supporting MS

[gospelmidi]

How do you avoid supporting MSIE and Windows?

I agree with Phantasm66, Nodsu, et al that MS is evil, that IE is built by cheesemakers in Switzerland, and that surrendering to .NET is a subconscious expression of a death wish. Although I believe that Bill Gates is not the antichrist, perhaps the antichrist would prefer to be Bill Gates.

Micro$oft demonstrated its commitment to innovation by its innovative interpretation of anti-trust law, while gathering the most innovative lawyers to ever compose a corporate legal staff. Hundreds of thousands of programmers who had to change careers are evidence of the monopolistic actions of Micro$oft. Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson wrote 208 pages of legal opinion with which I agree, word for word.

http://www.analitica.com/bitblioteca/tpjackson/microsoft.asp
http://www.analitica.com/bitblioteca/tpjackson/microsoft2.asp

"Most harmful of all is the message that Micro$oft’s actions have conveyed to every enterprise with the potential to innovate in the computer industry. Through its conduct toward Netscape, IBM, Compaq, Intel, and others, Micro$oft has demonstrated that it will use its prodigious market power and immense profits to harm any firm that insists on pursuing initiatives that could intensify competition against one of Micro$oft’s core products. Micro$oft’s past success in hurting such companies and stifling innovation deters investment in technologies and businesses that exhibit the potential to threaten Micro$oft."

Yet I'm writing this with IE6 on an XP machine fully updated by MS Wind0ws Update, while the Mandrake Linux box next to it is no longer even plugged in to power. I have lost the will to resist, excluded from a computer community that would rather make money than make war on monopolists.

My so-called "friends" expect me to fix their MSIE and Wind0ws problems for free, so that Bill Gates can keep making billions on each upgrade. Eventually I will have to give up having "friends", or the Adjusted Gross Income on my 1040EZ will be "-0-", and the "Occupation" box will read, "Bill Gates' slave".

Devotees of Mandrake, SuSe, Star Office, Opera, FireFox, Eudora, JetAudio, etc. don't need my support. It's Micro$oft users that need Microslaves.

So how do you, the IT intelligentsia, avoid MSIE and Wind0ws?

 

[DigitAlex]

I already tried many times to avoid Windows and it seems kinda hard anyway. Avoid other MS stuff is possible though. Firefox / Thunderbird suite for more than 1.5 years. Also possible for office & stuff.

I even managed a small non profit organization to use a Linux based Samba PDC instead of a NT or 2000 Server box. Stopping trying equals surrender. A lot of people don't try / trust / use alternatives because MS is very good in marketing. Most of those people don't even know anything but Microsoft / Intel / IBM / HP etc. is available out there.

It's like in a totalitarist country. People are born and die without even knowing life can be different from what they have seen their whole life. A lot of people don't even imagine that different software is possible to achieve the same thing (i.e. OS, browser, email, office, etc.).

Getting people to realise this and giving them some support and help to try alternatives is enough to help them to build their own opinion about what they need, want, choose. People should have the choice.

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

It's not the easiest thing in computing, I agree.

I can stay away from Windows by evaluating what I want to do with my computer, and which applications are available that do the things I'd otherwise need Windows for.

One of the biggest reasons users won't switch to other operating systems is gaming. In other words, games that use Direct3D require Windows to work. Some of them might work in WINE, but it's not likely. OpenGL games have a better chance. However, from what I've seen, about 99% of apps / games use InstallShield installer, which in turn doesn't work very well with WINE, unless it has native Windows DLLs installed, which in turn would mean you already have Windows.

But a lot of games have console versions too. That's how I can play Need for Speed: Underground without installing Windows, for example (I have GameCube).

A list of software equivalents / replacements, Windows vs Linux, can be found here.

I however belong to even smaller minority: my primary operating system is BeOS. I use Linux mainly for gaming and DVD authoring (although I'm working on my own authoring app for BeOS).

The price of all this is that I have to deal with people making fun of my choices (in IRC etc), have to use a different method at work to report my hours (their system requires Windows & IE), can't play some games I'd like to (Far Cry for example), have to reboot to Linux from time to time to open an e-mail attachment made with Office XP, and so on.

I could list some advantages of not using Windows but I don't want to start a flame war.

 

[Nic]

gospelmidi,

I think what you are describing, is not Microsoft being evil, but the 'American' way of doing business. Only because Microsoft is big, and everyone uses their products, is it that this discussion even exists. Look at any American business (Coke, Nike, Novell, Enron, etc.) and they all use similar business practice to stamp out competition. Microsoft make good products, which are getting better and better each year. If you didn't think so, then you'd already have switched to Linux, or Mac OS X.

