Now I've
stepped in it. I've
created the
node, now I must
fill it.
Time for
thought to
coalesce into a (hopefully)
coherent argument.
(Note: Sorry for the length, but this is a very broad topic.)
Below are
listed the
reasons I belive
Microsoft to be
evil. If you have an
additional argument, please
post your
opinion below. If you want to post a
counterargument, please post it in
Why Microsoft is Not Evil. I don't want this to become a
giant rant session; keep it
logical and
courteous, please.
- Predatory Business Practices: Hardware Binding
- Microsoft has largely gotten where they are in the IBM-compatible PC world by creating agreements with computer manufacturers to sell their operating system (OS) with the computer. (I will not go in to Apple's role in this). They are staying on the top through this same mechanism. Find a major PC manufacturer: Dell, HP, Gateway 2000, Toshiba, or others and see how many of them will sell you a new PC without some flavour of Windows on it. (Yes, Apple and a minority of others will.) The prevalence of manufacturers who only sell computers with Windows is staggering and, because of this, has come to be known as the "Microsoft Tax." This was the basis for the Windows Refund Day, which met with much resistance from the manufacturers. Indeed, new computers now ship with words to the effect of: "We sell Windows with this computer. If you don't want to use Windows, you can give us the computer back and we'll give you a refund. You cannot get a refund only on the OS." (My Toshiba laptop came with such an agreement.)
The Microsoft Office Suite, along with other Microsoft programs also comes bundled with a great number of new PCs. This is also a large part of the reason that Office is so prevalent now. How many PCs come bundled with Star Office or Corel Word Perfect Office? Check the price lists and compare the prices to MS Office.
- Prevalence
- The user base of Microsoft software is tremendous. More accurately, it is unparallelled. No software or hardware company on the face of the Earth has as many users as Micrsoft does. This is my (personal) first and foremost reason to begin to dislike and distrust Microsoft. It has unsurpassed power and influence. It could do just about anything it wants in the software world and, due to its monetary influence, in the physical world as well. Does it? So far, we've only discussed how it got its influence. How is it using its power?
- Predatory Business Practices: Misuse of User Base
- Microsoft uses its power to reinforce its position and gain money. Yes, those are the goals of a business, but are these the goals that a superpower should have? Above, we have seen that Microsoft has unparallelled control within the world. Thus, it is a superpower. Indeed, the case can be made that it is a monopoly in the PC market. How are they using this monstrous advantage? Quelling consumer choice and gaining more money and power. Bundling Internet Exploitable (IE) with Windows was a step. Most casual IE users I know use it because it's a) already there and b) starts the fastest of any browser out there for Windows. Why is it already there? Because it's bundled with Windows. Why does it start so fast? Because it's an "inseperable" part of the operating system (suuure) and the core components and libraries are loaded when you start the [computer. Additionally
, (and this really torques me off) IE is required in order to obtain updates to the OS. Security updates as well as fun things such as screen savers and themes. You now really have to at least have IE installed. Another step: Corel brought forth documents showing that Microsoft deliberately threw in incompatabilities in Windows 3.1 in order to keep their product, DR-DOS, from running Windows, thus eliminating it as a threat to their monopoly. (http://www.drdos.com/fullstory/final4.html) Let us not forget .Net/C-sharp, the not-Java. C-sharp is effectively Java, with some Microsoft-specific "enhancements" thrown in and the platform independence taken out. .Net puts the platform independence back in to a degree, and adds some more features to the Microsoft offering. Glorified, bloated RPCs, anyone?
- Predatory Business Practices: Support
- Since when can a company get away with providing essentially no tech support with their product? I remember back to the first Gateway 2000 box my family got. We got huge manuals detailing most everything that could be done on the computer (The Windows and MS-DOS books were each in excess of 400-600 pages. Now, you get about 20-50 pages of basically installation instructions.) The online help is of no help, either. That is all of the "This is Your Mouse" variety. (Not quite true for all cases, but close). In order to learn what all you can do with your win.ini file or registry for instance, you have to purchase a miriad of books. Even then, not all details are covered. If something isn't in your online help or brochure-manual, then you must pay to get the privilege of calling tech support more than three times. (for my copy of NT, anyhow). If you have an OEM copy, then watch out! You must contact your vendor. (a vast majority of users.)
- Microsoft: It's not Just Software
- Contrary to what some people believe, Microsoft does not just produce software. Ever heard of MSN? Hotmail? Microsoft is an ISP and an email provider. How about the Intellimouse or the Natural Keyboard? They produce hardware, too. How about MSNBC? They are into television and cable. Heard about the X-Box? They do console game systems. The list of disparate fields Microsoft is in goes on and on. Microsoft is not just a monopoly, it's a conglomerate as well. (Has anyone checked in on this from a legal standpoint?) Not only that, but even the software produced should be examined more closely. Microsoft produces the drivers many users use, the Operating System (core components e.g. the kernel), the Graphics system (X in unix), the window manager, the browser, on up to applications such as IIS and Office. There is nothing preventing Microsoft from putting in code to give themselves an advantage and competitors a disadvantage at any link along the chain from hardware to applications. This is possibly the scariest to those like me who tend to be lightly paranoid. Unseen APIs or calls to give Microsoft apps a leg up, enhance the performance of their hardware, or surreptitiously monitor the user without the user ever knowing.
if(browser.ident != "Internet Explorer"){
error("This application has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.");
}
- They Charged For a Beta of Windows 2000
- Charging for a beta? Now that's evil. (*grin*)
This is just a
sampling of the
ideas
floating
about in my
head.
Basically, Microsoft is doing what almost every other business in its position would do. If, say,
Sun were in such a
position, this
node would be
Why Sun is Evil.
(If you believe this to be true, you are more than welcome to create such a node. I might even have something to add. (*grin*)) We
consumers
ultimately decide what
businesses can and cannot do: by
using our
minds and
dollars (
denarii,
lire,
pesos,
francs,
marks,
etc.). If you find a
business's
practices to be
disturbing,
tell them. That should be your
first action. If that does not
work, then
vocally put your
money somewhere else.
It's the corporations' world--but only if we let them have it.
A few sites for you to peruse:
More as I find them.