GENERAL - Microsoft Scrambles to Fix Embarrassing Spell-Check Bug

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Title: Microsoft scrambles to fix embarrassing spell-check bug

By Reuters Special to CNET News.com

March 22, 2000, 8:45 a.m. PT

PARIS--The head of Microsoft's European and Middle East operations said the firm was fixing a bug in its Windows 2000 French-language spell-checker that suggests replacing "anti-stress" with "anti-arab."

Michel Lacombe, president of Microsoft EMEA, said the problem should be fixed in "a few weeks" and that customers would be offered a new version free of charge.

"Microsoft is very sorry about this. We are always sensitive to things which confuse people, and we are very respectful of people getting hurt," Lacombe told Reuters.

"Microsoft has no problem with the Arab world; we invest in the Arab language and in Arab countries. Our software developers are looking at a way to fix this, and in a few weeks this will be behind us," he added.

France's national CFDT trade union denounced Microsoft for its "racist turn of phrase."

"As it is not able itself to go directly to court, the CFDT is informing national anti-racism societies. It will support any criminal action they should take," the CFDT said in a statement.

Lacombe noted that the bug was in its spell-checker, not its thesaurus.

"That would be worse. We are not trying to give a synonym of 'anti-stress,' just to help the user solve a spelling problem," he said.

Story Copyright ) 2000 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1580769.html?tag=st.ne.1006.thed.1006-200-1580769

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), March 22, 2000


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