Month: January 1999

“We always abide by what the courts tell us to do.”

Microsoft spokesperson Dan Leach, on his company’s adherence to properly defined legal instruction sets Wired News, 15 January 1999

“We’ve always said we would talk to a number of partners, both cable and DSL.”

America Online spokesperson Wendy Goldberg, on the company’s simultaneous push to sucker both cable companies and baby Bells into partnering with it, News.com, 13 January 1999

“If a site’s easy to use, that means the company’s friendly. If it’s difficult to use, that’s the same as having a store where all the employees are grumpy.”

Interface pundit Jakob Nielsen, who obviously hasn’t been exposed to the similarly mechanical smiles of Safeway employees recently, Wired News, 13 January 1999

“The Internet is really quickly becoming a transaction medium as well as a content medium.”

Rod Schrock, a senior vice president at Compaq, laying out the two fields his company’s too-little-too-late AltaVista portal won’t be a serious player in, News.com, 12 January 1999

“Given the market exposure associated with his outside interests, Joe suggested that we would all be better served if he didn’t have an official role with the company.”

Robert Shaw, CEO of USWeb/CKS, offering the party line on the departure of former CEO and founder Joe Firmage from the firm, ostensibly to let Mr. Firmage better pursue his UFO theories, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 January 1999