But look closely…
Very funny, they have even ripped off the favicon for genuine Microsoft sites. There are a bunch of links and funny stuff. But basically they are ripping off Microsoft. Striking fear into geeks the world over.
Seriously though if this did ever happen (as remote as that is) it would destroy the faith that the users have in Firefox. I was talking to a friend of mine last night about this very issue. About the strong bonds that people forge with the products that they use. Brand associations and loyalty are what make or brake a product. That is why Firefox would be destroyed if it was ever touched by the “enemy”.
We also had an interesting chat about how these bonds to software influence how we interact with it. That we make assumptions about the usability of software based on who owns it, wrote it or influenced it’s development. Regardless of these feelings being based on fact or not. Indeed as a marketer you would capitalise on these brand associations. Or as a manager you would use products that your employees had a strong loyalty to upon which to base the applications that you either developed or used. Because that is what would give you the greatest productivity. Increase productivity you increase through put. That is; you make more money, ultimately you don’t care what they use as long as it gets the job done.
What we talked about was the feeling that you had when you thought for just one second “What if Microsoft really did do that”.
Rooster's Rail 
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