Re: So Much hatred...........it leads to the dark side
So Trevor, dear chap, where does your hatred for Microsoft originate from?
Betrayal. You could start here for some background, but the long story short is really just that Microsoft turned its back on those of us who were its biggest fans. It made sweeping changes without offering us choice, didn't listen when we spoke up and eventually even removed from us the option to control our own computers.
Once, I was one of Microsoft's most voiceferous evangelists. But betrayal is a powerful emotion, and one that lingers.
I'm pretty sure that every article you write takes a shot at them?
Probably less than 10% of my articles contain a shot at Microsoft. That puts them a little bit above Netapp or Nutanix and probably below VMware.
Why them specifically?
Betrayal.
How have they wronged you more than other large IT firms such as Google
Google has been naieve, but to my knowledge has not outright wronged me. My biggest issue with them is that they believed they could walk the middle line with phone vendors and telcos by giving them control over the update process for Android. The result was an unmitigated disaster.
How else has Google wronged me? They advertise at me? Scary. They hoover up all my info? Sure, but so does everyone else. Google are at least up front about it, and give me the ability to kill their creepy spyware off. They aren't perfect - I can bitch about them all day - but I don't feel they are intentionally malicious or apathetic towards the end user.
I have spent time at both Google and Microsoft, and much time with many folks who work at both places. Googlers are oddly naive as a whole; they legitimately believe in different things than the rest of us and think they're doing the right thing. Not so Microsoft. Microsoft employees have always evidenced an unsubtle hostility towards their own customers coupled with a sense of superiority that says any customer or user that doesn't agree with them is obviously in the wrong.
There are, of course, exceptions...but the average attitudes of the individuals I have encountered working for the two companies seem to line up quite well with the actions of the body corporate. As such, I feel less hostility towards Google's bumbling naiveté than I do towards Microsoft's arrogant apathy. Though, admittedly, I am no less wary of the Chocolate Factory than the Beast of Redmond. I just watch for different issues stemming from different actions and motivations.
Oracle
Oracle are evil. Oracle have always been evil. Oracle never tried to be anything but evil. Can you really a villain who not only knows they are a villain but is honest about it as well? Or do you merely accept that this is what they are, and treat all interactions with them accordingly?
Salesforce
Basically an incompetent Oracle.
Amazon/AWS
From a culture standpoint, they share a lot with Microsoft. They are, however, far - far - worse to their staff and partners, and slightly better to their customers. I'm not a fan, but I do appreciate the role they are playing in driving change. Highly - highly - wary of them.
Apple?
Arrogant, high handed, self-righteous asshats that don't listen to their customer base and do whatever they want. They do, however, have the virtue of actually being right more often than not, something that other companies which attempt a similar amount of hubris fail to accomplish.
You also may want to research how Microsoft is taking the US Gov. to court to protect individuals and organisations data privacy, who else is doing that?
Apple, for one. Google has as well. IIRC, Twitter did too. I'd be willing to bet that if I did some searching I could find a Facebook case or two about privacy and the government.
Microsoft isn't sticking up for you, me, or anyone else. They're engaged in some PR. Nothing more. If you want to toot Microsoft's horn you could mention the one and only thing they've done that was any good in the cloud space lately: decoupling themselves from ownership of their UK cloud. By paying someone else to own and operate the gear Microsoft have removed the US legal attack surface for that data. Even if they wanted to, they can't give that data up. They deserve a cookie for that; they were the first major cloud provider to listen to what we've all be screaming about for a decade.
I note, however, that beyond the one instance, they haven't proceeded with that model. Even with their new datacenter in Canada. So I am chalking that up to a PR stunt as well.
I'm not sure who else mobilised their Disaster Recovery team to provide support to Alberta during the current wildfires up in Ft. Mc and also matched employee donations to support the Canadian Red Cross, the same thing that we did for the Calgary floods of 2013
Pretty much every tech company with an Albertan footprint, and most tech companies with a Canadian footprint, even if not Albertan has done something. You'd be surprised the number of them that I am coordinating with who do not want public PR or mention of their efforts. They are just helping because they can. Those companies I respect.
Its a big big world outside of Edmonton,
I am aware. I've been to may parts of it.
and while Microsoft's solutions don't appear favourable in your area / opinion, there's a large portion of other folks around the planet that seem quite happy with them
Actually, while there are many people who are happy with Microsoft, I think you'll find that the actual percentage of individuals and businesses happy with Microsoft is small. Certainly it is much smaller than the number of individuals and businesses that use Microsoft.
Microsoft may be a necessity but it is not something most - or even many - desire. When a gun is at your head, you do as your told. But that doesn't mean that if the gun were put away you'd voluntarily do the same thing.
Do not make the mistake of the Microsoft body corporate and mistake obedience for trust or compliance for loyalty. Microsoft's actions have dispelled trust and it's apathy towards that fact has eradicated loyalty.
All Microsoft has left to count on is fear. And no empire lasts long ruling on fear alone.
As for me, I will keep on being cynical about virtually everyone. Trust is earned, and it takes effort to maintain. I eagerly await any vendors willing to work hard to build that trust amongst its customers, partners, developer ecosystem and its own staff. That's a company I can get behind.