Criticism of Microsoft has followed various aspects of its products and business practices. Problems with the ease of use, toughness, and security of enterprise software are common targets for criticism. In the 2000s, a number of malware accidents were subjected to security holes in Microsoft Windows and other products. Microsoft is also accused of locking vendors and consumers into their products, and not following or complying with existing standards in its software. Comparison of total cost of ownership between Linux and Microsoft Windows is a point of continuous debate.
The company has been the subject of many lawsuits, brought by some governments and by other companies, to unlawful monopoly practices. In 2004, the EU found Microsoft guilty in the case of Microsoft EU competition. In addition, the EULA for Microsoft programs is often criticized for being too restrictive.
Video Criticism of Microsoft
Penguncian vendor
From the beginning, Microsoft defined itself as a platform company and understood the importance of attracting third-party programmers. It does so by providing development tools, training, access to the initial ownership API, and partner programs. Although Microsoft software generated allows users to benefit from network effects, critics and even Microsoft itself condemns what they consider to be an "embracing, extending and extinguishing" strategy of exclusive feature enhancements to open their software standards or implementations, thus using dominance market to obtain unofficial ownership of "extended" standards in this way.
Microsoft software is also presented as a "safe" option for IT managers who purchase software systems. In an internal memo for senior management, Microsoft's C development chief, Aaron Contorer, stated:
Recently, Microsoft has an OOXML specification approved by ISO standards bodies in a manner consistent with previous attempts to control standards.
Maps Criticism of Microsoft
Copyright enforcement
When Microsoft discovered that its first product, Altair BASIC, was subject to widespread unauthorized copying, Microsoft founder Bill Gates wrote Open Letter to Hobbyists who publicly accused many fans of stealing software. The Gates letter provoked many responses, with some hobbies objecting to widespread allegations, and others supporting the principle of compensation. Disagreements about whether software should belong continue today to the banner of the free software movement, with Microsoft characterizing free software released under the terms of the GPL as "potentially viral" and the GNU General Public License itself as a "viral license" "infect" proprietary software and force the developer to release the source of ownership to the public.
The Halloween document, Microsoft's internal memo leaked to the open source community began in 1998, indicating that some Microsoft employees saw the "open source" software - specifically, Linux - as a growing long-term threat to Microsoft's position in the software industry. The Halloween document recognizes that some Linux is superior to the versions of Microsoft Windows available at the time, and outlines the "de-commoditize [ing] protocol & application strategies." Microsoft declared in its 2006 Annual Report that it was the defendant in at least 35 patent infringement lawsuits. The cost of corporate litigation for April 2004 to March 2007 exceeded $ 4.3 billion: more than $ 4 billion in payments, plus $ 300 million in legal fees.
Another concern of criticism is that Microsoft may use shared source software distributions to harvest developer names that have been exposed to Microsoft code, as some believe that these developers might someday target lawsuits if they have ever participated in competing product development. This issue is discussed in published papers from several organizations including the American Bar Association and the Open Source Initiative.
Beginning in the 1990s, Microsoft is accused of maintaining a "hidden" or "secret" API: its interface to its operating system software is intentionally stored without documents to gain a competitive edge in application software products. Microsoft employees consistently denied this; they claim that application developers inside and outside of Microsoft routinely reverse engineer DOS and Windows 16-bit versions without inside help, creating inheritance support issues that far outweigh the alleged benefits to Microsoft. In response to a court order, Microsoft has published an interface between its operating system software components, including components such as Internet Explorer, Active Directory, and Windows Media that are sold as part of Windows but compete with the application software.
License Agreement
Common complaints come from those who want to buy a computer that is usually preinstalled with Windows without a pre-installed copy of Windows and without paying extra for a good license so that other operating systems can be used or because the license has been obtained elsewhere , such as through the MSDN Academic Alliance program. Microsoft encourages original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to supply computers with preinstalled Windows by presenting their dominance in computer sales and on the grounds that consumers benefit by not having to install an operating system. Since the license price varies depending on the discount given to the OEM and since no similar computer is offered OEM without Windows, there is no direct way to find the size of the refund. In 2009, Microsoft stated that it always charged an OEM of about $ 50 for a Windows license on a $ 1,000 computer.
