I just spoke with Keith Teare, the former CEO of RealNames. He explained that the company will shut down on Monday, and explained how it happened. As I read the account, I could see both sides. In the US, RealNames didn’t really catch on. But in Asia, it’s become important, says Teare, because it allows people to enter names of websites in their native language. I was pleased to see that Microsoft is being sensitive to how they use their power in the Web. And at the same time, I share Teare’s concern that they used RealNames to bootstrap their own equivalent service. I asked what he hopes to accomplish by going public with the details of the breakup, he would like them to reconsider, he wants to keep going forward with RealNames, he doesn’t want to shut the company down. 
[Scripting News]
“… he would like them to reconsider…” In a “let’s torch the town and hope that someone’s still around to turn the hose on” kind of way.
Come on – he’s pissed (understandably so) and wants everyone to know that he got out-maneuvered by a much larger company with more resources.
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