I don't have a Penguin in my Basement

By Chris DiBona

January 28, 2007

I generally don't talk about Microsoft all that much due to my Googliness, but I was reading the recently unearthed Microsoft mail thread discussing a Goldman Sachs conference where Dell talked about it Linux offerings (read it yourself here (pdf). [ http://www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/9000/PX09280.pdf ]) and a few things jumped out at me.

First, at the top of page 2, this funny thing:

"This is just life. I am not giving up. I don't have a penguin in my basement. I LOVE windows which is why I want us to face this so we can figure it out."

(Italics added by me, caps, by Paul Flessner. He loves windows that much.)

As a longtime Linux user and fan, and even penguin lover (seriously, I managed to get $10,000 routed to fairy penguin relief [ http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/01/06/0915249&mode=thread ] in Australia), I find this really, really, really, funny to read. It shows a level of absurdity that I didn't expect at Microsoft. I think this person, Paul Flessner, protests too much, I think indeed ....secretly.... has a penguin in his basement .... Paul, you penguin lover you, don't deny it!

Seriously though, check out the memo, it is fascinating. The thing that jumps out at me really in not the silly penguin in the basement comment (Ooooo it just demands a t-shirt or something) is that the participants are simply outraged that a Dell representative would dare speak of the operating system love that shall not be named. From page 3:

Brian Valentine:

"Did Russ Holt know you were there, I can't imagine he would be this blatant against us if he knew you were there. "

Bill Veghte's response:

"I was sitting right across the panel from him. We waved at each other briefly before the panel started."

So there you go. Interesting read.

9:54 AM