Advertising and subliminal side-taking

I remember a time when Microsoft were taking over as the super-giant in the computer industry, and creating an enormous amount of anti-M$ hatred, not _all_ of it warranted or almost justified -- oh, wait a minute, they still are. Ok, side taking is easy, it's not too hard to be outspoken about a very strongly polarised side to an argument, but the truth is Black and White is more of a theoretical principle than something that ever manifests itself in a real life situation. It also seems to distort reality for everyone else - religious fanatics who like turning the doctrine of their church / mosque / following rabble into something of exclusive right and wrong, right and wrong -- grey areas are nonexistent. We have the same in science, business and everything else around us. However, the truth of the matter is that this is very misleading for all. People get a chance to "pick sides" instead of taking an informed decision.

For example (and back to the original case), how come if Microsoft slate someone elses product they often get lambasted for using their corporate / financial muscle to beat competitors to a metaphorical pulp, yet Apple can use adverts with the architypical "cool" computer user as the mac and the architypical "business-nerd" as the Windows PC, with catchy points such as Mac's not getting virus' etc. It's true, you don't often hear of big virus outbreaks on a Mac, but then why would virus writers bother when the majority of information they want (corporate secrets, bank details etc..) are likely to be sitting on far more widely used Windows machines.

Same with the Firefox / IE debate -- ok, I must confess to using Firefox as I prefer the tab system, the way passwords and bookmarks are saved, and the wonderfully rich plug-in community. I do _not_ avoid IE based on security risks. Yes, native activeX support is a risk, but then so is downloading files using a browser anyway - I commend Microsoft's attempts to make the browser more powerful with the end aim of creating a more user-friendly experience with things like Windows / Office / Microsoft Update - it is development aimed to enhance the user experience, something all developers should strive towards with their products.

It also frustrates the hell out of me that most Linuxes come with a whole load of useful and excellent software (which I think is a good thing by the way) without penalty and Windows gets sued through the European courts for not having a Windows OS without Media Player. It's their software, they shouldn't be penalised for bundling stuff (especially when really good functional software such as FooBar and WinAmp are continually popular because of their increased functionality).

Maybe it is balanced reversed Darwinianism in action, where the strongest get penalised to keep a more even race, but it strikes me in a world where progress is normally so richly rewarded that this is somewhat counter-productive.

- Graham