Why I hate Microsoft

I hope that by now i have succeeded in projecting my anti-M$ bias. It hasn't always been so. When i was 9, Bill Gates was my hero, and 'The Road Ahead' my favourite book.
Just like most people now, i equated computers to the start-menu and the 'are you sure' shutdown dialog-box. I had the pleasure of using a Monorail 75Mhz machine running Windows 95, and spent more than 5 years operating it. By then i had grown quite weary of the whole 'computer' affair - things being inconsistent, bugs, crashes, BSODs, and slow. Yes, that was the whole problem - if computers were supposed to be tools, they clearly were doing a very bad job at it, because you spent more time making it do what you wanted to do rather than getting the thing done.

And then I heard about the whole Netscape - antitrust affair. Curious, i tried Netscape..and realized something.. it was different. You could feel that it definitely wasn't made by Microsoft, and then there was this whole 'rebel' angle to it. Using Netscape became synonymous with supporting the small-guy against the big-bully in a fight where the chances that the small-guy would win were small. But that's the whole point. Using Netscape meant that Microsoft's victory could not affect me, and that no one could decide which software i ran on my computer.

And then I heard of Linux, sometime in early 2001 , and that was it. Here was an Operating system, which was NOT windows. Where there would me no start-menus and crashes and other things that became synonymous with using a computer. To me, at that time, Linux represented an alternate universe, a universe which was totally different, and better. As fate would have it, i would have to wait 4 more years to use Linux. And when i used it for the first time (Knoppix), i knew that my belief was right - that Linux *is* different, and that in order to use the full powers of a computer, you *had* to use it.
Yes, so far, the impression may be that i love Linux not because of what it is, but what it is not. And in a way, it is true. To me, it is more than an Operating System, it is a philosophy as well as a symbol of defiance to the ruler (Bill Gates) and his empire (Microsoft). Well, this essay isn't about why i love Linux, but it definitely had a big role in shaping my thoughts on Microsoft.
The principle reason I hate M$ is ethics. By that i mean both Microsoft's lack of them as well as how using M$'s products conflicts my ethics and principles.
Making a flawed an imperfect product isn't wrong. But claiming that it is the ONLY good thing out there and everything else is bad is definitely not. Don't believe me? See the previous post on Bill Gates' interview- see how he claims numerous times that Windows is Superb, while everything else is worthless. Now tell me, ever heard of Linux malware, or an Mac anti-virus? Who made "anti-virus", "malware", "trojan" household words? Or how about "crash", "bug", "Bluescreen of death"? If you are using windows right now, tell me, how does it feel knowing that (you do now) that your activities are being reported to Microsoft by something called WGA?
Ever heard of a book called '1984'? Well, 1984 wasn't like 1984, but if no one checks M$, we will get there by 2010, i guarantee. Welcome to Microsoft Reality 2010, SP2, Genuine Edition (tm), (c).Get ready to be killed by rocket powered flying chairs..flying bombs are so old-fashioned. So, hurry up and buy yourself a copy of all M$ products out there, why wait till 2010, eh?
Actually, i would not have objected to M$ behaviour, but as it turns out, M$ does not usually make these products. They either buy them from some innocent chap (think DOS), gobble-up the company which makes it, and if both the above approaches are not possible, copy their competitor's product. I will give proof of all these activities in later posts, i promise, since i cannot give them all now.
Whats more, when copying, stealing, blackmailing and strong-arming isn't simply enough, M$ simply finds ways to kill off the competition. Embrace, Extend, Expand, and Exterminate. And sometimes even that is not enough, so M$ simply tells you that you MUST use their products. And if you are reading this on windows, you already do that, don't you? Must be fun, having a corporation take over all your rights, not to mention money..do tell me the secret of your obedience to your master.
So, there you go.. in the most incoherent of ways, i have done a horrible job of portraying why i hate M$.. If you don't agree, please feel free to flame me, and do also tell me how it feels to sign away your soul along with the EULA.