Rather than compete with others, they just acuse them of stealing.

Ballmer keeps talking about Linux stealing their code yet there's never any proof given.

Why can't Microsoft just release something good and stop whining?

Their Windows Mobile platform is becoming stale, I'm sure it will change radically after the iPhone is launched. Then who will be the thief eh?

The alarm won't shut off! It just keeps ringing! I was reading the article and, then, when I came to the part about... ""seeks to collaborate with copyright holders in developing technologies and business models that not only build a competitive and varied marketplace of online book content, but at the same time nurture the incentives for creativity reflected in copyright law without which no artist or writer – and no society that aspires to a living culture – can thrive".... then, my bullshit alarm went off. And now I can't get it to stop ringing. It's broken, gone into some sort of bullshit alarm meltdown.I think maybe it's the idea of MicroSoft protecting creative people. I read in the bullshit alarm manual that intense bullshit can generate heat above F. 451; and, when this happens, the alarm can't be shut down, it can only be muffled.

In seeking to collaborate, they will need to communicate with copyright holders in developing technologies and business models that not only build a competitive and varied marketplace of online book content, but at the same time nurture the incentives for creativity reflected in copyright law without which no artist or writer – and no society that aspires to a living culture – can thrive. Their Quantum Leap in Consciousness into Virtuous Reality.

Knock, knock, Redmond :-) Venus Network Calling..... A Universal Virtual Force Project/Product/Program/Driver.

It's a bit rich for MS to call Google a theif. MS are constantly stealing ideas and changing them just slightly so they can't be sued....

I guess Steve Ballmers attitude is rubbing off onto all who kiss his butt. Which attitude is that? Oh, just the one where if you can't beat them, throw mud at them until people are too scared to use it.

Giles Jones asks, "Why can't Microsoft just release something good and stop whining?"

Wouldn't that require that Microsoft let creative people control the product content, instead of letting the Marketing Department do it? Oh, and then there's the little problem of actually *creating* something instead of stealing it.

And I imagine that answers Giles' question.