While it is possible to get a computer without or free operating system, almost all major computer vendors continue to bundle Microsoft Windows with most personal computers within their range. The claimed increase in computer prices resulting from the inclusion of Windows licenses has been called "Windows tax" or "Microsoft tax" by opposing computer users. Fact Finding in the United States Microsoft antitrust case of 1998 establishes that "One of the ways Microsoft combat piracy is by advising OEMs that they will charge higher prices for Windows unless they drastically limit the number of PCs they sell without a pre- In 1998, all major OEMs approved this restriction. "Microsoft has also assessed licensing fees based on the number of computers sold OEM, regardless of whether Windows licenses are included; Microsoft was forced to terminate this practice due to the approval decision. In 2010, Microsoft stated that its agreement with OEMs to distribute Windows is not exclusive, and OEMs are free to distribute computers with different operating systems or without any operating system.
Microsoft does not provide refunds for Windows licenses sold through OEM, including any licenses that came with the purchase of computers or have been pre-installed on the computer.
According to the Microsoft End User License Agreement for Windows 7, the ability to receive refunds for the operating system is determined by the hardware manufacturer:
By using the software, you accept these terms. If you do not receive it, do not use the software. Instead, contact the manufacturer or installer to determine its return policy. You must comply with the policy, which may limit your rights or require you to reinstate the entire system on which the software is installed.
Acer Inc. has a policy requiring customers to return the goods at their own expense, and balances received by customers can be as low as EUR30. In other cases, vendors require customers who request a refund to sign a confidentiality agreement. Older versions of Microsoft Windows have different license terms with respect to the availability of refunds for Windows:
By using the software, you accept these terms. If you do not receive it, do not use the software. Instead, contact the manufacturer or installer to determine their return policy for refunds or credits.
Based on the updated language, vendors refuse to issue partial refunds for Windows licenses, which require that the computer be restored altogether. In some countries, this practice has been considered to violate consumer protection laws.
Acquisitions
Microsoft has acquired several companies and products throughout its history, including some that competed with previous Microsoft products. The acquired assets include DOS (Seattle Computer Product QDOS), FrontPage (Vermeer Technologies Incorporated FrontPage), WebTV (now MSN TV), Hotmail, Direct3D, Internet Explorer (Spyglass, Mosaic Inc), Visio (Visio Corporation Visio), Windows Virtual PC (Connectix Virtual PC), and Windows Defender (GIANT Company Software, Inc. GIANT AntiSpyware). Microsoft recruits the main product of the acquired company, and in many cases offers it for free or bundles it with their operating system. Former Sun Microsystem chief executive Scott McNealy has sometimes commented that Microsoft never produced technology except by purchasing it: "R & D [research and development] and M & amps [mergers and acquisitions] are the same thing there. "
Litigation
Microsoft's market dominance and business practices have attracted widespread anger, which is not always limited to its competitors. In the publication of 2003, Dan Geer believes that the prevalence of Microsoft products has resulted in a monoculture that is very dangerous for viruses to exploit.
Labor Practices
While Microsoft's permanent workers enjoy some of the best corporate treatments, most of the Microsoft workforce pool is out of this privileged class. This includes the use of permission employees (employees hired for years as "temporary," and therefore without medical benefits), the use of forced retention tactics, in which the departing employee will be sued to prevent departure, as well as more cost-saving measures traditional, ranging from cutting health benefits, to not providing towels in the company's locker room.
Historically, Microsoft has also been accused of overworked employees, in many cases, causing fatigue in just a few years to join the company. The company is often referred to as "Velvet Sweatshop", a term derived from the 1989 Seattle Times article, and is then used to describe the company by some of Microsoft's own employees. This characterization stems from the perception that Microsoft provides almost everything to its employees in a convenient place, but in turn overworks them to the point where it would be bad for their (possibly long-term) health. For example, the kitchen has free drinks and many buildings including an exercise room and a bathroom. However, the company has been accused of trying to keep employees in the company for too long work and too much work. This is detailed in several books on Microsoft, including Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire .
