Microsoft bans discussions about firearms on their community forums.
Updated: January 9th, 2013
Ride Fast n’ Shoot Straight reports that the user agreement for the Microsoft Online Technical Communities bans discussions about firearms.
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It looks more like M$ is attempting to prevent a "gun classifieds" (like the most excellent vaguntrader.com) in the wording: "Promotes or otherwise facilitates the purchase and sale of firearms or ammunition." In this way, it is no different from say, Craigslist or dare I say it Paypal.
It's asinine and idiotic, but not really something to get all bent about. Typical corporate moron behaviour.
I imagine you could make a Microsoft Communities "Guns Are Awesome" forum and be in the clear, as long as you didn't try to sell your awesome guns on there. Try to think about it from their perspective. What if the Ft. Hood shooter had acquired his FiveseveN from the "Microsoft Communities Texas Awesome Gun Forum." (I know he didn't, he bought it at a gun store, but hear me out.) Can you imagine the media shitstorm that would generate? "Ft. Hood shooter enabled by Microsoft." It's a shame that companies feel the need to CYA like that, but I'm not sure I can really fault them for it too hard.
A beautiful thing about the (current) internet is that if you don't like a thing, you really can start your own. In the business world, that's really difficult and requires lots of work and paperwork and money and licenses and all kinds of crap. On the internet it requires a little learning and a little patience.
There is no news here.
Microsoft Online *Technical* Communities.
From http://www.microsoft.com/co... :
"Microsoft technical communities provide opportunities to interact with Microsoft employees, experts, and your peers in order to share knowledge and news about Microsoft products and related technologies."
So unless your guns run Windows its a non-issue. Maybe, MAYBE, if you're writing some ballistics software in .NET and need help it would come up.
There was someone whining over at TheHighRoad.us about not being able to use Panera's free internet to get at GunBroker.
We cannot have guns everywhere AND still have private property rights. Furthermore not every single forum is the right place to talk about guns.
Do you want Steve to do an article on the latest features of Windows 12 and IE 10? No. Same deal. You go to certain sites for specific information and discussion.
THUS ENDETH THE SERMON.