🚀 go-pugleaf

"Stephen A. Ecker" <secker@wausaufs.com> writes:

Obvious flame bait?  One would think so... :-)

> So, for me, if you don't like Microsoft, don't buy their products. You do
> have choices. Oh, those choices aren't as good as choosing Microsoft you
> say?

Only MS advocates claim that.  However, MS has a track record of
constantly breaking standards and changing file formats and protocols.
They blatantly sacrifice the well being of their own users in order to
thwart competition.

They use their market share in operating systems to leverage people into
using their applications software  ("DOS ain't done, till Lotus won't
run").  They use their market share in applications to leverage their
server software.  The last development is the Java battle should serve
as a good example - if you wish to use MS tools to build Java
applications, you better be building Windows-only applications.  That
there are unaddressed security concerns, or that it complicates things
for users, are secondary issues to Microsoft.

It's Microsoft vs. the world, and MS is winning.

> Well, if you want to make a statement against Microsoft you're going
> to have to make some sacrifices because IMHO, Microsoft makes the best
> software available, at least for the Windows platform.

...because they have available undocumented features, and because they
can arbitrarily change specifications to ensure that competing products
don't run.

As for best software, well, very few technically savy people with broad
experience seem to think highly of MS products.  End users rarely care,
they were as happy (or more) with mainframes with terminals as they are
now.  This leaves, of course, the management, who incidentally make the
purchases. 

~kzm
-- 
If I haven't seen further, it is by standing in the footprints of giants