Microsoft is already one of the most powerful corporations in the world, so it won't be easy to convince federal officials to vigorously enforce U.S. anti-trust laws. But just as "every journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step," so, too, every successful grassroots political action starts with a single act. Here are some actions that you can take, in your community and in cyberspace, to get started:
Support BugTraq and similar efforts to expose software bugs. Contribute information about Microsoft software bugs to the BugTraq database, and ask your colleagues and friends to do the same.
Support computer security- and risk-related research -- and stay informed about these issues -- by reading the newsgroup comp.risks or subscribing to Risks Digest.
Start a letter-to-the-editor campaign in your community, aimed at both general and computer-related publications. Write a letter expressing concern about Microsoft's anti-competitive practices and the government's lax enforcement of anti-trust laws. Share copies of the letter with your friends and colleagues, and encourage them to write letters, too.
Contribute articles, news tips, and brief commentary about Microsoft
to the Micro$oft Monitor. Please contact
with story ideas
before submitting articles and commentary for publication.
Expose and refute Microsoft's marketing hype. Register your complaints about deceptive print advertising with the publishers; contact television and radio station managers to complain about broadcast advertising; and send E-mail to webmasters when you spot Microsoft's marketing hype on the Internet.
Leaflet at computer trade shows and Microsoft-sponsored events. Print out NetAction's Consumer Choice Campaign leaflet, or use it as a model from which to create a leaflet for your own company.