Microsoft Hatred FAQ

[David Schwartz]

"Roedy Green" <my_email_is_posted_on_my_website at munged.invalid> wrote in 
message news:s3oll1tbve3t5h4c8eghbqihsuuusj72nc at 4ax.com...

> On Sat, 22 Oct 2005 16:10:24 -0700, "David Schwartz"
> <davids at webmaster.com> wrote or quoted :

>>    If the deal didn't give you more than it cost you, all you had to do 
>> was
>>say 'no'. I understand the frustration at being forced to pay for 
>>something
>>what it is worth.

> The choice was go along with MS arm twisting or go out of business.

    Only because the product they were providing you was so important you 
were unable to do business without it.

> I call that extortion.

    Microsoft had something you need so badly that you could not go into 
business without it. So they demanded from you that you pay them what their 
software was actually worth to you. That is not extortion. Everyone who 
sells something tries to get the maximum possible value for it.

    (Of course, you could have gone into business selling servers. Or 
Macintoshes. Or another business entirely. It was only to go into the 
business of selling PCs with Windows that you had to deal with Microsoft.)

    DS