RE: Mike Kay and Microsoft (was: Accessing a node name from

> The first thing to establish, though, is that Mike Kay
> is definitely not the person to ask XSL questions regarding
> Microsoft.  I think he has a filter set up that detects
> keywords like "IE5" or "Microsoft" and automatically
> spits out some form of "Microsoft [expletive deleted]" without regard
> to the actual question asked.

The first sentence is correct. I'm not an expert on the Microsoft dialect of
XSL, and where it's clear that people are asking about that dialect, I
generally avoid answering the question.

Where it appears that people are confused about the two dialects, I try to
help them understand the distinction. I'm afraid Microsoft have undoubtedly
caused a great deal of confusion in the marketplace by shipping a general
release mass market product that implemented an approximation to an early
draft of a standard, and describing the product as if it implemented the
standard. This wastes a great deal of my personal time, and costs my company
and our customers a lot of money.

I have never used insulting language about the Microsoft technology or the
company, and I would never do so, it's not my style. I try to be completely
objective about both its strengths and its weaknesses. If you can find any
evidence that I have made statements which are not fair criticism based on
fact, please point to them.

Mike Kay


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