US lawsuits filed against Microsoft in 1992 represented 8,558 current and previous employees who have been classified as "temporary" and "freelance", and are known as Vizcaino v. Microsoft . In 1993, the lawsuit became US Federal Class Action in United States District Court Western District Washington In Seattle as No. 1. C93-178C. The Final Settlement came in 2005. The case was decided on the basis (defined by the IRS) that the "permatemps" has a job specified by Microsoft, working with regular employees doing the same work, and working for the long term. After a series of court decisions including three appeals, Microsoft settled the lawsuit for $ 93 million.
The side effect of the "permatemp" lawsuit is that contract employees are now prevented from participating in team morale activities and other activities that can be interpreted as making them "employees". They are also limited to a one-year contract and must leave after that time for 100 days before returning to the contract.
Microsoft is America's largest corporate user of the H-1B guest worker visa and has joined other major technology companies such as Google, which recently lobbied the more restrictive H-1B visa restrictions.
Advertising and public relations
Critics have alleged that Microsoft has used funds to garner support from think tanks and trade organizations such as Alexis de Tocqueville Institution (AdTI), the Independent Institute, and America for Technology Leadership (ATL). During the United States vs. Microsoft antitrust case, ATL sent a poll to 19 state prosecutors who claimed to show that "the public believes AG countries should devote their energy to causes other than Microsoft." Also during the case, the Independent Institution ran a full-page ad in the New York Times and Washington Post defended Microsoft, which was later revealed to have funded an advertising campaign. The Institute publishes Winners, Losers, and Microsoft: Competitions and Antitrust in High Technology soon after.
In June 2002, Champagne , an advertisement made by Xbox Europe, was banned by the Independent Television Commission upon receipt of 136 complaints.
A press release for a 2002 report by AdTI claimed "open source software might offer targets for terrorists." The report itself does not mention terrorism or how it will target open source software, but states that open source software may be more vulnerable to security holes than proprietary software. It provides a special focus for GPL licensed software, claiming that it is not cost-effective. In 2004, AdTI announced a report, Samizdat stated that the creator of Linux operating system Linus Torvalds based it on MINIX. The creator of MINIX, Andrew S. Tanenbaum strongly denies this claim. Microsoft has denied that it finances many think tank institutions other than AdTI, such as the American Enterprise Institute, the Cato Institute, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and The Heritage Foundation and that it does not fund any special research.
In August 2004, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of the United Kingdom ordered Microsoft to stop a series of print ads claiming that the total cost of Linux server ownership is ten times that of Windows Server 2003. This comparison includes hardware costs, and puts Linux at a disadvantage by installing it on hardware that is more expensive but worse than those used for Windows.
On January 22, 2007, Rick Jelliffe made a claim on his blog that Microsoft employees offered to pay him for a correction in the English Open Wikipedia article on Office Open XML. Microsoft spokeswoman Catherine Brooker expressed confidence that the article was "strongly written" by IBM employees who supported the OpenDocument rival format, although he did not provide specific evidence. Internet entrepreneur and founder of the Wikimedia Foundation, Jimmy Wales, described Microsoft's offer as unethical.
In 2011, Moneylife.in alleged that two "anonymous comments increased their product" - one by Nokia employees and others by Microsoft employees - posted in their review of the Nokia Lumia 800, based solely on "technical specifications" And reviewer "has not put a finger on the phone ". In conclusion, Charles Arthur argues that "No one came out of a good-looking episode, Sapkale was accused of violating his site's privacy policy by posting IP addresses and emails from commentators, while the duo's failure to express any interest seemed, at best, like astroturfing."
In 2014 details about the partnership between Machinima.com and Microsoft revealed related marketing campaigns for Xbox One. Machinima will offer some users $ 3 per thousand views if the user shows 30 seconds of the Xbox One game and mentions the system by name. The controversy arose when it was reported that, under the terms of the promotion, participants were not allowed to disclose that they were paid for the endorsement, which Ars Technica said contradicts the FTC rules that require the recipient to fully disclose when such action occurs. Machinima states that the confidentiality clause applies only to the terms of the agreement, and not with the agreement, and Microsoft ends the promotion and directs Machinima to add disclosure to the video involved. In September 2015, Machinima set the FTC on allegations that the advertising campaigns failed to comply with the FTC's support guidelines; The FTC decides not to take action against Microsoft because it already has "policies and procedures designed to prevent such lapses".
