Summary: Disdain of Microsoft and its products statistically explained; why disagreement is a crucial part of advancing software freedom

MICROSOFT and Windows are not the same thing. One is a corporation and one is a product (Jim Zemlin seemingly mixes the two). But whether we talk about Microsoft or about Windows, there is great disdain out there. Microsoft is a convicted monopolist and Windows is an inferior operating system which is only ubiquitous because of Microsoft's monopolistic tactics and occasional crimes like bribery.

According to What Will We Use, people like neither Microsoft nor its products.

As of right now, 77% of people do not like Microsoft as a company or their products.

Why are we 'bashing' Microsoft like this, some people wonder. We have been described as "abrasive" by someone not just because of criticism of Microsoft but also criticism of Novell, Mono, and Moonlight. We criticise issues and behaviours, not brand/company names. Microsoft just happens to be by far the biggest offender, although Apple too is starting to compete when it comes to assaults on people's freedom (more on that later today).

Grahame Morrison from Tux Radar (a mostly "pragmatist" site of a "pragmatist" magazine called Linux [sic] Format with a history of FSF disagreement) has a new piece calling for end of feuds and rivalries in Free/open source software.

We humbly disagree with Morrison.

“This is where diversity and fierce competition make GNU/Linux a lot stronger.”What if everyone embraced SUSE, which was probably the best GNU/Linux distribution at a time when Novell's/Microsoft's patent deal got signed (I used SUSE on all my machines at the time)? Then all of us would have to pay and endorse Microsoft 'patent tax' on GNU/Linux. This is where diversity and fierce competition make GNU/Linux a lot stronger. There is always choice, so everyone is happy. Eventually, *Ubuntu gained at SUSE's expense.

It is an ongoing debate and it is polite. We always try to stick to facts and we back them up with as many references as possible (depending on how many are available and when we cross-reference there is a route to external articles, including from pro-Microsoft Web sites).

Our reader Tim wrote a long response to Morrison and it starts as follows:

I read an interesting article by Grahame Morrison entitled “Feuds and rivalries are damaging open source” (where all the quotes are taken from) which I start (and not beat around the bush) by saying is complete rubbish in the humble opinion of this writer.

After digesting his discourse I came to the conclusion that either he doesn’t understand the concept of different opinions being productive or simply wants to join in on some imagined “damaging” conflict in order to attract readers. The article is not what I would expect TechRadar to publish and to be honest, its slightly cheapened Techradar credibility for me.

For a community that’s supposed to rally under the noble banners of freedom, fairness and fraternity, the world of free software is chockfull of disagreement, feuds and simmering rivalries.

By the way, those who enjoy Techrights will probably enjoy OpenBytes too (the covered topics are similar). ⬆

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

--Charles Darwin