A Gentler Side of Microsoft: YES

Okay, I'm going to contradict what I wrote yesterday.

Contradiction? Yep, I'm only human after all. There is one other very good reason that we're seeing a "gentler" Microsoft.

USA Today recently noted that "While it's clear that Microsoft is changing, old behaviors die hard." It is an older Microsoft. But how does this change things?

Let us count the ways:

• Ten years after college, most of us don't pull all-nighters anymore! We physically can't do it anymore.
  
  
• Courtrooms are no longer considered a 'cool way' to 'beat the man'.
  
  
• People have kids -- they want to go home. Look at what Brad Silverberg did.
  
  
• People want to do something socially responsible rather than just greed
  

So, to sum up, maybe we're seeing an unconsciously softer Microsoft. It sure as hell ain't consciously softer. Look at the MS annual report this quarter!