Why do we all hate Microsoft?

[KronoLeginaire]

Why do most people hate Microsoft and Bill Gates but use his software as if nothing has changed?

[doctorgonzo]

Why do most people hate Microsoft and Bill Gates but use his software as if nothing has changed?

Probably for the same reason I have to use Qwest for my phone service: it's the only choice I have if I want to connect to the rest of the world. Sure, I could set up my own phone network using a can and some string, but if I want to actually talk to other people I have to use what everybody else uses. Ditto for M$ and their programs.

Of course, this is changing, and few monopolies last forever.

[snakeyes]

Just think if there were never a Microsoft. Where would we be today? That is one of those things to think about. Just wanted to throw that out there in case anyone wants to take a shot at that.

[Mr N8]

We would have used OS/2. They just needed a better marketing strategy. IBM may get it right some day!

Of course, then there was Mr. Jobs with the Mac OS.

n8

[Cricket]

I LOVE MICROSOFT!

April Fools .

Actually, I don't really "hate" them...just don't understand them sometimes.

Cricket

[doctorgonzo]

I don't really hate them either. I just hate incompetence, and M$ is big enough to be plenty incompetent and still be able to get away with it.

[HAL9000]

I don't hate it either. You can call Bill Gates whatever you want, but for all the wrongs that everyone claims he did something right and has more money than any of us.

[Floppyman]

I've yet to understand that company's business tactics (charging big $$$ for software that has bugs/security glitches).

[Mr N8]

Ford does the same thing....

n8

[DrZaius]

I don't hate them either, but I do question their business practices sometimes.

[mairving]

The worst thing about Microsoft is that they don't want to be the biggest and the best software company. They want to be the only software company.

[LawyerRon]

I don't hate Microsoft or Bill Gates. All MS products I use work perfectly for me. WIN98SE is rock solid and MS Office is just fine.

[Mr N8]

I have to agree with Ron. I use win98SE, when I'm not using RedHat, and it has met all of my needs for a general OS, so far. Office 2000 is actually a great office suite, too. Do they charge too much? I think so.

n8

[PMich]

I don't hate M$ or "Thunder" Bill. In fact, I kinda admire the man for his brass pair and the presence of mind to know that DOS needed to be liscensed and not sold outright even when there was a minimal market for his product.

[Confused]

I certainly don't hate MS. I remember when PC's first started appearing in the business world and they were available to only a select few that knew something about coding. Windows opened up the PC world to the average user like me and now I have 2 in my house. One for my wife with WIN98 FE and this one for me with XP. All software purchased and registered with MS. I keep my contracting books, vending expenses and receipts, surf the net and play games. I attribute that to the ease that Windows has made things.

You think Windows is proprietary and has strong control, get a MAC and start trying to modify it.
Chas

[KronoLeginaire]

Yeah, I see what you all mean, but then again I see these I HATE MICROSOFT SITES.com but they are using WIndows!

What I figure is that With linux being so -open source one can creat a linux that is just liek windows and say its open source, thrown it out there and take no responciblity that way we have a solid and equal choice besides Windows(r).

[minutrice]

Why does everyone harp on the bugs and security issues that microsoft programs have. It's an OS for christ sake. There is so much crap that goes into this that it can't be perfect. They release updates. Download those, get a firewall and stop complaining.

I think that linux is good for some things but not for an everyday desktop. Admit it..... it's terrible for a desktop.

Microsoft's price? Well, I don't know how much it takes to pay everyone that works on each program (plus the thousands more than don't help directly) but I'm sure the price is not too bad. I mean $300 for XP pro and it's a whole OS. Borland's Jbuilder and Cbuilder cost somewhere around $3000 each. The same as with Adobe products, maya, 3d studio max?!? I know you will say "Look at all the money microsoft has," but just because you were good enough to make money in the past, should you give away your products. If they did that they would begin to loose money and that's not good business.

