Do you hate Microsoft?

[Guest EQ]

I know so many people (especially at my college) who absolutely HATE Microsoft. I don't understand the hatred. Do those of you who hate them have legitimate reasons or are you just bitter?

 

Sell me on this. Why should I hate them?

[MrRant 0]

No real reason outside of security vunerabilites (Linux and Mac have them too but when 90% of all computer use Windows....), some people also don't like the way they dominate the PC market.

[OldSchoolWrestling 0]

People hate them because they are so dominant and filthy rich. But if these people realize how fucking simple Microsoft has made computer use they wouldn't be bitching. Its just one of those hate who's on top type things.

[The Man in Blak 0]

A lot of the hatred against Microsoft comes from MS's business practices, which range between cunning and despicable. One of the most infamous strategies that Microsoft is renowned for is Embrace, Extend, and Extinguish:

 

Embrace - Microsoft acknowledges an important technological advancement.

 

Extend - Microsoft begins making their own additions to said technological advancement, for the sake of "improvement."

 

Extinguish - Once Microsoft has made enough additions to a given advancement, they can effectively claim it for themselves as a proprietary medium on the basis that it "cannot function without their improvements."

 

An excellent example of this can be found at this article:

 

http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/550

 

which explains how Microsoft basically attempted to claim the internet browsing market for itself and snuff out a lot of the standards presented by the W3C.

 

 

Microsoft is also notorious for pushing their own agenda while, essentially, ignoring the concerns of their customers. They can afford to do this because they've basically locked many businesses and developers into using their platform and, hence, playing their games. Windows XP is a perfect example of this, as there are tons of new features and added functionality (like actual Plug-and-Play) in the operating system, but there also happen to be a disturbing amount of security issues, many of which have existed since the first revs of Win95.

[Guest Krazy Karter]

Microsoft releases the most reliable software, so I can't complain.

 

It does irk me when a security update is released and everyone goes

"OMG THERE'S A HOLzER IN THEIR OS THEY SUCK GET LINUX"

 

Really, who the fuck cares? At least it's a good monopoly.

[syxx2001 0]

I watched a video on Microsoft last year in economics. I can see why people hate Gates if they know the whole story. From what I remember is he bought a OS from some company in Seattle, changed it up, sold it to IBM, got IBM to sign a contract saying they could sell the OS to anyone they wanted and then the rest is history. I THINK thats how it went, I dont really remember.

[BifEverchad 0]

People hate them because they are so dominant and filthy rich. But if these people realize how fucking simple Microsoft has made computer use they wouldn't be bitching. Its just one of those hate who's on top type things.

See, World Wrestling Entertainment.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

People hate them because they are so dominant and filthy rich.  But if these people realize how fucking simple Microsoft has made computer use they wouldn't be bitching.  Its just one of those hate who's on top type things.

I agree with this except for one point, one that I saw time and time again back in the mid nineties when companies were still coming up with new things to do innovate stuff with computers instead of just smash spyware onto your machine.

 

A company comes out with something unique and innovative.

 

 

Microsoft announces they're making a similar product that will do the same thing but will be by Microsoft.

 

Nobody buys the first product, knowing that being in a competition with Microsoft is never healthy so they might as well go with the company that will "win."

 

The first company goes bust, unable to gain any consumer trust because everyone's holding on for the Microsoft product.

 

 

 

Microsoft decides they don't need to release their product, and doesn't.

 

 

 

 

This happened way way Way Way WAY too many times than it should have about seven or eight years ago.

[Guest OctoberBlood]

No, I don't hate Microsoft. They're brilliant.

 

But the security vunerabilites tend to get annoying, but as someone else said, even system has that. Microfsoft rules and you know it.

[Guest EQ]

I know that Microsoft's business practices have been questionable at best over the years. Aside from the security issues (which appear on every OS, it's just amplified since more people use MS) they really have made home computing very easy.

 

I could see why people in the undustry might have a grudge against MS, but I don't get why the average consumer should. I realize that the average consumer doesn't give a shit one way or the other, but there are a signigificant number of people (outside the computer industry) who seem to absolutely HATE Microsoft.

