Are We Microsoft Critics Hypocrites?

[JailForBush]

In the ongoing war between Microsoft supporters and critics, the latter have dug in behind an argumentative question that reminds me of the ubiquitous right-wing line: If you hate America, why don't you move to China?

The Microsofties' variation: If you REALLY HATE Microsoft, then why do you still use It? (See an example at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1108028#1108255 )

To a typical American, that might sound like an airtight argument. How can you criticize something that you use?

Well, one answer that comes to mind is a study in irony: M-O-N-O-P-O-L-Y

Isn't it odd that so many Americans have used products or services produced by monopolies, going back to the nineteenth century? You'd think Americans would just boycott clothing, automobiles and food! The least they could do is turn out the lights to protest energy deregulation.

That's right, if you use electricity or gasoline, don't you dare criticize energy deregulation, Enron, the California energy crisis or even Gulf War II. Just SHUT UP.

Nor can we Americans criticize global warming when we're the biggest contributor. Gee, I wonder if Americans will continue to drink water if the World Trade Organization gains legal ownership of the world's freshwater reserves!

Of course, I'm being facetious. But you probably get my point. (After all, most DUer's are presumably smarter than the average American - aren't you?)

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Criticizing Microsoft isn't just about their products. What about the enormous impacts Microsoft has on government and public education? Parents should be disgusted that a creep like Bill Gates should be promoted as a role model. Do we really want another generation of children growing up believing that greed is good and it's OK to break the law after you've made more than a billion dollars?

* * * * * * * * * *

So what Microsoft products do I use? Well, I'm still on a Windows platform. I hope to be working on a different platform soon if time and money allow. Of course, all of my software is Windows-based.

But I did move all my websites from a Windows server to Linux servers. I graduated from Microsoft's FrontPage to the famous Dreamweaver.

I don't apologize for continuing to use Microsoft products even while I'm bashing Microsoft. After all, Bill Gates uses my tax dollars and exploits my students, even though he apparently despises children and democracy. In fact, Bill Gates is the real hypocrite here. Cares about education, my ass!

Now, if you use nothing BUT Microsoft products, should you refraing from blasting Gates? Of course not!

Hey, it's a free country. You can use anything you want. If Microsoft has driven the competition out of business, get revenge by purchasing the Windows version and using it to attack Microsoft. If an employer insists that you submit your job application via Microsoft Word, you'd be a fool to submit it via OpenOffice.org. Get my drift.

I knew you would. So continue to do the best you can with whatever software you use, but keep the competition in the back of your mind. Gradually, you may be able to escape Microsoft's clutches. I'm halfway there! :)

[Serenity-NOW]

1. You might well be, I use Suse. M$ blows chunks. n/t

[Florida_Geek]

2. I will soon be a Mac-Head

I can not take MS anymore.

[drdigi420]

24. i have a mac collecting dust

if macs did what windows can do, i may consider it

as it stands, the only thing that mac is good for is testing site compatibility on macs, since they often do not display sites correctly, even on IE

i run a recording studio as well, and mac used to be the thing to have, but they have been waaay passed by PCs now

in short, if macs ever can run the development and recording software i use everyday AND they start being priced reasonably, AND they start being less proprietary, i'll consider them

until then, i got to make a living

[unblock]

3. sadly, most have lost reason regarding monopolies/monopsonies

consider monopolies, such as microsoft; and monopolies, such as wal-mart (sole purchaser; a monopoly is a sole supplier. wal-mart is arguably both).

today, most people fail to recognize the problem with monopolies. the argument has never been that monopolies are 100% evil and they and their product ought not to exist. yet that is the reaction when you complain about it. was the problem with standard oil that oil was evil? no, of course not. standard oil did provide a legitimate service by bringing oil and gasoline to the market, and virtually no one else was able to. same story for wal-mart of microsoft.

the problem is that they ADD anti-competitive behavior on top of an otherwise legitimate business, making it difficult to impossible for others to enter or remain in their market. they then reap the rewards by being able to regulate supply to manipulate profit. it's THIS PART that's evil, anti-capitalism, and unfair.

this attitude is evident in that republicans have succeeded in using the phrase "death penalty" to describe antitrust legislation's highest sentence, which is to break up a monopoly into more than one company (with orders not to collude). does this really sound like a death sentence?? of course not, death sounds like putting a company out of business, how does forcing a spin-off come close to that? yet that's the reaction most people have to it.

at&t was forced to break up into at&t and the regional bells: nynex, bellsouth, bell atlantic, pacbell, etc. in aggregate, investors made a ton of money after the split. all companies are doing quite well.


same deal for microsoft. sure, they bring software to the market. but the very fact that gates is the richest man in the world, and microsoft has one of the greatest market capitalizations in the world are both testament to the fact that they rake in a tad more bucks than they really would be if the marketplace were more competitive. and as a technical professional, i know full well that the state of software today would be far greater if other hadn't been force out of business or had their products bought ought and sucked into the microsoft behemoth.

there is and always will be a place for microsoft. but there is a place for their competitors, too.

