On 10/25/05, Chad Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On 10/24/05, Vincente Aggrippino <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > So, why use OpenOffice.org? How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... > > > > 1. I don't like a monopoly. Even if it doesn't fit the legal > > definition of a monopoly, I don't like the feeling that Microsoft Office > > is > > the end-all and be-all of office productivity. In this sense, if > Microsoft > > was the one with the smaller market share, I would probably support > them. > > 2. I like the concept that I might have some input into the creation > > process. I have the source code and I can even make changes myself. Does > > anyone know a Microsoft programmer? Does anyone know someone who has > > worked > > on the code of Windows or Office, or even clippy? I think they are > locked > > in > > a secret bunker 25 miles below the ground in Area 51. > > > > If Microsoft and OpenOffice.org (or any other alternative) ever have > close > > to an equal market share, I may re-examine my decision. However, I will > > not > > use Microsoft products for the forseeable future. > > You make no sense whatsoever. So because Microsoft is successful and > popular, you hate them. But if they stop being successful and popular, > then > you'll like them. So you have nothing against their software - you just > despite success, right?
I wouldn't say I hate Microsoft, but you are right to a certain extent. I despise too much success at the expense of others. In this case, it feels like it is sometimes at our expense... the customers. For the record I have legally purchased and own ... 1. Two licenses of Microsoft Windows XP Professional. I'm using one. 2. One license of Microsoft Windows XP Home edition. I'm not using it. 3. Microsoft Office 95. Not in use. 4. Microsoft Office 97 (upgrade). Not in use. 5. Microsoft Office XP. Not in use. I feel that I have already given MS their quota of my income for life. If they stop being as successful, I wouldn't like them any more than I do now, but I might consider using their products if they had a very small market share and they had a product which was a good alternative to that of another company which had a very large, above 90% market share. To be clear: I prefer not to support a company that already has over 80% of the market. I don't hate them and I wouldn't like to see MS go away any more than I would like to see the others go away. I cannot speak intelligently about business ethics, but I think there are true MS haters who can give you an earful. All I want to do is support the underdog so that there will always continue to be an underdog. If MS and OOo each had 50% of the market share, I'd use OOo? If OOo had 90% and MS had 10%, I'd use MS? If three companies each had 33% of the market share, I'd finally become a real programmer (instead of the wannabe that I am now) and write VOffice to capture that last 1% :) To be completely fair, I should mention that I probably wouldn't have accomplished what I have for myself in this field if it were not for MS. That means more than it sounds like. I have no degrees but I still earn a respectable living. I started with MS-DOS 3 in 1989 and I never even heard about Open Source until many years later. This makes sense to me... You talk about fanatics, and you're right. You're out of your mind. ... but you might be right. Anyway, you can't prove anything. And the last guy who tried hasn't been heard from since... MUWAHAHAHAHA! -Chad Smith > > dontcha just love flames :) -- Vince
