This post is for Mr. Stephen Bullen, the webmaster of www.oaltd.co.uk,
the Petition to Microsoft featured on www.oaltd.co.uk, and all those
concerned.

There is a problem with the petition, especially with the following
line:

"We ask that Microsoft further develop VB6 and VBA, in order to meet
these objectives (in order of perceived importance):"

Here is the problem: bringing up "Microsoft" or the company as a whole
is like referring to walls.

Stephen, you should bring up the idea of individual responsibility
here, as opposed to a company wide responsibility, because it is
people, individual people at Microsoft who are responsible for
whatever concerns us, not a company name.

Using the precious knowledge of people in the know, contacts, and an
honest and updated Microsoft organizational chart, why not bring those
specific responsible individuals at Microsoft into the light, those
very specific individuals who have the authority to make decisions
with regards to your suggested approach section of the petition. Why
don't you and your mates find out who they are and put their names
somewhere high on the petition? Why don't you put them on the hot
seat? Starting with Bill Gates, you really should design a table of
some sort in a section of the web page, that would have field names
such as, for example:

microsoft_official, date_contacted, document_sent, response_so_far,
response_date

Then, you could put fill up the table with responses if any, these
responses being official e-mails or other verifiable types of
responses from those called to account.

Putting the names of those individuals responsible and accountable
should force them to come forward with a response, if they are not
corrupt or know what they are doing or care. Referring to "Microsoft"
as a whole only will simply cause those "responsible" at Microsoft to
arrogantly ignore the interests of millions, to laugh up their
sleeves, and turn up their snotty noses at us, the "whiners lacking
the skills to move forward", assuming they bother to read the
petition.


Sincerely,

Marc Bertrand