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Given the plethora of at-least-as-good #libre messaging platforms (see Matrix, Rocket.Chat, Zulip, Mattermost, NextCloud Talk, etc.) that aren't
* exploiting your data,
* pestering you to pay more,
* reducing 'free tier' features (to get you to pay $),
* blocking integrations you want,
* failing to live up to their security promises, or
* simply being painful to use.

Why does *anyone* bother with MS Teams, Salesforce Slack, or Discord? Just doesn't make any sense to me.

Downes 🍁

@lightweight In the case of my employer, teams is integrated with other Office software already in use and, more importantly, employs the same authentication and access management. So they can secure Teams in a way they can't secure the other platforms.

@Downes hmm. The big problem, of course, is that they've put all their eggs in the 100% Microsoft basket. That's a fragile monoculture, and due to it being Microsoft, a poorly implemented one. I consider any "Microsoft shops" to be examples of woefully negligent governance. (you've probably seen it, but I explain why here: davelane.nz/mshostage) Many "Microsoft shops" have already rued that decision, but the herd continues to move in the same direction. One day, only the outliers will be left.

Dave Lane · New Zealand: dependence on the Microsoft CorporationAnyone in business should be familiar with an old truth: if you build your business so that it depends on a single supplier's product, that you can't get anywhere else, you don't actually have a busin

@Downes I'm convinced my argument in the MS Hostage post is unassailable... the liability on most companies, orgs, and gov'ts around the world is colossal.

@lightweight Examples underlining the MS Hostage argument abound. So I don't disagree with you.

The thing is, MS is so large and influential, that if you're a government, and if any of the conditions prevail (ie., it stops making the product, raises its price, competes with you, offers your competitors better terms, or goes out of business), then you are facing much bigger problems already (eg., you're losing a war, your currency has collapsed, you can no longer enforce laws, etc).

@Downes I have a feeling that there're failure modes we haven't seen yet (or have been carefully downplayed when they've occurred at smaller scales) that we haven't seen yet. But yes, when they happen, it'll effectively remove businesses, orgs, and entire gov'ts from the map. And it'll be their own fault.