Blacklist of journalists
John C. Dvorak said that in the 1980s, Microsoft classified journalists as "Okay", "Sketchy", or "Needs work" and targeted the journal "Needs work" in an attempt to stop it. Dvorak said that he was denied information about Windows because he was on the blacklist. Mary Jo Foley stated that she was denied an interview with Microsoft personnel for several years after the publication of a story based on a memo depicting the number of bugs on Windows 2000 upon release.
Censorship in China
Microsoft (along with Google, Yahoo, Cisco, AOL, Skype, and other companies) has worked with the Chinese government to implement internet censorship systems. Human rights advocates such as Human Rights Watch and media groups such as Reporters Without Borders criticized companies, noting for example that "it is ironic that companies whose existence depends on freedom of information and expression have taken on censorship roles."
Collaboration with the NSA on internet surveillance
Microsoft was the first company to participate in the PRISM surveillance program, according to a leaked NSA document acquired by The Guardian and The Washington Post in June 2013, and is recognized by the following government officials. leakage. This program authorizes the government to secretly access non-US citizens' data held by American companies without a warrant. Microsoft has refused participation in such a program.
In July 2013, The Guardian describes that leaked documents show it
- Microsoft helps the NSA to circumvent encryption to intercept web chat on Outlook.com and grant it unencrypted access to Outlook.com and Hotmail mail.
- Microsoft provides the NSA with access to user data in its OneDrive cloud storage service (formerly SkyDrive).
- After Microsoft purchased Skype, the NSA tripled the number of Skype video calls collected through PRISM
In a statement, Microsoft said that they "provide customer data only in response to legal proceedings."
Employee productivity software
Microsoft has also come under fire for developing software capable of analyzing remote sensor outputs to measure the competence and productivity of workers based on their physical responses.
Gay reference controversy
Microsoft has been criticized for its attitude toward homosexuality and Xbox Live. Users may not use the "gay" string in the gamertag (even in a non-homosexual context, for example as part of a surname), or refer to homosexuality on their profile (including identifying themselves as such), since the company considers this " sexual "or" offensive "to other users and therefore not suitable for this service. After banning 'Teresa', a lesbian gamer who has been abused by other users for being a homosexual, a senior member of the Xbox Live team, Stephen Toulouse, has clarified the policy, stating that "The expression of any sexual orientation [...] is no allowed in the gamertag "but they" check how we can provide it in a way that will not be misused ". GLAAD weighs the controversy as well, supporting the steps Microsoft has taken over the years to engage LGBT communities.
Website concerns
Polish users of Microsoft Business Productivity Infrastructure website Microsoft has seen the face of a white model have been photographed over the head of the African American model at the center in the photo on the main page of the Polish language version of the website. The 'Photoshop Disasters' website covers the news on August 25, 2009.
Starting at 1:00 pm GMT on August 25, this has been changed and the image on the Polish website now reflects the image on the English-language website. Microsoft later issued an apology related to the incident. Lou Gellos spokesman stated that Microsoft "sought details of this situation." The apology was then restated on Microsoft's official Twitter page: "Website marketing photo errors - sincere apologies - we are in the process of lowering the image."
Labor diversity
Jesse Jackson believes Microsoft should employ more minorities and women. Jackson has urged other companies to diversify their workforce. He believes that Microsoft made some progress when appointing two women to the board of directors in 2015.
See also
Critics of other software companies:
- Facebook criticism
- Google Critique
- Critics of Yahoo!
Discussions about Microsoft business practices:
- Holy Cash Cow from Microsoft (Seattle Weekly)
- CNN.com - Microsoft: Disability makes millions at risk (Defect Discovered by Faisal Danka)
- http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f3800/msjudgex.htm
- Dissect Microsoft - Analyze Microsoft business practices and software
- "Microsoft Taxes" - by the Linux Information Project (LINFO)
- FAQ on Microsoft Antitrust case by Center for the Advancement of Capitalism
- Novell/SuSE Response to Steve Ballmer's Letter to the Linux Community
TCO:
- Study: Linux Is More Cheaper Than Windows (PCworld.com)
Tax evasion:
- Tax evasion by Microsoft in India
User feedback:
- IT Professional Testimonials about Microsoft software downfalls
Related media
- Gartner: Windows collapsed because of its own weight
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments