Dispelling Misconceptions About Microsoft

[Nomad559]

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/33924.html

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I was chatting with a journalist a couple of days ago to help with background on a story on Microsoft designed to debunk one of the most common misconceptions surrounding the company. I started to realize there were a lot of them -- some I actually held myself -- that either were no longer true or never had been.

This came to a head the other day when an Apple advocate wrote to me that he would rather give his money to Apple than to Bill Gates. I spent some time pointing out that Steve Jobs is on the overpaid CEO list and Bill isn't. I also pointed out that, as an engineer, he would likely better identify with Bill, who lives and breathes technology, than with Steve, whose strength is more in creative marketing, particularly after his recent executive changes that clearly favored the iPod over the Mac.

This got me to thinking that maybe it is time to look at some of these misperceptions, both recent and long-term, and put them back in perspective.

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Microsoft behind $12 million payment to Opera

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5218163.html

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Microsoft agreed to pay Norway's Opera Software $12.75 million to head off a threatened lawsuit over code that made some Web pages on MSN look bad in certain versions of Opera's Web browser, CNET News.com has learned.

Opera disclosed the payment last week in a terse press release that omitted other details, including the name of the settling party and the nature of the dispute.

But a source indicated that the payment came from Microsoft in order to close the books on a clash over obscure interoperability problems. On at least three separate occasions, Opera has accused Microsoft of deliberately breaking interoperability between its MSN Web portal and various versions of the Opera browser--charges that the software giant has repeatedly denied.

[Village Idiot]

1. Tarrantino has the right idea...

Kill Bill.

[tjwash]

2. fuck Microsoft

They also screwed over Netscape with blatantly stealing of their web browser, and by stealing Java, and in true monopolistic fashion monkeyed with the code just enough so that Java script compatible sites would not work on Java code sites.

Bill Gates' company can rot in hell for all I care, I use UNIX, and never looked back to that sad ass OS Microsoft attempts to put out year after year...

[tjwash]

3. HOLY SHIT....

I am in the 700 club......NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Az]

4. Bill Gates the philanthopist is a very generous person

Bill Gates the Corporate CEO wants to hook a line into your bank account and draw money from you for the rest of your life. Two very different people.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Bill The Philanthropist...

Only came to pass when Bill The CEO needed his ass bailed out of a PR sling.

[HuckleB]

6. Eck-friggin-xactly!

Let's remember just how relieve Microsoft was to have Bush win, bringing in a new justice department. Sorry, but that's not something I've forgotten.

Further, Jobs is an advisor to Kerry. He's one of our guys all the way.