Make Us Your Slaves But Feed Us

In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet, and say to us, "Make us your slaves, but feed us." [...] Receiving bread from us, they will see clearly that we take the bread made by their hands from them, to give it to them, without any miracle. [...] in truth they will be more thankful for taking it from our hands than for the bread itself. [...] They will marvel at us and will be awe-stricken before us, and will be proud at our being so powerful and clever that we have been able to subdue such a turbulent flock of thousands of millions. --FyodorDostoevsky?, "The Grand Inquisitor"

See Also: MicrosoftIsaNiceMonopoly, TheManufacturingOfConsent

In the context of Microsoft, this is a gross exaggeration. In software, there is always another acceptable solution. In this case, acceptable means you will get paid --> food, not necessarily optimal or functional.

In a modern context, this means your project manager buys dinner if you stay late? :-)

What suggests this is an exaggeration for MS? They certainly seem to have either bought or copied almost all the technology they sell. Not that there's anything wrong with that ... Like Dostoevsky's inquisitor, MS aren't evil. They're inevitable as a TragedyOfTheCommons. --PeterMerel

See: WhoOwnsYourMind

CategoryQuote