Microsoft are what they are! Microsoft is installed by default, and for most it does a Reasonable job. Microsoft will always be the dominate OS, Linux is I’m afraid seen as something for the advanced/techie types! From my experience though this couldn't be further from the Truth.
One problem I have with M$ is that they rush their products to the market without triple checking it's safety. It's a $$$ driven industry. Who cares about the safety of millions of users...right? How many exploits have come about since the release of XP? Ask yourself Other than that...yeah..they are the reason for us being online right now searching the vast internet the way we do.
It required X Patches to fix them. That's why it's called Windows XP. I also liked the pun for Windows Vista : Windows Hasta la Vista. I love puns, much better than humor at somebody's expense.
I am very comfortable with my vote: Microsoft is OK. They are a monopoly, and they do what monopolies do! The problem is that the U.S. DOJ let them off the hook. It is indeed a different world today than when the Standard Oil Company was broken up into "the seven sisters" early in the last century. Oligopolies (or "oilgopolies"?) are not necessarily good, but they are better than a monopoly. Besides, right now they are sitting in the balcony; watching the show like the rest of us. I believe that desktop Linux presently offers a good alternative to MS Windows. But, the climb is SOOOOO steep! http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=2 Unless anti-trust laws are enforced, I can see no substantial change. Depending on how you do your rounding (e.g., to the nearest percent), Linux doesn't exist! bktII
What? The foundations of the Internet were born and developed on Unix. You can say that Microsoft made the computer accessible for non-technical users, certainly not that they contributed in a (technically) important way in making the Internet what it is.
They are O. K. I would add my support to what two others have said here so far. Unix was and still is a major player in the OS arena. The biggest mistake MS made was IE no question. They don't need it. It is the source of one headache after another and is a drain on the company. Leave the browsers to thrird parties...well I guess they can keep Netscape ...maybe.
Where would we be without it, still stuck in dos. I love it have tried others but nothing beats microsoft. Roll on vista, tested it and found it ok. IE7 is a better browser.
Take a look at "OpenDocument Plug-In Ready For Microsoft Office" here: http://www.informationweek.com/news...ULTEBMQSNDBCSKHSCJUMEKJVN?articleID=187200891
i don't really have an opinion on MS. i don't use any of their stuff because Linux is along way ahead atm. if MS manage to close the gap (lol) i might change back.
I don`t have any problems with MS. I don`t even think about them at all and I`ve never lost any sleep over them.
Microsoft is OK for me. I did not appreciate Microsoft and Windows OS long time ago. However, my Linux experience changed my view. I installed various Linux distros on my newly bought laptop, what I got was nothing else but pains. I had to spend days and weeks just to find the proper drivers for my graphic card, wireless, touchpad, modem, and so on to make my computer just work functionally. Then, Linux ran into deadlock occasionally without obvious reason on my laptop. What a headache! I finally removed Linux on my laptop and use Windows XP as my only OS. Yes, there are problems with Windows. But I never have had to worry about finding proper drivers for new hardwares. With proper safety configurations, my computer has not been infected by virus/malware for several years now. And Windows XP is stable enough that I seldom encounter a BSOD. Good or Bad, I will still live with Windows. Linux is good for servers and relatively old hardwares. It is still far away from being popular on desktops for most users.
Exactly! And if it wasn't Microsoft.....it would be some other company...and people would jump on the trendy "bash them" bandwagon against that company. If it wasn't Microsoft, it would be some other company.
I think they did an excellent job of creating software that anyone can use. Then, they had major problems with the old BSOD, so they pretty much fixed that with XP, at the expense of using more system resources when they could have just thrown in a good registry cleaner and stuck with '98 SE. They are still having security issues, which has been a problem for them since the major arrival of the internet. I think Vista will solve a lot of that (but certainly not all of it) and that they are generally headed in a smart direction there. BUT, here's the beef: I won't be buying VISTA because I feel that I can secure XP well enough, just like most of you, but unlike most of it's users, and I could't care less about the new visual crud that will only slow things down and that Linux would give me for free anyway. The biggest thing I don't like about MS is the business practices, which have no real effect on me, but that, frankly, DISGUST me. They are a monopoly and a bully, which constantly seeks to destroy not only its competetition, but also any thing that it thinks it might want to compete with (or own) in the future. Here's a little note to MS: Stop giving users default administrative priveledges, for crying out loud. Use the password method that Linux uses, PLEASE, because I just can't get used to switching back and forth between accounts.
I like Microsoft, because I see, what they are trying to do, easy-to-use future for all. I hate EU, which is just a bunch of *******, who are interested only in money sources. I "like" people, who allways cry about something, that is not working, just because they do not know, how to set it up and then they say, that MS software is a piece of junk, like IE, WMP or WinXP. If they do not know to use it, they should look for other software, like Opera, VideoLAN or Linux. MS put this software to Windows, so a newbie does not have to get headache finding out, how to get video working or etc. And once this newbie releazes, that there are alternatives, he can use them at will. MS is not perfect, no one is, but they are doing their best and I admire their work, especially with all people around, who only put problems in their way.
Well, I guess I have to appreciate the way they maintained cohesion in the early days, keeping most of us onboard. What I'm less certain about is where they/we are going now - what, if any, journey are we supposed to be on now ? Is the intention to continue to build on the Windows legacy for ever more - or do they have something truly revolutionary in mind ? If the aim is simply to continue to build on what's already there, just adding layers, to create ever tighter integration with emerging technologies and increase universal dependence on Microsoft products - then I guess that may well become an issue. Particularly if they use their power to buy out or just block fair competition. On the other hand, if alternative systems develop to the point where they become more universally acceptable. If others can begin to gain market share in the field of multi-media integration - then Microsoft will possibly have to re-assess its present monopolistic power base and move into a more socially sensitive one. In which case I no doubt will look a little more kindly on them. They just need to understand that what they do now, while they have the upper hand, will carry some weight on my decisions in the future. So do I like Microsoft - not sure, come back and ask me when they've finished.
That EU you so hate are the only ones standing between you and that monopolistic orientated company you so like and that 'easy-to-use future for all' means easy for them, not you or all of us. Lamehand
I do not need easy-to-use, but mot people does, it does suites so popular, although they offer lower security. MS is trying to create Windows instal & forget, that is a dream of every newbie. EU claims, that integrated WMP is bad. It can be said about every software, like Linux, which integrated OpenOffice, but no need to talk about it, there have been many posts about this.
i hate the EU too, more then anything else. it's been 11 years in a row now that the European Court of Auditors haven't been able to account for its spending. that means if you ask what the EU has done with all the money it gets they just shrug their shoulders and say "i don't know". it's absolutely corrupt to the core, never mind that it's undemocratic.
