Microsoft
agreed to support the Washington State gay rights bill that they dropped their support of last week under pressure from a ring-wing minister.
Since Steve Ballmer made a public statement, it will be hard to back down; as their support was largely symbolic, the position is back to where it was.
It will still take longer for the bill to get passed in Washington, but now Microsoft's quiet support will get splashed on front covers and discussed on TV shows. That's a good thing.
All told, to me it sounds like a low-level PR/lobbying flack decision that backfired, and when reviewed by the higher ups was reversed in a way most companies wouldn't. Overall, I mind using Windows less today.
Correction: The original version of this Diary mistakenly said "Gay Marriage Rights" instead of simply "Gay Rights". The bill would have barred discrimination based on sexual orientation, not granted marriage or any other additional rights.