Adobe's CEO using FUD, but got caught out.
I often read various press releases regarding Silverlight, namely it's always curious to read what our "competitors" often say about us.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Adobe's CEO was quoted saying:
"If you look at the number of partners who are signing up [to use Flash] despite the fact that Redmond opens its chequebook and tries to get companies to move to Silverlight, we're winning."
"The BBC moved over, the NFL [National Football League] went live with us using NBC. Microsoft and NBC have had a long standing relationship, but they picked us."
Ahh the old "Scare them" campaign, rearing it's ugly head again. Kind of reminds me of the infamous Johnson Presidential campaign in 1964 - with a little girl picking some petals from a flower, which was in fact a countdown to a nuclear bomb going off. The message was simple, vote for Johnson or die was the underlying message.
"Vote for Flash, Silverlight is dying" is more the CEO's underlying message here and using the chequebook given Microsoft's wealth, really rams home the message.
Only, just like the 1964 ad campaign, it differs though, as given the power of the Internet, darn it, people prefer to echo the facts.
Take Dan Rayburn of BusinessOfVideo.com (whom one would argue is the above CEO's target demographic for the fear campaign).
He states:
In the guardian article, Adobe's CEO was also quoted as saying, " The BBC moved over, the NFL [National Football League] went live with us using NBC. Microsoft and NBC have had a long standing relationship, but they picked us. " The problem with that quote is that it's factually wrong. Yes, Microsoft and the NBC have a long standing relationship, yet they did not decide to use Flash for the NFL streaming. The NFL decided and is quoted on the record in various locations as saying they are the ones who made the decision to use Flash, not NBC. And from what various sources tell me, Adobe is helping to foot the bill to stream the NFL games. So is it really fair for Adobe's CEO to be calling out Microsoft for "opening its chequebook" in an attempt to muscle its way into the web video market when Adobe may also be helping content owners foot the bill? The fact no one from Adobe will comment or give any details, on the record about the NFL deal, speaks volumes.
If this was a live video message to the "people" from Adobe's CEO, I'm sure the propaganda architects would simply throw a quick command like:
"Quick..cut to the nuclear bomb screen..they know too much..."
Nice try Adobe at using the "Money + Fear" campaign as a lever against why Microsoft is evil and Adobe are righteously good. It kind of worked for Johnson, but I guess he didn't have the wisdom and power of the Internet back then?
Now returning you back to your regular FUD broadcasting station.
Meanwhile, if anyone needs me I'll be admiring the Emmy award Microsoft folks won for their stewardship with regard to video codec H.264. Unlike Adobe, we actually contribute to making the Codec's and have been doing so for the past 10+ years, where as Adobe simply license them in a 3rd party type way.
Sorry, I couldn't resist :)