INQUIRER not hard enough on Microsoft

"Every opportunity seems to be taken to run-down Microsoft and extol the virtues of Linux. In fact I am at a loss to think of any article that I have ever read on your Website which is anything but derogatory to Bill Gates and his marvelous invention. "

Its called freedom of speech. Anyone can voice their opinions FOR or AGAINST Microsoft products. You don't have to accept their opinions, that's the beauty of Western society. There is no one pointing a gun to your head, forcing you to jump to Linux, BSD, OS/2, etc. It is your choice whether to take the path or not...Choice...Something Microsoft has failed to achieve time and again...eg : Internet Explorer is still integrated to Windows. *rolls his eyes*

Also note, they (Inquirer) don't just praise Linux, they also mention OpenVMS and OpenBSD. Two other OSs that was designed with security from the start. So you can't accuse one for being completely Linux-biased when they know other OSs aside from Windows. Open your eyes, and stop living inside the box...Oh, I mean Windows.

"I appreciate that Microsoft products can cause problems and that there are numerous security issues and patches that need applying, but considering the sheer volume of computers running the software across the world and the number of hackers who dedicate their lives to finding vulnerabilities, I don't really find it surprising - even with this in mind, patches are automatically installed at the click of a mouse. "

I agree on the simplicity of running a Windows based system. This is where Linux needs more addressing (Maybe more distros should have sub-distros for newbies). It'll make MS criticise about Open-Source even more.

Yes, there is Lindows and Mandrake Linux, but many are not informed of alternative OSs, hence they stick to Windows. Its all they know. I recall of a computer shop owner not knowing what Linux is! BTW, have you ever even tried Lindows?

Hackers and Virus makers develop their little "bundles of joy" to keep Microsoft in check. If not for them, Mr Gates will not be wasting his cash on a security initative. His company will be slapping more and more ridiculous features without a care for security. It won't be until your Windows doesn't function normally, will you realise your system has been taken over.

BTW, Windows was never designed to be secure in the first place. It is not actively tested for security, (eg : OpenBSD), from the very early stages of development. There are some security features which help, but the focus of Windows is ease of use with integrated features. (Most of which I don't use or need)...

Then they charge ridiculous prices for it. It was not until Students and Academics complained, did MS introduced an educational discount. (As if every student or parent can whip out $500 to $1000 Australian Dollars for a package after spending significant amounts on the PC in the first place.)

I also must criticise the way MS informs Jane/Joe PC user about security updates and procedures. No average PC user ever knew about vulnerabilities until they :

(1) heard it on the news (Yes, the Blaster is now an international fame for a worm)

(2) were infected by the trojan/worm/virus

(3) were informed by their Anti-Virus or Anti-Trojan software, that something is wrong.

Since we spend so much on purchasing their products, don't we expect a service that properly informs every Windows user on security issues relating to their software?

Hardly any average PC user knew about the vulnerability as noted on the 17th July (that was exploited by Blaster and variants), until you subscribe to MS security mailing list.

Shouldn't MS inform all MS product users that way?

And BTW, I wonder what MS is using now as their OS for their web based servers?

"On the subject of your much loved and praised Linux, I have tried on several occasions to run a Linux server or workstation and to no avail (I am an IT manager). Drivers are impossible to find and instructions take no account of what happens when the install deviates from the expected path. It may be stable, but that's sod all use if I can't get it onto a machine. On top of this, with Windows, information is laughingly easy to find when you are having problems, and software of all shapes and sizes is easily, downloaded or bought and installed. Linux on the other hand is hard to find information on because there are highly differing opinions from a multitude of Linux wannabe pro's and a ridiculous number of people ignore or make fun of "N00b" questions. "

I don't know what planet you're on, but did you expect to run Linux with a click of your fingers?

It was made by a well knowledged person, for other well knowledged people. It doesn't seem you were well knowledged enough, despite being an IT Manager.

Linux and related OSs require more time spent on reading manuals and doing research. You should have asked informed newbie type questions.

Not reading the manual (and research), and asking newbie questions will not get the answers you want or respect of others. I don't know where you ask your questions, but I've never been verbally abused by any Linux or BSD forums/mailing list, etc, despite asking newbie questions. I find them extremely helpful and friendly, if you ask informed questions you are not sure of.

I know this and I don't even work in IT! I'm a home user. What does that say of your opinion?

