It is the FUDerful Time of the Year

Yes, it is that time those in the IBM Lotus Notes community look forward to each January. It usually sparks much discussion and the volume increases. No, I am not talking about Lotusphere 2006, which opens this coming Sunday. I am talking about the remarkably coincidental release of Note-to-Exchange conversion tools by Microsoft, that always seems to happen this time of year. I could point out silly "Duh!" statements about the latest release such as

"Microsoft says it recognizes a need for the ability to customize and build workflow-enabled applications for SharePoint, and it plans to address this in the coming months."

Instead I will point you to Paul Mooney's excellent dissection of this new offering (yes Paul, I am reading). Instead, I offer up this new song in tribute to Microsoft and the media that allow FUD to go out unfiltered or unchecked, especially Reuters, who quoted a July 2005 Radicati report that has been proven wrong by, drum roll please, the Radicati Group. No, not by the vile, venomous bloggers described by Radicati in the infamous "Attack of the Blogs" in Forbes Magazine, but by their own admission in their newest report. This song will not likely make the JamFest at Lotusphere 2006, but here it is anyway.

(To the tune of "You're The One That I Want" from "Grease")

You serve FUD, it's so deceivin', and it's gainin' print space
And the message you're supplyin', it's so damn misleadin'

You better shape up, cause we want the truth,
'cause Bill Gates fears IBM
You better shape up, you better get it straight,
to my boss I must be true
Nothing left, nothing left for me to do

Chorus:
You'll believe that I want
(I'll believe that you want), ooh ooh ooh, No FUD
Believe that I want (I'll believe thatn you want),
ooh ooh ooh, No FUD
The thing that I want (I'll give you what you want),
ooh ooh ooh, No FUD
The thing I need (the thing you need),
oh yes indeed (yes indeed)

If you sell with deception,
We've no way to control
Meditate my direction, feel your way

You better shape up,
cause you cannot hide
I need products,
that can keep me satisfied
You better shape up, if you're gonna prove
You better prove, that your FUD is justified
Am I sure?
Yes I'm sure down deep inside

[chorus repeats out]