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Microsoft's Software is Malware

gnu.org

11–20 of 185 posts

Re: Microsoft's Software is Malware

#11
All of this is true, but where is the equivalent attack on Google, whose software is essentially entirely designed to spy on you. Isn't that also Malware? Or is this sort of malware ok because it runs the Linux kernel?

I really want to support GNU and FSF but they seem to be constantly fighting some 20 year stale war against a company that is in many ways way more open than Google, Facebook, and Apple.

Re: Microsoft's Software is Malware

#15
post #4

It's all true and yet not true at the same time. Each item on the list has valid business requirements and is needed. For example, the backdoors are required by government, and Microsoft is not above the government and cannot really refuse if it is a legal requirement for national security. They're not exactly designed as backdoors either - mandatory security updates are necessary to prevent the spread of botnets. Th…

if it is a legal requirement for national security.

Is it legally required?

Re: Microsoft's Software is Malware

#16
post #7

"Microsoft cut off security fixes for Windows XP, except to some big users that pay exorbitantly. (...) A person or company has the right to cease to work on a particular program; the wrong here is Microsoft does this after having made the users dependent on Microsoft, because they are not free to ask anyone else to work on the program for them." Microsoft did not make anybody dependent on them, and should have zero…

I think the problem is that they won't allow anyone else to continue working on it

Re: Microsoft's Software is Malware

#17
I'm not a fan of pretty much anything on this list, but I do think the thing about phasing out Windows XP does stand apart. I don't know exactly how long you should expect an OS to be supported, but I feel like 12 years falls somewhere on the right side of that line.

They add the following disclaimer about that:

> A person or company has the right to cease to work on a particular program; the wrong here is Microsoft does this after having made the users dependent on Microsoft, because they are not free to ask anyone else to work on the program for them.

which if that is the case, means the whole spiel at the beginning about non-free software not automatically being malware in the FSF's eyes pretty empty if "non-free software not supported forever" is malware.

Re: Microsoft's Software is Malware

#19
post #15
post #4

It's all true and yet not true at the same time. Each item on the list has valid business requirements and is needed. For example, the backdoors are required by government, and Microsoft is not above the government and cannot really refuse if it is a legal requirement for national security. They're not exactly designed as backdoors either - mandatory security updates are necessary to prevent the spread of botnets. Th…

if it is a legal requirement for national security. Is it legally required?

If it was, are you sure they would be allowed to tell you?

Re: Microsoft's Software is Malware

#20

Hmm, I agree with the some of the points on this page but the language used is incredibly childish, "Microsoft Tyrants" and "Microsoft Sabotage".... I think there are better ways to educate and spread this message. Whoever wrote this page is a bit too emotionally vested imo.

It's preaching to the choir in the guise of persuasive writing. Almost literally, given the religious nature of the gnu belief system.
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