"I think that you should give Microsoft at least some respect for providing a product that a plethora of people are happy to use, and that give non-technical persons an easy, out of the box route to the Internet. Linux - sure, it has its place, but so does Windows. "

Why should they? Don't we live in countries where Freedom of Speech applies? I don't see Mikey whipping out an AK-47 or a SA80 rifle to his staff and forcing them to write about Linux or any other OS.

Speaking of non-technical people...MS should at least provide information and links about Internet and security to the average PC user in a help file or popup. Look at the current situation. There are people out there who still have the worm in their systems! They think the Windows security patch is the fix to the worm! They happily apply it and wonder why their systems still act funny.

At least Linux and BSD sites have easy to follow links to their vulnerabilities and ways to temporarily fix them until a patch is developed. They also regularly mention them on the very front page of their sites! Do you see that with MS? Yeah, after when the worm has hit International Status...Not BEFORE.

Regards
Stmok

I think that in ‘anon' Fankoos response to the INQ taking the piss out of Microsoft is unjustified. I have very little against the M$ suite of products as a whole… I couldn't live without Office and Windows 2k3 suites me just fine. What I can live without is Micro$haft raping its competition by either under cutting or buying them out.

I cant live with Microsoft forcing its proprietary bullshit in your face and pretending that it's the best (in some cases by purposefully bringing the quality of its competition down). I cant live with them patching patches, or bringing out bloatware requirements that *SHOULD* run on lowly system requirements.

Those are just a few reasons why I hate Microsoft and will never openly support them. I have nothing against MS as far as software goes. Autoroute is more than powerful enough and Mechwarrior 4 is one of the best games I've ever played. Unfortunately MS tries too hard… culling the competition and decimating any new innovation in the market so that all we ever receive is Mr Gates down our throat in all his Redmond glory.

Microsoft's idea of the future is a world wide area network connected to dumb terminals. You log into your leased Office, leased media player and *LEASED* server time and do your stuff…. Microsoft wants to control everything.. do you REALLY want to let that happen? When the bugs surface and the DRM locks down, I think not. I'll leave the utopian Microsoft world wide domination campaign to the sheep and the less than adequate IT managers.

My question to you Mr IT Manager is: What MCSE do you have? Is your most advanced book Networking for dummies?

Yes, I admit Linux does have its multitude of w1nd0z3 h4t3rz that screw up your signal to noise ratio but on the whole Linux patches are immediate, they don't try to brush bugs under the carpet. With the Linux community, you ask the right questions… you get the right answers. It's *your* job, to know what your talking about. If you want your answers fed by mouth, then consider RedHat support? Or stick with Microsoft.

If a product is really good… what company needs to spend $1 Billion in an advertising campaign? A billion dollars later and you could probably sell ice to the Eskimos. I don't want to run a particular operating system because people say that it's the best. I want to run it because the OS *IS* the best.

I think to sum up Microsoft's practices; you just need to look at a smaller monopoly, AOL. Look at what AOL have done to Winamp, Netscape and ICQ since buying them over? The answer is very little apart from making revenue from horrific adverts planted in the software. Using AOL 8 the user is persistently asked to install RealPlayer…who in their right mind uses realplayer anymore anyways? Alas, there is no way to turn off the dialog box and the user constantly has to click no when starting the software. Contrary to AOL's statement you do NOT need RealPlayer to use AOL 8.0…. I guess after 20 times telling AOL where to stick RP, the poor member will just click yes to shut the damn thing up. A bit like trying to kill messenger when you have IE or Outlook open. Die bitch die !!

I find it hard to believe how much both AOL and Microsoft have DUMBED down the computing industry over the past few years. I find it laughable that Microsoft would like you to believe that with an MCSE alone a user can administrate your company's cluster of servers. I wouldn't let one near my playstation.

I think that if Microsoft started to play fair and actually put its money where their mouth was then The INQ would have more reason to dance to the MS rhythm. But when can you ever see that happening?

My question is…. Why do we need Microsoft again? (and not a virtual machine in sight!)

Picture.

Congratulations for your web site. This is really a reference for the truth. We are tired "Marketing Manipulated News".

Lobsang Marques

Mad Mike,

Yesterday I caught up with an old university friend who is now a lead programmer for a large software company in the USA. He's the typical programmer geek who lives on pizza, donuts and black coffee/Coca-Cola.