 

Oh well.

[The Man in Blak 0]

I realize that the average consumer doesn't give a shit one way or the other, but there are a signigificant number of people (outside the computer industry) who seem to absolutely HATE Microsoft.

It just so happens that the anti-Microsoft people are considerably louder than the pro-Microsoft people. After all, it's easier to root for an underdog than it is to campaign for a juggernaut.

[Guest Doyo]

They use illegal predatory practices to try and squash other companies.

Here is one example:

 

Everyone on the internet used to use Netscape as their browser and people had to

pay money for it, just like any other major program. Microsoft did not have a browser

at this time, but then they released Internet Explorer and decided to give it away

for free! The early versions of IE were crap and Netscape was a lot better back

then, but how could they compete when IE was free? Microsoft also poured tons of money

into promoting it and they also paid companies such as Dell and Gateway to only have

Internet Explorer on their computers

and not Netscape. Microsoft's goal was not to make money, but to drive Netscape

out of business, at which time they were probably going to charge the big bucks for

IE. Of course it didn't turn out this way as AOL bought Netscape and there are other

free browsers like Mozilla out there.

 

6 or so years ago Microsoft did not make keyboards, mice, gamepads, games, networking

equipment or video game systems. Now they are a major player in each of those

categories.

 

They even have their hand in a television news station (MSNBC)

 

The fear is that they are going to take over everything. They have purchased or put

out of business literally hundreds of companies. With less and less competition the products will

suffer and prices will be higher.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Everyone on the internet used to use Netscape as their browser and people had to

pay money for it, just like any other major program.

Netscape had a boxed version with goodies, but also freely had a downloadable version available for private, non-commercial use.

 

  Microsoft did not have a browser

at this time, but then they released Internet Explorer and decided to give it away

for free!

 

For private, non-commercial use.

 

The early versions of IE were crap and Netscape was a lot better back

then, but how could they compete when IE was free?

 

For private, non-commercial use it really wasn't any different. And Microsoft at that time also released a boxed, pay version of IE with goodies as well.

 

Microsoft also poured tons of money

into promoting it

 

Not until IE3. In version 2 and prior, it was just sort of "there" while they advertised MSN instead.

 

Microsoft's goal was not to make money, but to drive Netscape

out of business,

They did.

 

at which time they were probably going to charge the big bucks for

IE.

They didn't.

 

Of course it didn't turn out this way as AOL bought Netscape and there are other

free browsers like Mozilla out there.

 

When both browsers entered version 4, it became very obvious who was more in touch with mainstream consumers wanted. 4.0 was the critical moment in the browser war. Microsoft released a speedier upgrade with an installer that did all the work for you and mostly hit all the right notes except for the stupid Active Desktop (although "push" technology was huge at the time.)

 

Netscape released what appeared to be a slower, bloated Navigator with Composer and an ugly e-mail application shoehorned in. I prefered Navigator 3 with Eudora shareware more than Communicator.

 

They even have their hand in a television news station (MSNBC)

They were a big investor in it, actually, since they thought delivering news was going to be a big facet of the internet in 1994 or whenever it was. That was why the original, old MSN actually had it's own news desk with writers and photographers and everything, while AOL and CompuServe were just taking stuff from the AP wires.

[Guest Doyo]

Microsoft's goal was not to make money, but to drive Netscape

out of business,

They did.

 

Netscape exists today, in some type of form at least. AOL purchased it for 4 billion

dollars, so it is not like they went bankrupt.

[Guest EQ]

Didn't AOL's browser used to be a version of IE back in the day?

[MrRant 0]

AOL still uses a modified IE.

[Guest EQ]

They do? Then what'd they end up doing with Netscape?

[Guest Doyo]

They do? Then what'd they end up doing with Netscape?

They wasted 4 billion dollars I guess. I think they decided not to piss off Microsoft

too much because they knew that Microsoft could convice the computer makers to

not bundle AOL software with their machines.