

Xobni, Microsoft, and why Americans love haterade - ph0rque
http://davidadewumi.com/2008/04/21/why-americans-love-haterade/

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pmorici
As a software developer the main thing I have against Microsoft is their
documentation blows.

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edw519
People don't just hate Microsoft because it's "cool" or because they're "the
leader". They have plenty of data:

\- They have always played unfairly, offering to "partner" with potential
competitors, then driving them out of business after seeing their IP.

\- They flaunt their monopoly while overwhelming law enforcement officials
with lawyers. How hard can it be to stay one step ahead of attorneys general?
Not so hard with enough resources.

\- They blackmail their hardware partners with unethical, and probably
illegal, conditions (Bundle Office or lose your OS discounts.)

\- They hold their end users hostage with undesirable upgrade paths and
"service patches".

\- They stifle innovation. (Imagine going to Walmart and finding TV sets that
only get Channel 7 - that's what the PC market has been like for 20 years.)

Oh, and one more thing...

\- Their software sucks.

We hate the Yankees and Patriots because they are fun to hate.

We hate Microsoft because they have earned our hatred.

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alyx
You can't hate and then provide logical reasons for your hate. Hate by
definition is illogical.

People hate Microsoft because it IS cool and because they ARE the leader.
However they then try to justify their hate with rational reasons. Hate comes
first, then comes reason, not the other way around.

Because if reason came first, hate would never follow. Perhaps dislike, or
distaste would. Microsoft has its flaws and weaknesses but only because it has
accomplished far more than many. You never hear people applauding Microsoft
all you ever hear is the same old rhetoric.

To be a true critic one has to acknowledge both the positives and the
negatives. Otherwise you're just hater for the sake of convenience.

~~~
edw519
"You can't hate and then provide logical reasons for your hate. Hate by
definition is illogical."

You're right. The only reason I even used the word "hate" was because I was
responding to a "haterade" article. I know that's not much of an excuse, just
a little literary license.

"People hate Microsoft because it IS cool and because they ARE the leader."

Microsoft was NEVER cool.

And fortunately, their leadership days are waning.

"but only because it has accomplished far more than many"

Only? I completely disagree. Did you understand the bullets in my original
post? Microsoft achieved what they did not by excellence or innovation, but by
lying, cheating, stealing, and crushing innovation every step of the way for
30 years. This is direct opposition to what I believe (and probably what many
people on this board believe). I didn't cite references because anyone can
google hundreds of examples.

"To be a true critic one has to acknowledge both the positives and the
negatives"

I would have cited the positives if I could have thought of any.

I was a programmer before Microsoft came along and screwed everything up. I
imagine many people weren't even born then.

So how could they remember the good old days of fabulous software? With stuff
like smalltalk, lisp, or Pick. Or even visicalc, Wordperfect, or Netscape.

I sincerely believe that if Microsoft never existed, we'd be better off.
Fortunately, open source and the internet are finally bringing the good old
days back. Lucky for you and your generation (I'm guessing) you didn't have to
live through the darkest days of Microsoft dominance. So how could you
understand my "hatred"?

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gruseom
What does this have to do with Americans? That seems like a total non
sequitur.

