In Defense of Microsoft - Written by Shon Simpson I find your dislike for Microsoft saddening. You seem interested in seeing the company disrupted by the antitrust action. It is clear that you and, sadly, many others, are quite simply jealous of Microsoft. You cannot stand (or admit) the fact that the company creates, without doubt, the best available operating systems and products for personal computers. Yes, its software is flawed in certain areas-[Microsoft] admits that. It is also known by anyone with even mild intelligence that it is inherently impossible to make [software] perfect or flawless. There is no such thing as perfect. Period.

That issue aside, whether you like the products Microsoft produces or not, there is a much bigger issue, something you leftie-loony-liberal Macintosh users fail to recognize. And that is that Microsoft has created millions of jobs for its own employees as well as its competitors, and in related areas your feeble minds cannot comprehend. Microsoft generates billions of dollars of revenue for America, which keeps our little economic-based society running. It?s sad to see so many belie this fact, and dislike Microsoft out of simple jealousy. If I were Bill, I?d pack up the whole operation, give the middle finger to our government, and provide all those jobs and revenues elsewhere.

In Defense of People Who Dislike Microsoft - Written by Mike Toohey This is in response to the letter to the editor titled ?In Defense of Microsoft? by Shon Simpson. I cannot believe that this person is blaming the hatred towards Microsoft on simple jealousy. How absurd. Before I go farther, let me just clarify, I am not a Mac person. I use multiple operating systems in my day-to-day operations. The fact the people dislike (and downright loathe) Microsoft is because they have always utilized unfair business practices. Look at how they handle companies like Dell or Gateway ?sure you can put Windows on your machines, as long as you don?t put other product on them?. If I am a business that utilizes Linux and I want to buy 25 new machines from Dell, why should I have to pay for Microsoft Windows? Is that a ?leftie-loonie-liberal? way of thinking? No, it?s a small business way of thinking. A cost effective way of thinking. I personally am sick of people who are sticking up for Microsoft and don?t know all the facts. You say they generate jobs? How does crippling its competitors generate jobs? I bet all those people who worked for Netscape absolutely love Microsoft for all the jobs they generated due to competition, or how about the employees at BEOS, I bet they are rolling in the loot due to competition.

Face it, Microsoft doesn?t innovate, they are a cancerous corporation that is an embarrassment to the information technology profession. They were convicted of being an illegal monopoly, and that is a fact. Am I jealous of Microsoft? Hardly, because look at the reputation they have gained. If I had a reputation like that, I would be embarrassed. The impacts of their business practices are worldwide. Instead of Bill giving us the Middle finger, entire countries are turning around, giving Microsoft the middle finger and moving to Linux. Microsoft did it to themselves by themselves. So all the pro-Microsoft Zealots out there can complain, and cry ?jealousy? but the truth of the matter is that the downfall of Microsoft will be due to Microsoft. All the people who dislike Microsoft, have a right to do so.