Why the hate for Microsoft?

JackelPDW · n00b Joined: 17 May 2003 Posts: 27 Location: Bradenton, FL

As a relative newcomer to Gentoo and these forums, I find myself amazed at the amount of Windows bashing and Microsoft bashing that goes on in these forums. I have used Windows ever since 98, and currently run XP on my good machine, and Gentoo on my crappier one.

I was just wondering what is that little thing inside of y'alls brain that makes you so against MS? Call me befuddled, but I can't remember XP really grinding on my nerves. Nor Gentoo.

What's the rub?
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mlang · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 4:02 am Post subject:

I'd tend to agree with you that there is sometimes pointless Microsoft bashing in these forums. But I find it hard to believe that you can't see the source of at least some of it. The quality of Microsoft products aside (and that is a BIG aside), the company's questionable business practises have put off a great many people -- especially those who are proponents of free software and open source.

edit: Are you the same JackalPDW that used to post at Pie's?

Diezel · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 4:03 am Post subject:

Try overpriced non working programs. The only working OS that MS has released is Win2k and it's not that good either. If I pay 500 euro for a OS I expect it to work.
I've had my Linux server running for about 9 months without a reebot while the Win2k server has never been up for more than a month. I don't hate them I just don't think they make anything worht paying for. Their products are simply not worth the money they expect us to pay.
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Tasslehoff · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 4:29 am Post subject:

Strongly differing philosphies I think is a major cause. That and it is easy to hate those that hate you. I believe that Microsoft hates any of the competition, it is past competing, past rivalry they want to utterly destroy all that opposes them.

You will notice slamming of other distros and rivalry amoung the open source community. the BSD's vs Linux, the various linux distros vs each other, they all have a rivalry but I see it as more of a friendly one.

Halanegri · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 5:09 am Post subject:

I think the fact that MS is a convicted monopolist is enough reason to dislike them.

masseya · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 5:17 am Post subject:

Evangelion · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 6:01 am Post subject:

I have posted this on another formun besides this, but I'll repost it here:

For me it's because of their unethical and illegal business-practices. They have been found repeatedly to be an abusive monopoly. Let's see....

1) They used illegal means to kill Netscape. They bundled their product (IE) with their monopoly-product (Windows). Using your monopoly to push you other products is illegal. MS did just that.

2) They denied Netscape access to the distribution-channel. They basically told OEM:s that "If you ship Netscape, you wont get Windows"

3) They do their best to reduce interoperability. They break existing standards for their owh gain (embrace & extend)

4) They use their monopoly to squeeze even more money from their customers. The new licensing-scheme doubled my employers licensing-expenses.

6) They killed DR-DOS by artifically making sure Windows (3.1) would not run on top of it. There was no real reason for it not to work, MS just made sure that Windows checked what version of DOS was running underneath. If it was DR-DOS, Windows would display memory-errors and behave erratically. In case you don't remember: DR-DOS was a competitor to MS-DOS. It was alot more advanced that MS-DOS on several areas. Thanks to MS, a superior product was killed in favour of mediocre product.

6) I do not like to do business with criminals (see 1))

Add to that list their lying and spreading of FUD about Linux.
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JackelPDW · n00b Joined: 17 May 2003 Posts: 27 Location: Bradenton, FL

Evangelion · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 7:38 am Post subject:

viperlin · Veteran Joined: 15 Apr 2003 Posts: 1319 Location: UK

i do little M$ bashing but i don't like them because of their business practices and invasion of users privacy, the in-ability to delete your cache, the way they monitor everything you search for in M$ help.
plus if anybody has read the Windows XP Home EULA (spelt wright?) it restricts your hardware, something like only allowed 1 CPU and 10 external devices connected (printers and such). XP Pro allows 2 CPU's.

stuff like that

EDIT: spelling of EULA (thanks shimage)

shimage · n00b Joined: 18 Jul 2003 Posts: 48

arand · Apprentice Joined: 22 Apr 2003 Posts: 215

I can understand your frustrations with working trying to use Openoffice on "advanced" word documents. I have the same problem, I had to break down and just use a word machine.

One suggestion I have is to download the trial version of crossover office or win4lin. I have not used either product but from what I have read they do a pretty good job of allowing you to use MS applications in Linux.

I would definitly suggestion using the latest version of openoffice to try to open your word documents (current version 1.1rc2) if you are using a previous version.

My last couple of comments relate to openoffice, yes it is slow to start up, yes it does not always open word documents perfectly and yes the user interface is not nice. Once openoffice starts though it is working which is all I care about. Part of the reason that openoffice cannot open word documents perfectly is that MS has made those formats closed source so the Openoffice.org team have to reverse engineer those formats. I think they do a good job considering what they have to work with. There are options out there for improving the looks of openoffice, one I saw recently was posted in the forums here.

I agree lets get everyone to use latex and that would solve all of our problems. Completely cross platform, small files, works better than word or openoffice, what more needs to be said.

Well thats my opion for what it is worth.

zhenlin · Veteran Joined: 09 Nov 2002 Posts: 1361

LaTeX is not good [or good, depending on perspective] for the 1-font-per-line-maniacs. It enforces good style...

What LaTeX has:

Automatic TOC generation.
Semiautomatic Index generation.

Good for any novel or thesis. Not so good if you must include custom graphics every other page...

You people have done a good job of listing reasons to hate Microsoft.

But I think this page does a even better job of listing reasons: http://microsuck.com/content/whatsbad.shtml

Reason #1 on my list:
They do not ever say the whole truth. 99.999999% uptime for Windows 2003 Server? Yes, it is possible; only if you use no 3rd party software, run no services or use a cluster with load balancing. Microsoft is an innovator, you say? See here. http://www.vcnet.com/bms/departments/innovation.shtml and http://dwheeler.com/innovation/microsoft.html and http://dwheeler.com/innovation/ They even produced falsified evidence in their antitrust suit!

Evangelion · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 10:52 am Post subject:

Camoes · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 11:03 am Post subject:

Evangelion · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 11:29 am Post subject:

Lovechild · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 12:01 pm Post subject:

Pattern of behavior is what does it for me.. they have repeatedly been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

I simply don't trust them.

Diezel · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 12:37 pm Post subject:

viperlin · Veteran Joined: 15 Apr 2003 Posts: 1319 Location: UK

lisa · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 12:56 pm Post subject: Re: Why the hate for Microsoft?

Gandalf_Grey_ · Apprentice Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Posts: 151

I dont hate Microsoft, I just like Linux better. The fact that I get annoyed when I am in windows (especially at thier command line) has nothing to do with the fact that I dont like Microsoft, it has alot to do with the fact that I just like linux better
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Lovechild · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 2:50 pm Post subject:

Gandalf_Grey_ · Apprentice Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Posts: 151

I probably should have clarified that however I am learning to type on a DVORAK keyboard amd I am trying to type as liitle as possible

What my point was, is that I dont use Microsofts products for reasons other than hating the company
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Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.
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Arthur Vandelay · n00b Joined: 09 Jan 2003 Posts: 55

If you even have to ask the question...then you just don't get it and OSS is not for you.

Here's a hint: It's about the blue stuff on your flag JackelPDW.

shimage · n00b Joined: 18 Jul 2003 Posts: 48