One thing I don't think I agree with is the .Net stuff. I'm not exactly for sure what it is, but I've been told that it will eventually lead to us downloading our software from Microsoft instead of owning a cd and that is never good.

If windows is so bad why do all the other OSs mimic it? And why do you use Microsoft's products if you hate them so much? Go use the competition's inferior products.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not some Microsoft lover, but I just have to take up for them sometimes. I'm sure they do some things that violate antitrust laws but they had to be really good to get big enough to be able to violate those laws.

Last but not least, I wish I were as smart and as good of a business man as Bill Gates.

Josh

[Floppyman]

For the price you pay you would expect less bugs/glitches. Afterall linux is free.

[doctorgonzo]

Why does everyone harp on the bugs and security issues that microsoft programs have. It's an OS for christ sake. There is so much crap that goes into this that it can't be perfect.

Well, that's part of the problem. Many of their security holes are in products that aren't needed in a pure OS, but that come with Windows anyway and you can't get rid of. The rest of the security holes are a result of services being turned on by default that few people need and fewer understand. That could be easily fixed as well, but M$ doesn't seem to care.

Think of all the problems that businesses have dealt with as a result of some M$ product having holes. All of the lost business, the network downtime, and so forth. If a car maker made a car that thieves could get into unless the driver fiddled with some obscure mechanisms under the hood, do you think people would stand for it? Of course not. M$ gets to play by a different set of rules, and I don't like it.

[homer15]

i like microsoft... i mean, everything that i've gotten from them works fine. just because i can't figure it out sometimes doesn't mean they are idiots. they make stuff that works. windows 98se has never given any problems whatsoever, and on the flip side, other things that do have problems, microsoft tries to fix with patches.
and os/2 was actually designed by microsoft for ibm. there is no other game in town, and that's probably for a good reason. linux is good, but it's got problems just like everything else.

[Blankman]

I wouldn't have such a hard time with Microcrap if they would just put out a reliable product for the $$$. If their existance would just parallel what users want, and quit putting crappy OS after OS onto the market, causing major changes in gaming, apps etc. that cause our lives to be just a tad more harsh.

[mbossman2]

Looking at the size and scope of the MS O/S, it is suprising that they have as few issues as they do.

With any process that is as broad and as deep as Windows is, there are bound to be issues. Couple that with the fact that any company that large has a nearly unmanageable bureacracy (sp?) and you end up with situations of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

To scrub every possible bug, hole etc, would be a monumental undertaking and frankly not very profitable.

Could MS plug, fix, and patch all the issues? Yes, they could. How much would that add to the price? I could not even hazard a guess.

Also you need to look at MS as a unifier within the IT field. Without MS you very well might have had 10-20 (or more) competing O/S's out there. Who knows if there would be the same level of interoperability that exists today. Multiple implementations of network connectivity, many more compatibility issues with various hardware devices. Compaq with 1 O/S, HP with another, Dell with a 3rd and none of them integrating seamlessly with the other. Then you have the different O/S's supporting 1 component manufacturer but not others. Not only are the implications for the computing field pretty staggering but the economic repercussions would have been widespread. Could the technology boom of the 80's and 90's have occurred? I don't know, it might have, but then again it might not have until or unless 1 player emrged to show leadership and direction.

Linux is a wonderful O/S for certain applicaitons, but in the overall scheme of things is still very much a niche player.

[HAL9000]

Originally posted by doctorgonzo If a car maker made a car that thieves could get into unless the driver fiddled with some obscure mechanisms under the hood, do you think people would stand for it? Of course not. M$ gets to play by a different set of rules, and I don't like it.

Do you have any idea just how easy it is to steal a car? 13 year olds are a problem with car theft around here and they're yanking them in less than 30 seconds! Here is the driver fiddling with mechanisms such as The Club, car alarms, ignition kill systems, etc. We're all putting up with this for some reason.

