to show Microsoft some respect? I don't think so. I continue to hold my position where I stood over a year ago. Microsoft attempted to intimidate the South Korean government by threatening to withdraw Windows from the Korean marketplace. That apparently failed, but they did try. Not only have I not seen any serious efforts on Microsoft's part to heal the rift with the FOSS community, they continue to deride us and attempt to intimidate our (and their own) customers. I clarified my position in response to some heated criticism, but my point still stands.

I won't mention the recent opportunity afforded them to address the real problems plaguing us with respect to patents. Microsoft has had numerous opportunities to take the proper steps to solve the root problem, but it won't do so. Instead, they continue to believe that a patent arms race is the only way to solve the problem. Granted, it may be the only way to solve it their way. IBM is no better on this point. But Microsoft is the company that runs around threatening and making baseless accusations without offering the FOSS community any opportunity to make corrections where necessary. No, Microsoft would rather use legal threats than do business.

Speaking for myself, I have no respect for this behavior. It is atrocious. There is no other way to describe their behavior. And Mr. Zemlin expects me to respect this atrocious company? Maybe Mr. Zemlin needs to recognize that he is preaching to the choir - or at least to the wrong sinners. Even when Neil McAlister called on us to drop our 'fortress mentality', I vehemently opposed then on the grounds that Microsoft is the transgressor. Microsoft might make some decent software - I have heard from many people that Excel is quite good. But there is nothing in their behavior that warrants anything near respect.

It bothers me that so many people seem to think we should be the ones showing respect. It bothers me that, in all the discussions about how the FOSS community should communicate with and respect Microsoft, the pundits ignore the fact that Microsoft continues in its current disrespectful, dishonest behavior. So, until Microsoft changes its ways, I don't see why our community should be expected to comply. Microsoft needs to give us something to go on. They need to show us some respect.

Resources

• FOSS Community Should Not Negotiate With Microsoft On Port 25
• FOSS Community to Microsoft: Earn Our Trust
• FOSS Community, Microsoft And Reconciliation