Microsoft Hatred FAQ

[David Schwartz]

"Roedy Green" <my_email_is_posted_on_my_website at munged.invalid> wrote in 
message news:iv59l1d1h68mi5f2dns2lib5lvoi4vlr07 at 4ax.com...

> On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 22:21:55 -0700, "David Schwartz"
> <davids at webmaster.com> wrote or quoted :

>>    I don't think any of it bordered on force or fraud. However, their
>>obligation to their shareholders requires them to do anythign that borders
>>on force/fraud so long as it isn't force/fraud.

> I avoid MS products whenever possible.  Surely others feel the same
> way because we have had it up to the teeth with MS dirty tactics. That
> has to be factored into profitability as well.

    Definitely. Sometimes you have to make nice if you want to make money.

    I have no complaints with people who choose to avoid a particular 
company's products because they don't like that company's tactics. And I 
have no problem with them spreading their views and sharing their beliefs.

    Heck, I work for a company that probably has made quite a few sales 
because people were looking for a product by "anyone but Microsoft".

    That said, I do agree there were some "dirty tactics" in the sense that 
they were pure hardball and could have resulted in inferior products getting 
greater market share. However, I don't think they came anywhere near force 
or fraud, with very few exceptions.

    Notable exceptions included cases where Microsoft told companies they 
had no intention of releasing a competing product to get technical details 
and later turned around and released competing products or cases where 
Microsoft threatened legal action they knew they had no chance of winning at 
a fair hearing. These did border on force/fraud and in some cases, Microsoft 
did get spanked for these tactics.

    DS