[doctorgonzo]

Well, of course stealing a car isn't that hard. However, on NPR this morning I heard a story that basically makes the same argument: that M$ (and software makers in general) do get to play by different rules. If I buy a car (and I just did), I have certain consumer rights. If the car has a flaw that puts me in danger, I can seek legal redress (look at the Ford Explorer "beta" release that caused so many problems). I can also turn around and sell the car if I want to. I can complain about it in print if I don't like it. However, the EULA from M$ keeps you from selling your software or even giving it away, it keeps you from publishing a review of the product without written consent, and it absolves M$ from all liability.

Having no liability is a license to act with wanton disregard. How much would it cost M$ to fix their holes? I'm thinking not much. It doesn't cost anything to not enable Universal PnP, for example. And other software has far fewer security holes, a lot of it freeware.

Of course, it's not all the fault of M$. People in general don't have a clue and don't understand that increased interoperability also can lead to increased risk. But I think the fact that the products from M$ are unlike any other products when it comes to consumer rights and protection is quite problematic and is causing this problem.

[Toaster]

Howdy,
My biggest complaint with Micky$oft is their total lack of support and blatant disregard for its users. Virtually all O/S vendors have some sort of free support, Micky$oft has none what so ever.
Then there are the security issues that plague Micky$oft products. Throw onto this "activation" and other "features".
Micky$oft doesn't trust its users and nor should we trust them.
Then there is compatability issues with "competing" products such as browsers.
I would forsake these shotcomings should Micky$oft do the following:
1, Compete without recourse.
2. Remove built in compatability issues. (Netscape and the like)
3. Actually "show" their users that they care more then just a way into someones wallet.

[homer15]

microsoft offers a whole knowledge database on known issues with it's software that is readily accessable by anyone with an interent connection. they offer synopsis of problems, and solutions and workarounds.
you know as well as i do that there are loads of people out there that have no idea about anything that is inside of their computer. if microsoft were to offer free support beyond the knowledge database, millions of boobs would call in on a daily basis asking how they can get an shortcut back that they deleted weeks ago or something like that.

[Sauron]

Well, hey, they made it, they make the rules. Sorry, but thats how I see it. Thats what I would do. They want to be the only software company out there. Sure...isn't that what all the giants want to be? There is close to 1 million of lines of code in 95. Heavens knows if that is true. I heard that. Its either more then that or the exact amount. Free support? Very few companies offer free support. High price? Well they made it, they designed it, they get to put the price on it. This isn't the days when a penny was worth something. I also feel they have a right to put in a Internet Browser in if they wish. Right now I am using IE, and I am not having probs with it. Same with Netscape. Have that too. Why should they care about us? There is 6. something billion ppl in this country. Can't care for each and everyone of us Its something like a resturant, for instance you wouldn't go to some, lets say Wendys and get in there, and yell : HEY THIS PLACE S*CKS! LOOK AT THIS BURGER! ITS SQUARE! They would have a right to throw you out, you don't like our cooking, get out. Their house, their rules. What could be simpler?

[Hpro]

Who said I hate Microsoft ? Because I'm not.!

[KronoLeginaire]

Originally posted by Hpro Who said I hate Microsoft ? Because I'm not.!

Because I'm not?

[Hpro]

NO why should I?
Either Microsoft nor billy boy did something to me - so no reason to hate them as there is no reason to love them - I use the products of them because - my kind of work has to use it - and that's about it.
Hpro

Short note:
It is a huge tremendous task to write a OS which makes every user happy and will run on several hundred different motherboards VGA's NIC's Sound card's and etc.. Linux doesn't support everything as well - even less I might say but I still use it and there is no reason to hate..

More if it wasn't that time back for Bill Gates - to bring the users on even plattform - guys where we would be today.???

twenty years back there was so many differend OS which were completely incompatible with each other - no not talking about the hardware detections nor the application it self - but you couldn't even insert a floppy disk into another computer to view a simple text file -

so that and more bill gates knew made his choice and he won - so what for I should hate him? anyone would do the same and the one which is without fault - should throw the first stone..
Hpro