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leclerc65
May 22nd, 2015, 02:02 AM
Microsoft is Again Showing Its Hatred of Free/Open Source Software by Lobbying the Indian Government to Drop a Rational National Policy

http://techrights.org/2015/05/20/lobbying-narendra-modi-and-india/

user1397
May 22nd, 2015, 04:04 AM
wouldn't call it a hatred, more like the natural way you would expect a free market capitalist corporation to work (doesn't mean it doesn't suck, just the way things are unfortunately).

neu5eeCh
May 25th, 2015, 02:41 PM
And this:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Accused-of-Blackmailing-UK-Officials-Supporting-Open-Document-Format-481985.shtml?utm_source=spd_hotlatest&utm_medium=spd_hotlatest&utm_campaign=spd_hotlatest

The British call it blackmail, but it's standard business practice in the US...

grahammechanical
May 25th, 2015, 06:46 PM
It is the American way. Actually it is the way of big business and rich people and those with "influence" and family connections. And do not forget simple bribery to get government contracts. It happens everywhere.

It is also the way of bloggers to throw their hands up in the air and cry: "Panic! The Martians have landed!"

neu5eeCh
May 25th, 2015, 08:06 PM
//It is the American way.//

This particular version of blackmail works beautifully in the various congressional districts. It's typical of hardball US business/political tactics. I don't think you find this particular brand of corruption in other countries (though naturally MS is trying it out in England). So: No, it doesn't happen everywhere. Corruption takes other forms in other countries and political systems.

Vladlenin5000
May 26th, 2015, 04:29 AM
I don't think you find this particular brand of corruption in other countries (though naturally MS is trying it out in England). So: No, it doesn't happen everywhere. Corruption takes other forms in other countries and political systems.

Yes, you do: PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece*, Spain**)

* It is being dealt with, let's wait and see what happens
** We'll see how it goes, yesterday's elections results are promising.

CantankRus
May 26th, 2015, 07:11 AM
Is anyone interested in what microsoft does anymore? :p

Vladlenin5000
May 26th, 2015, 01:39 PM
Is anyone interested in what microsoft does anymore? :p

+1
As it seems, not even Microsoft itself...

RichardET
May 27th, 2015, 04:50 PM
We live in a world of proprietary devices/software; why does Microsoft continuously rise to the level of blind hatred above all other manufacturers of proprietary products on Linux forums?

vasa1
May 27th, 2015, 05:22 PM
We live in a world of proprietary devices/software; why does Microsoft continuously rise to the level of blind hatred above all other manufacturers of proprietary products on Linux forums?
I'm not sure about the "blind" part.

monkeybrain20122
May 27th, 2015, 08:12 PM
We live in a world of proprietary devices/software; why does Microsoft continuously rise to the level of blind hatred above all other manufacturers of proprietary products on Linux forums?

Because unlike other proprietary vendors MS actually goes out of it ways to screw with open standard? Because unlike other vendors it actually tries to lock down generic hardware? Because it is a monopolist?

It is fine that you offer a proprietary product, I don't have to buy it (e,g the Mac) and you can't force me to. But MS has it tentacles all over the places and tries to gobble up everything and lock them down. MS is predatory, that is far beyond being proprietary

benrob0329
May 27th, 2015, 08:24 PM
I hate MS, but it would seem that no one I talk to really cares...

RichardET
May 27th, 2015, 09:56 PM
Because unlike other proprietary vendors MS actually goes out of it ways to screw with open standard? Because unlike other vendors it actually tries to lock down generic hardware? Because it is a monopolist?

It is fine that you offer a proprietary product, I don't have to buy it (e,g the Mac) and you can't force me to. But MS has it tentacles all over the places and tries to gobble up everything and lock them down. MS is predatory, that is far beyond being proprietary

You would have to cite me a concrete example of how my life could be negatively impacted by MS; I don't see it.

monkeybrain20122
May 27th, 2015, 11:56 PM
You would have to cite me a concrete example of how my life could be negatively impacted by MS; I don't see it.

Maybe not you, but why should I care only about you? I don't even know you.

vasa1
May 28th, 2015, 02:40 AM
Maybe not you, but why should I care only about you? I don't even know you.

+1.

For me, a concrete example is being told by my country's government that I need to upload a file in a specific proprietary format or download a template which has macros (which can't be converted).

DuckHook
May 28th, 2015, 04:24 AM
You would have to cite me a concrete example of how my life could be negatively impacted by MS; I don't see it.Wow. Seriously?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend_and_extinguish
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_documents
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Microsoft#Vendor_lock-in
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Microsoft

I can only assume that this statement comes from a grievous lack of knowledge about their historical behaviour. I've restricted my references to just Wikipedia in the interest of objectivity, but their historical conduct (and more in-depth analysis/commentary of that conduct) is easy enough to reference through the simplest of Google searches.

If this list of behaviours does not constitute concrete examples of how your life could be negatively impacted by MS, then I'm afraid that our respective world views are so divergent as to constitute no hope of a commonality for discussion.

In my case, at least, it is not a matter of specifically Microsoft-bashing. I believe that all monopolies, left unchecked, behave likewise. There's utter truth in the old saw: power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Microsoft behaved no differently than Standard Oil did in its day, or ATT in its: they leveraged their dominance to strangle potential competitors at birth and used every trick and technique they could get away with, irrespective of ethics or morals, to maintain their monopolies, their rent-seeking and their cash cows. If society paid for it with our pound of flesh, well, that was our problem; not theirs.

After demonstrating such a history, it is just foolish to be anything other than sceptical and vigilant.

QIII
May 28th, 2015, 05:52 AM
Well, I only see this going where we don't want it to go from here.

Thanks, all.

Closed.