[parasim]

4. Macintosh?

I use a Macintosh and am virtually M$-free. I only have to fire up an old version of Word now and again to open some text documents when I can't open them up in Apple's TextEdit (which it does 95% of the time).

Let's see, Quicktime trumps Media Player easily. Keynote opens and saves PowerPoint files. Safari is a thousand times better than Internet Explorer. Mail is oh so much better than Outlook. The Mac comes with iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, Final Cut Express... all scores better than their Windoze counterparts.

I have even found a replacement for the only Microsoft program that I ever liked, Flight Simulator. I now use X-Plane on the Mac (which was developed on a Mac). It is a ton better than MSFS... AND it is open source.

I've been using a Mac for going on 20 years, and yeah, sure they are more expensive up front, but I honestly believe the extra cost has been saved many times over since I spend almost zero energy and time keeping the computer running and can concentrate on just getting my work done. With the new MacOSX, a truly modern operating system, I don't even crash anymore.

on edit, to clarify: I still do have to have a Windows machine around to test my work (I design software interfaces) to make sure it works and looks right because that's what most of my clients use. However I do all the work on the Mac.

[JailForBush]

5. Attention: All those free market whores who call me a "socialist"...

"I've been using a Mac for going on 20 years, and yeah, sure they are more expensive up front, but I honestly believe the extra cost has been saved many times over since I spend almost zero energy and time keeping the computer running and can concentrate on just getting my work done. With the new MacOSX, a truly modern operating system, I don't even crash anymore."

Are you saying that even capitalists ought to buy Macs? We'd better ask someone to lock this thread, lest we take business away from Microsoft!

[parasim]

6. Now, that I think about it...

... I don't think I would be very keen on hordes of windows users switching to the Mac, because they'd just bring all their dirty viruses and security problems and pop-ads and spyware with them.

So, I say this: Macintosh sucks! Buy Microsoft! hehe

[gander2112]

17. Mac here too...

I am writing this on my powermac system.

Unfortunately at work I am forced to use a POS Dell laptop (Windows XP isn't so bad on its face, but the laptop from dell is the worst PC I have ever used.

I do all my web work on unix (lately I have been dabbling in FreeBSD more as a means to better educate me about the underpinings of the kernel in Mac OS-X.

Unfortunately, I do need to use Office v.X for when I bring home work to do..

My windows box at home is merely for playing games on.

Geoff

[MadHound]

7. Buy a Mac then

Yes, they're a little more expensive up front, but that pays for itself in the long run in less hassle and downtime. And yes yes, I know, the arguement about software availability. Well you can get virtually any well know piece of software that is done for Windoze in a Mac version. And if there is software that isn't being ported over for the Mac, well you can always get an Orange PC card or Virtual PC and run a Windoze enviroment on your Mac.

[parasim]

8. I'd stay away from Virtual PC...

... as that once pretty good piece of software is now owned by Microsoft.

[JailForBush]

9. So it's now a virtual virus magnet, eh? N/T

[parasim]

10. Yep...

That's why I call the room where I work on my Mac, "The Clean Room" now that I've eradicated that program from my machine...

[JCMach1]

11. It's the only way I can connect through the University system

:(

[JailForBush]

12. I forgive you. N/T

[Nomad559]

13. Are We Microsoft Critics Hypocrites

Are We Microsoft Critics Hypocrites. Yes you are ... :evilgrin:

Congratulations David, the freepers at eye on the left were criticizing you for a post you did here at DU.

The sad part is this gentleman shares views with many of those on the extreme left. I find it frightening, that people in this country honestly and truly believe some of this crap. Thankfully their childish and whimsical rantings have been debunked or unconsumed by the American public. Yet, they continue to press forward. Now, they are getting to the point of social deviance. Wishing the death of a man that you share political differences with is perverse and disgusting to say the least.

[JailForBush]

14. Hello, Nomad559!

Nomad559 wrote, "Congratulations David..."

