So today Microsoft, looking to take advantage of the controversy created by media pundits over Google's unified user policy, came out and said (paraphrasing here). "We understand why you're upset. We can offer Hotmail for your email, Bing for search, and Office 365, blah, blah, blah. And we won't serve you ads."
Seriously? This is a company that has, over the years, ruthlessly stamped out competitors and made literally billions.. billions! of dollars by over charging us for software.
Google serves me ads... ok, I know that. I am free to click on them or not.. they are not overbearing, they do not make their products unpleasant to use.. it is simply how they pay for providing the services I use for free.
Microsoft is a company that is slowly but inexorably becoming irrelevant.. The OS, as we know it today is dying a slow death. As this process continues, Microsoft will have two choices, charge their users for the services they provide, or do something like... I don't know, maybe serve ads? They have to make money. Because that's why companies like Microsoft and Google exist.
There are two reasons why I won't use Microsoft products personally (professionally, I currently have no choice). One of the reasons is this type of behavior. Like scavengers swooping in to feed. Typical corporate bullshit. Their idea of ethics is what they can legally get away with. The other reason... we'll save for another post.
Respectfully submitted,
--sakamoto
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