Blackmoor Vituperative

A recruiter at Microsoft sent Eric Raymond (co-founder of the Open Source Initiative, former member of the board of directors of VA Linux Systems, and contributor to The Cathedral And The Bazaar) an email expressing interest in hiring him. Apparently the recruiter did not know who Raymond was.

Microsoft on Friday issued a mea culpa for not doing its due diligence before sending Linux and open-source luminary Eric Raymond an e-mail expressing interest in having him work for the Redmond software giant. …

Raymond, who posted the entire e-mail from Microsoft recruiter Mike Walters on his blog, informed Walters in no uncertain terms that he was not in the least bit interested in working for them.

Raymond also posted the entire text of his response to Walters on his Weblog which, as usual, pulled no punches.

“On the day I go to work for Microsoft, faint oinking sounds will be heard from far overhead, the moon will not merely turn blue but develop polkadots, and hell will freeze over so solid the brimstone will go superconductive.”

(from eWeek, Microsoft Makes a Mea Culpa for Hiring Situation)

Tell us how you really feel, Eric. Don’t keep your feelings bottled up like this: it isn’t good for you.