So, we're on a first-name basis, are we? Care to reveal YOUR identity, or do you prefer to hide behind your nickname?

"the freepers at eye on the left were criticizing you for a post you did here at DU."

So you have some respect for the freepers at eye on the left, do you? Do you think their opinion matters?

"The sad part is this gentleman shares views with many of those on the extreme left. I find it frightening, that people in this country honestly and truly believe some of this crap. Thankfully their childish and whimsical rantings have been debunked or unconsumed by the American public."

Unconsumed, maybe - after all, most Americans are buried in apathy - but DEBUNKED? Please show me a website that debunks the wit and provocative opinion these freepers you so admire dismiss as ranting!

"Yet, they continue to press forward. Now, they are getting to the point of social deviance. Wishing the death of a man that you share political differences with is perverse and disgusting to say the least."

I don't wish death on people just because we differ in opinion. Someone just gave me some advice on web design that I rejected, but I didn't threaten to kill him.

No, I actually have no choice but wish the death penalty on George W. Bush. You see, I'm a slave to logic and justice. U.S. citizens have been put to death for treason, for crimes that pale beside George Bush's. If I didn't wish the harshest penalty the justice system can dispense on George W. Bush, then I'd be forced to live the rest of my life as a hypocrite and a sellout - even a minor traitor.

Other Americans can live with themselves for not even thinking about holding George Bush accountable because they're apathetic, stupid and gutless. We don't expect stupid people to much more than watch Baywatch. But I've worked hard to build a reputation for truthfulness. I can't afford to risk it by wishing a $50 fine on George W. Bush. (By the way, please tell us what punishment YOU would offer George W. Bush. We're all ears!)

On another note, I'm intrigued with Nomad559's interest in me. On another thread, he posted a link to yet another webpage that mentions me. That makes me wonder if YOU'RE the right-wing operative. I'm the webmaster of Jail4Bush; you're just a hit-and-run artist.

Your words mean no more than the words of your freeper friends.

[Fla_Democrat]

15. But what if you

Use Microsoft products, subscribe to MSN as an ISP, and own Microsoft stocks? :shrug:

Oh wait, :think: that's me, and I'm not a critic. :evilgrin:

[JailForBush]

16. I wouldn't necssarily label a person who subscribes to MSN and owns

Micrsosoft stock a Microsoft whore. I'd certainly prefer that people NOT support Microsoft buy buying its stock. But if you had a chance to make a lot of money buying Microsoft stock, it could be hard to resist. Keep in mind, also, that many people have bought MS stock before they realized how corrupt Microsoft is. Even if they open their eyes, they may not be in a position to unload it immediately.

But when you admit you've bought Microsoft stock, then brazenly state you're not a critic (followed by an evil-grin motif), you come across as pretty crass.

To put it in perspective, imagine if I admitted that I don't criticize Enron, because I purchased their stock, which wouldn't be all that much different from contributing money to Republicans because they're supporting legislation that might pump more money into my bank account.

I mean, I would expect DUer's to have a little more class than that.

[rman]

18. capitalism: promises and reality

One of the main arguments capitalists use to promote capitalism is that it stimulates competition, which in turn drives prices down and quality up.
In reality we see mergers and takeovers, which result in monopolies and ruduce the competition that is supposed to drive prices down and quality up.

[Northwind]

19. I do NOT use Microsoft.

There is not a single peice of Microsoft hardware or software in my office. I will not use any of their products.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

20. Posting from Mozilla, running Solaris

Gates can bite me.

On Edit: Even at work, where I am required to use Windows, I do all my work in Cygwin. So again, to Gates, bite me!

[EV1Ltimm]

21. I'm a big microsoft whore.

Microsoft has a monopoly because they offer ground-breaking, well-rounded products. You may say otherwise, but i've never had any problems whatsoever that couldn't be easily fixed.

I admin 50+ computers in my office and everyone of them run smooth and virus free.

Most of the problems that people have with microsoft are just silly... it's like having a problem with honda because you wrapped your civic around a tree.

[JailForBush]

22. So you hate Bill Gates because of his shameful exploitation of democracy

and children, but you like his merchandise - is that what you're saying?

[donco6]

23. I use Lotus exclusively

Can't stand Office products - too cludgy, memory-hogging, mouse-intensive. Hate them. Prefer Lotus 1-2-3 to Excel by far. WordPro is way easier to use than Word, still handles the tables and imported spreadsheets I need.