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Amiga News and Community Announcements => Amiga News and Community Announcements => General Internet News => Topic started by: amigamad on October 30, 2003, 03:10:10 PM

Title: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: amigamad on October 30, 2003, 03:10:10 PM
 A Microsoft employee has been fired for his blog posting titled, "Even Microsoft wants G5s", which includes photos of delivery of Power Mac G5s to Microsoft's Redmond Campus.

The link is here - microsofts apple g5's (http://www.michaelhanscom.com/eclecticism/2003/10/even_microsoft_.html)

Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: spihunter on October 30, 2003, 03:14:53 PM
I hate Microsoft as much as the next guy but, I think
any company would have fired this guy for posting
pictures of their internal business on the web
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: mikeymike on October 30, 2003, 03:42:04 PM
Does that harm Microsoft in any way?  Is even an infinitesimal percentage of PC users suddenly going to buy Macs based on that photograph?
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: amigamad on October 30, 2003, 04:04:13 PM
As he goes on to say he never took a picture of employees or anything that could cause security problems .You cant blame microsoft for wanting an os that does not crash and die though. :-)
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: carls on October 30, 2003, 04:04:48 PM
I don't see anything strange with this - Microsoft needs to develop Office X or Mac users would switch to Openoffice :-)
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Kronos on October 30, 2003, 04:06:18 PM
@mikeymike

Probraly not, but taking photos at the job,and useing them to make fun
of your boss in public isn't a smart move either....
(I would have fired that guy too !!).

Apart from that, M$ needs Apples to maintain there IE and Office-ports.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: opi on October 30, 2003, 04:06:44 PM
Well, Im feelin' sorry for that guy.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Calen on October 30, 2003, 04:07:05 PM
Quote
Even Microsoft wants G5s

 :lol:
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: redrumloa on October 30, 2003, 04:13:04 PM
Well sorry for the guy or not, he was pretty dumb.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: adam on October 30, 2003, 04:13:27 PM
yes, count one more mac user with the man who has been fired.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: mikeymike on October 30, 2003, 04:39:21 PM
Quote
Probraly not, but taking photos at the job,and useing them to make fun
of your boss in public isn't a smart move either....


I agree, but IMO it's not a firing offense, and if they had done that in their UK they'd have a tribunal on their hands, and IMO rightly so.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Kronos on October 30, 2003, 05:12:25 PM
@mikeymike

Well most tech-firms have a "no-photo"-clause in their work-contract.
Obviously for other reasons than this, but ......

Someone showing such lack of interest for my company would
be someone I would want to get rid of AFAP.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: mikeymike on October 30, 2003, 05:19:09 PM
Quote
Well most tech-firms have a "no-photo"-clause in their work-contract.
Obviously for other reasons than this, but ......


Oh ok, makes sense I guess.  I would've thought that would have been covered in "keeping company secrets" type clauses I've encountered, but anyway.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Lo on October 30, 2003, 05:26:48 PM
Wouldn't surprise me if they had an Amiga or 2 somewhere in their "bowels".   :lol:
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: mikeymike on October 30, 2003, 05:45:13 PM
Quote
Wouldn't surprise me if they had an Amiga or 2 somewhere in their "bowels"


That could be a bit painful on the way out.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: lempkee on October 30, 2003, 06:19:56 PM
rofl
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Methuselas on October 30, 2003, 07:10:49 PM
If he's smart, he'll sue. There's no reason to fire him over that. If he does, I hope that he uses 'I was a part of Micro$oft, so it's a viable headline.' as a part of his defense.

Still, on a corp webpage, that's pretty stupid.

At least he'll get unemployment.
 :-D
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Casper on October 30, 2003, 07:11:04 PM
The thing is that he isn't a microsoft employee. If you read the page he says he works for a printing company located on the microsoft campus in the same building as Microsoft's shipping department. MS leaned on his company to get him fired.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Brianew on October 30, 2003, 08:49:05 PM
Too bad they won't get that with a Mac either.

My G4 Tower is better with 10.2 then it was with 10.1 but it still crashes and has issues.  I'm hoping 10.3 will further reduce these but...
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Brianew on October 30, 2003, 08:51:17 PM
Employement in the US is of freewill.  Your freewill to want to work there and the company's freewill to want you to work for them.  

Chances are things I've seen in the tech industry either this buggered someone higher up.  OR there may have been other reasons to get rid of him and this was used as the straw that broke that back.

Either way who cares.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Waccoon on October 30, 2003, 09:23:27 PM
Quote
Does that harm Microsoft in any way?

It might have if it wasn't "just" G5's.  What if they were prototypes?  What if they were from a company under special contract negotiations with Microsoft?  Not all people give a damn about their jobs or carefully consider what information is sensitive and what isn't.  Microsoft is proving a point that shipment security will NOT be comprimized, and as a former security guard, I have to side with the company on this one (regardless of for whom the employee was working).
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: mbilla on October 30, 2003, 09:40:46 PM
It's really no secret that MS uses MACs.
Their annual reports are written with Office on MACs.
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: bhoggett on October 30, 2003, 11:16:36 PM
The story is a bit misleading, as he does not appear to be a Microsoft employee as such.

There are a few things to note:

1) It's unclear whether this MSCopy print company comes under the Microsoft umbrella or is totally independent.

2) None of us knows what the terms and agreements between this company and Microsoft are regarding security issues - seeing as it is a Microsoft campus.

3) We don't have any idea what his terms of employment were regarding security issues.

4) The guy was a temp, technically employed by his agency rather than the printing company. This makes quite a bit of difference in whether he's able to sue anyone for wrongful dismissal or not, at least in the UK.

It's all a bit silly though, and hardly newsworthy.  ;-)
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Casper on October 31, 2003, 09:39:21 AM
Quote
It's unclear whether this MSCopy print company comes under the Microsoft umbrella or is totally independent.


He states that the print shop is run by Xerox to do print work for Microsoft in a later blog entry (if anyone is still interested :-) )
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: DethKnight on November 02, 2003, 07:51:43 AM
Xerox huh , the same outfit micro$oft stole the mouse idea  from?
Title: Re: Microsoft Fires Employee over G5 Photos, Blog
Post by: Melaure on November 03, 2003, 02:00:20 PM
Xerox mouse was first copied by Apple ! :-P