If you don't wan't to support what you perceive as the 'evil empire', then avoid anything made by large American companies, because they are all pretty much the same, except that the underdogs (less successful American companies) seldom have the oportunity to act in the way that Microsoft has been accussed of in the past. I think it is bad whenever any company becomes a near monopoly, so we need some competition to ensure that the customer has alternatives, and that forces Microsoft to be competitive. That can only be good for us all.

But, just look at the way large American companies make people redundant in response to their stockmarket value (even when they are still doing well), or the way jobs are being outsourced to the east. Its all wrong in my book, and Microsoft seems pretty tame by comparison.

I think you need to re-examine the situation, and realise that Microsoft isn't as bad as you have been brainwashed into believing. They aren't 'clean', but they are a lot cleaner than most, and I don't think I'll be swapping to Linux anytime soon.

Edit: One question - If you were selling something you didn't need any more (e.g. your car). Would you sell it to the first buyer, or to whoever offered the most for it? If you answered the second option, then you are no better than Microsoft. This is what capitalism is all about, greed.

 

[smtkr]

Anyone who actually agreed with Jackson is a fanboy. Why do so many people think that liking one product (i.e. Linux, ATI) means you have to hate competitors (i.e. M$, nVIDIA)?

 

[Godataloss]

I think what you are describing, is not Microsoft being evil, but the 'American' way of doing business. Only because Microsoft is big, and everyone uses their products, is it that this discussion even exists. Look at any American business (Coke, Nike, Novell, Enron, etc.) and they all use similar business practice to stamp out competition. Microsoft make good products, which are getting better and better each year. If you didn't think so, then you'd already have switched to Linux, or Mac OS X.

Since when is rabid capitalism an exclusively American ideal? Is it the Queen that makes all the businesses in the UK play nice or is just the fact that you blokes are so much more civilized? Isn't the European Union an attempt to creat a federalized market economy much like in the US? You don't think the goal of any coporation- nation or multinational- is to maximize profit and stamp out competition?

Puleeze- Americans have monopolies on alot of things, but greed isn't one of them.

 

[MYOB]

I don't use any Microsoft products, simply because I don't like them and I'm not comfortable using them.

Since Mictlantecuhtil posted me a CD of BeOS stuff, I've used it pretty much exclusively. I like it, its easy to use, its easy to programme for, and theres nothing I want to do that I cannot do on it, Mozilla Bug 249278 excepting.

When I do have to use Windows, for the occasional game, or a non-Opera 3 compatible site, I don't use Microsoft products because I don't like them. Not because of a hatred of Microsoft.

I'd far prefer to use Windows 2000 + Firefox + Winamp, etc; than use Linux, of any kind.

I agree with Mictlantecuhtli - changing away from Microsoft products entirely is a difficult decision to make. I did it after the majority of my Windows legacy (stored e-mails, bookmarks, documents, etc were destroyed. I did have them backed up, on my trusty pile of Zip disks, but rather than restore them all, I decided only to take what I needed, when I needed it, and convert them to a format I could use on BeOS.

Ironically, the Windows applications I missed most were not games - most of my favoured games were for DOS, and hence playable in BeOS, albeit with a serious performance hit, using DOSBox; it was the filesharing applications I missed most....

I now buy my music. Big sacrifice

 

[Phantasm66]

I don't think Microsoft are evil.

I think they have some poor business practices.

 

[Rick]

Originally posted by Nic
I think what you are describing, is not Microsoft being evil, but the 'American' way of doing business.

This practice may be exercised in America, but it certainly isn't limited to just the U.S.A. I totally agree with Nic's statements though.

It's almost fashionable to hate Microsoft these days. People with no computer knowledge at all hate Microsoft.. Why? Because everyone else does.

Microsoft certainly has their problems, but I bet with a little research into any large publicly traded company, you'll find enough monopolistic behavior, stealing, cheating, lying and propaganda to write a book and 2 reasonably successful films.

Microsoft just happens to be the official target of everyone who owns a computer, which is a pretty wide base. Windows® and other Microsoft products have made it to almost everyone's home, so almost everyone has an opinion (or one handed to them).

You know, if Microsoft had made a great product that never crashed and worked perfectly from the begining, I bet not many people would be complaining. I think a lot of individuals redirect their anger from software problems they are experiencing. In turn, people are much more willing to point fingers at MS for virtually any possible thing Microsoft is responsible for.

Without much in the way of viable alternatives for consumer, there's only one target to focus this hatred towards.

MS isn't evil.

 

[SOB]

hehe

good one nic, "the american way of doing business" it cracks me up how the stereotypes come flying to describe judgemental views. there are exceptions to every general assumption. that doesn't mean that the general assumption is incorrect. business in general on a world playing field is pretty ruthless at best. sure, "evil" microsoft stole everything, and, now, are admitting it and compensating the injured parties, after the fact ie: "bend over". in the real world "not just america", when the bully steals your lunch money, you go hungry.