Microsoft-Free-Fridays

Lessons from a Protest
by Vikas Kamat
Page Last Updated: February 17, 2024

We  responded to Dave Winer's call for Microsoft-Free-Fridays in June of 2001 to protest Microsoft's  SmartTags technology in future versions of Web browsers. The idea is  simple -- we ask that you use Microsoft Internet Explorer anyday of the week, except on Fridays. We encouraged use of the alternate browsers by making our popular content viewable only via non-Microsoft browsers on Fridays. (see The Campaign against Microsoft SmartTags)

After two weeks of running this experiment, here's what I have learnt.

Civil Non-cooperation Works!

Mahatma Gandhi described his civil non-cooperation movement as a way to make the wronging party "realize the injustice he is engaged in." He went on to describe that a nation or an army (a company), no matter how powerful, cannot rule upon millions of citizens (customers) who are not cooperative. We have already heard rumors of a softening stance at Microsoft on SmartTags. 

Update on June 29, 2001. Microsoft agrees to remove SmartTags!

So next time, you want to fight for justice, remember Gandhi.

A Blog As Good as What's Cool at Yahoo!

The only initial exposure our protest received was a link at Winer's Weblog, Scripting.com . It was picked up by many news networks, and boy, were we flooded with traffic. I'd compare the traffic surge to the best known methods of website promotion.

Bloggers make note -- your link is powerful. Use them with responsibility.

Opera is Cool

I downloaded an alternative, non-Microsoft browser called Opera . The foot-print is small, the application is stable and I love the interface. I would rank it among the best pieces of software I have ever used.

People Do Use Multiple Browsers

I do not know if it was the result of curiosity, or a characteristic of the audience that is interested in Web issues, but  77% of the users who were denied access to the content (on Fridays), immediately switched browsers and requested the same document again!

I was Wrong About PDAs

"Who would want to surf the Web on their cell-phone?" I had always asked rhetorically. Surprisingly, the people who cared about this Microsoft-Free-Fridays thingy seemed to be using either PDAs or cell-phones to read the story -- over 50% of the traffic we got from Europe for this story came this way.

See Also:

• More Web Building Tips from Vikas Kamat
• The Microsoft-Free-Friday Page at Kamat's Potpourri