On Mar 3, 2010, at 3:14 PM, xe22 wrote:
> Microsoft can be considered "evil" because most users buy off-the-shelf 
> systems.
> MS uses its bloated mass to force its software onto these units.

Is it bloated mass when the OS in question has like a 90+% market demand? That 
sounds like "giving the customers what they're asking for".

You're in the minority, of people who don't want Windows on their desktop. (So 
am I). But at the end of the day, the OEMs are doing what 90+% of their 
customers want. And, I'm sorry, but I can't fault any business for trying to 
please 9/10 of their customers.

> Then it uses
> the numbers to force "partners" to write for Windows only. If you think not 
> then
> why does MS even prevent software from the previous version of Windows from
> running.

I've never found that to be the case, in fact, quite the opposite. Hell, I wish 
they would do that more often. This whole concept of "massive backward 
compatibility" is what has made Windows such a nightmare to code and support. 
Tons of people with their "Oh, my Windows 95 code needs to still work on 
Windows 7 because the company that made it went out of business during the 
Clinton era" mindset force all sorts of exceptions and workarounds in more 
modern operating systems to have to try and kludge together something so 
antique code like that will still work.

> Things like the inefficient .Net to circumvent Java is an example.
> If that's not enough they are continuous in their efforts to patent or buy 
> anything
> that might be a threat to them so no one else can use it because they can't 
> stand
> up to honest competition.

You mean, heavens forbid, they're a capitalist organization who attempted to 
preserve their profits?!

TO THE GALLOWS WITH THEM!

> They take ideas like the 3D desktop Linux was way ahead
> on and through a large ad budget open source doesn't have make it look to the
> masses that they invented it.

So your argument is that they used open source code in a way that was compliant 
with its license, and you are unhappy with that? They distributed it, they 
threw the copies of the license in where appropriate, I suspect if I dig around 
in the dungeons of MSFT's web site I could even find "where to download the 
source code" (if they didn't just include it on the DVD somewhere).

Perhaps the Linux folks should have used a more restrictive license? One that 
gave them some control of the effort they'd put into that 3D Desktop work?  :-)

> Not that people should not be able to use MS if they want-but the methods MS 
> uses
> to make sure they do I consider at the very least evil.

Me? I consider them a business like any other business. Not a business putting 
out a product I've got a lot of desire to use, but that doesn't qualify them 
for "evil" status. It takes a lot of work to really be "evil". 

> Or-I just don't like them.

Well, that at least would be truth in advertising. :-)

Cheers,
D

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