That whole stuff is really repulsive - MS makes a couple billion profit -> fires 5000,IBM posts profits that far exceed expectations -> fires 16.000 or so...

Of course its all the fault of the economy - making billions in profits and all...

If the carmakers,AMD,Intel and companies in their position fire people it does make sense.This doesn't.

I heard that Microsoft pays part of salary using its' shares/stocks. I don't know if it is true (or if it was true), but if it is, then fired ex-employees still can get benefit from profit microsoft makes.

With respect, I think you misunderstand what I was trying to say. The "computer community" would be able to analyse it (the source) for all the back-doors that are claimed to be written into it.

Agreed, but what the rest of us face (outside of the US) isn't simply a consequence of the "US economic meltdown" - our countries are equally culpable for their own macroeconomic mismanagement. I'm thinking Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Germany and the UK in particular. But there are plenty more who also danced to the bankers' tune and allowed things to spiral out of control whereas stricter regulation WOULD HAVE prevented this God-awful mess from ever arising in the first place. We're in for a bitter and bleak few years ahead even if this downward trend were corrected tomorrow.

Well common people know it for a long time now.
It does not matter if it is a household , company , country ,you can not spend more than you earn.
If you do on a bad day it meltdown.
The economics seems to be build on one factor believe

Yes, it's all phony. Paper currencies ("fiat money" which is based literally on faith) are becoming increasingly worthless. If you don't believe we're heading towards disaster, check out the movements in the gold price recently!

What I believe is true is that Microsoft doesn't pay 'class-leading' salaries, but, if you take into account a profit on stock options, it can still be attractive to sign up for Microsoft's pieces of silver.

That is, of course, if there are profits on stock options, which there won't be if the stock tanks. And, perhaps more relevantly, there won't be for anyone who gets shown the door before their stock options become valid.

Damn ... This is horrible news ... This recession thing better move by quick ... It's getting on everybody's nerves!!!


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Well I can still remember the days that the money of a country is covered
by a gold bar in the central bank
The amount of the paper money and coins many not be more than a certain percentage of the gold bar keep in stock

intel, sun, western digital, ibm, amd, xerox, HP, and many other big names have laid off workers in the past month. but don't worry, obama will save us by destroying the currency.

Central banks probably don't have any gold left in their vaults, it's all out on lease and they're never going to get it back.

There are also credible rumours circulating that the US government have been stalling on the issue of an audit of the gold stocks in Fort Knox. I wonder just how much has been spirited away into thin air since the last one....

That wouldn't be such a good idea these days - even bach when there was trouble.

Read something about a couple of guys that almost managed to corner the silver market back when I was young and that would give you an instant meltdown if your currency was based on it.

With todays 'financial instruments' (what a f**** joke phrase) people woud be able to corner any raw material market if there was an incentive large enough to offset the cost - like plunging the $ for example and cash in on bets there.

Maybe not , but what is backbone of the currency in this days FAITH ?
Well if the FAITH is gone the backbone is gone

You do realize that "big companies" can license source for most microsoft products right? Microsoft does enough publicly and openly without needing to find conspiracy theories.

That would be called "the gold standard", we're not on it, and I don't think many first world countries are.