On Wed, 2008-01-09 at 16:47 +0000, Shawn Tan wrote:
> > BTW, I also do not understand why some Linux fans need to hate
> > Bill Gates or Microsoft. I consider Windows XP as a very good OS
> > and better than Linux in quite some aspects. And unlike quite some
> > people here, I think Windows Vista is pretty good.
> 
> They don't really hate the person/company per se. What they hate is the FUD 
> attacks and lies that they tell, not to mention the "questionable" business 
> practices.

Absolutely. I don't hate Bill, in fact I really respect him. While many
might not LIKE the way he made his money, the fact is he's made every
cent himself. He has a VERY keen sense of the market, and does what's
necessary to grow his company. I'm also incredibly impressed by how well
he's been able to keep his private life out of the mainstream, for a man
as known as Bill, most people barely know he's married.

Microsoft the company is more a mixed bag for me. First off they DO have
some good products. The problem is they have done things are are
questionable, but you can't really blame the company for that, they're
out to make money, and they will do anything they can get away with to
accomplish this.

What I hate is what we collectively have let Microsoft get away with. 

Despite having products that have serious flaws, products that cost most
of us alot of time and money fixing, we continue to buy these products. 

We allow deals where until recently companies like Dell were pretty much
forced to sell a copy of Windows with every machine sold. To this day,
it is almost impossible to buy an assembled PC without Windows, this is
unacceptable.

I hate the fact that I've paid for windows licenses because there was no
other option, licenses I didn't want, and have never used, yet I can't
sell them because they are tied to the hardware.

In the end I feel the blame is our own. Our society let Microsoft become
the monopoly it is. Our society has allowed Microsoft to remain the
monopoly it is.

TTYL
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