He told me about the products he works on, but astonishingly he told me about how he'd contributed to open source after-hours in the same field. He was unable to see how supporting open source in that area would likely damage his employer.

Yet more astonishingly he went on to tell me he believes that many many open source contributors have day jobs in equivalent areas. It seems to me, that while we need competitors to Microsoft, that they must be viable businesses, not the rable that are the Linux/GPL community. More importantly, those people that code for a viable employer should not contribute those same skills to open source.

These businesses have designs on the large markets of China and India, but those moonlightinh employees probably have provided the basis of most of the software functions those countries need to achieve via open source! Can India survive on Linux/OpenOffice? Sure. How does this help the market economies that probably give these same programmers their current real jobs?

Regards,

Connor M

Many reputable news magazines do not put as much negative spin on MS as you do. I was using, promoting, hating, and bashing Microsoft long before you probably started with computers [Me, 1966, Ed.]. While Microsoft has become lazy and bloated and has done a horrendous job of creating reliable patches over the years they have tried. Considering the vast number of machines, the sheer number of low quality mentality hackers, the sheer amount of hatred for the company expressed by them, and yourselves, one can only understand the sheer number of attacks, viruses, and prodding of the crevices and cracks of the OS.

Dispite what you may have related to everyone, many of these OSes have proven to be less then secure being used and abused by people over the years.

Alot of the problems with the systems are in the hap-hazard way that people put the systems together. It is possible to put together a secure network with normal monitoring and application of security issues/patches.

Is it the public face you have that pushes you to feel you can attempt to demean others and the people commenting about them or is it that form of journalism that permits it.

I visit your site for tidbits of info and even though I know MS has been abusive, misuses their power, gets lazy, has a very uncaring attitude and manipulates the users with sometimes frightening EULAs, I know there are many other companies that have created quite a few trials and tribulations for computer users (other OSes included).

My suggestion would be to keep up the criticism but don't be fooled into thinking that what you write impacts MS. It tends to impact our attitude toward the industry and the people creating the viruses and exploiting the security issues more. Microsoft isn't omnipotent. Every time they are chopped down a block or two people become alarmed and worried about the state of the industry and the economy. We don't accept poor software in exchange for a more acceptable economy.

Jim Blaich
Shelton, WA

Dear Sir,

I wish to complain, in the strongest possible terms, about your constant references to the fact that "Linux isn't shit"!

I have to tell you, Sir, that I am an IT manager, and I have demonstrated /repeatedly/ that I, for one, am far too stupid to run Linux! Not only that, but I am so proud of my inability, I will base my entire argument against Linux upon my failure to run a Linux desktop!

One only has to look at the Windows world - which has, this last week, been flooding the internet with unecessary trafic from unpatched Windows systems - to see that the vast majority of the people who claim to work in the IT industry are either too stupid or too lazy to run Windows properly; never mind Linux!

Furthermore, how are virus writers to cope, with a rival operating system, when it takes them more than three weeks to write code which exploits a vulnerability in Windows, whose precise nature has been abundantly clear for all that time?

Steve Ballmer has taught us that choice of operating system is a "mods vs Rockers" type of issue, where plain common sense doesn't come into it! Who cares what you can actually get done with software, if most of us would far rather just brain someone for wearing the wrong kind of coat?

No Sir! I think you'll find that most of us are more than happy with the status quo, thank you very much, and will lie, cheat, and steal, if necessary, in order to keep things the way they are! The IT industry is far too important for it to become dominated by an operating system which cannot be administered by a bunch of idle, drooling, imbecilic drunkards!

Yours
PHB
IT Manager

As a Catholic, I didn't appreciate the insult. The Catholic "method" is occasional abstinence, not onanism. Keep the religious insults out of the computer business.

Tom Benham
Boca Raton, Florida

On Marvine....

That's a really shitty, really petty, little column. I suppose journalists don't encourage honesty and plain-speaking though, eh, Mr. Abazovic? God forbid that someone should say something fair about the competition in this dog-eat-dog world of corporate salaries and shareholder profit. No, let's get her in trouble with her bosses and the Board so we'll be sure to receive nothing but corporate spin and outright lies in the future, eh, Mr. Abazovic?

Petty and shortsighted, I'd say.

Bill Dunn

[Well at least Nvidia didn't break Fudo's arm like a competitor did. It just threw him off a stand at CeBIT, leaving AMD to say "I really think Nvidia went too far doing that". Ed.]