It exists a propaganda site by Microsoft1
which is really funny: it contains all FUD
(Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt)
stuffs they can concentrate in a single graphical page.
The targets of such a propaganda are always the same: likely the vast
majority of the computer users and consumers, those that
—Microsoft thinks— are stupid enough to believe them.
This page shouts you are stupid, so
you'll believe what you're reading. The sad thing is that they
are right, more or less!
Let's talk about some ridicoulous sentences and claims
you can read there. At first
I laughed. Then I thought that these are the kind of thing that work,
since nowadays, in this part of the world, the worst illiteracy we
must face is the computer illiteracy. And Microsoft can trust on a very
huge number of ignorants who are just waiting to make choice and are
captured by the powerful FUD bait. Just remember it: Microsoft needs
you stay ignorant about computers. The market follows.
Windows helps you quickly and easily get online and connect to your
devices and services – without dealing with an
unfamiliar environment or major compatibility issues
Windows can be as quick and easy as any other GUI based system. GNU/Linux
distros tuned to run on the device we are talking about worked
perfectly; but the FUD tactic worked... on vendors too!
And what makes an environment familiar? Its use of course. But more
deeply? Computer (graphical) interfaces are something new to human being,
so there can't be an universal concept of familiarity. Like
road signs, the interfaces are made (by people) to allow other people
to understand them as quick as possible, and in the same time to be
efficient for a particular purpose. There's no one way of doing it,
there's no a right or wrong way. This means basically
that we can get familiar with any interface we "dare" to use. For this
reason, Microsoft must diffuse fear, uncertainty and doubts, since
this is the only way they can try to keep people off from interfaces
that are not made by them, but are as reasonable and good as theirs.
The compatibility issues claim is somewhat more subtle.
In a (ideal) world without monopolies and only with "public domain"
standards, there can't exist incompatibilities. Microsoft uses its
position on the market to create the fertile soil where
incompatibilities grow, unless you accept blindly their reign, their
protection and pay your fee to them. Exploiting hardware manufacturers'
fears of being not supported by the software monopoly, and the
capitalist natural appeal for the money, Microsoft softly induces
manufacturers to behaviours that help Microsoft to keep their monopoly
and to put sticks in the wheels of concurrency. It's a fantastic
Uroboros.
Nonetheless, things are a-changing: the inacceptable dependency
(which can become easily an avoidable cost)
this situation creates and the concentration of interests
that other market players would like to scatter and of money that
they would like to earn is moving slowly the eyes to look for
alternatives like GNU/Linux. Moreover, there's a small part of the
computer users community which can't accept the artificial
incompatibilities Microsoft creates to keep slaves bound to them,
and this community is trying to diffuse informations
to fight against Microsoft's lies. This is a real risk for Microsoft,
since real informations, open standards and all related
concepts which are the basis for a "compatible computer world" (both
from the software and hardware point of view) are like a little snow
ball thrown down from the top of the hill: the snow ball is getting
bigger... So Microsoft needs to tighten the noose, i.e. to increase
artificially incompatibilities, and in the same time to advertise
the fact that these incompatibilities may exist to hide that indeed
these incompatibilities are day by day fewer despite the monopoly
(or rather because of it!)
Since the computer technicians have understood these
facts2 and can really appreciate
(expecially at their jobs) the fact that computers can be interoperable
even with different operating systems,
Microsoft needs to keep the average consumers (who are mostly computer
illiterates), the one that can be a target for
FUD tactic, in the darkness of their illiteracy. This is the way they plan to
be innovative on the market.
Trusted — Windows delivers a dependable experience that Microsoft
and a worldwide community of partners stand behind
Now they must stress the fact that you can trust them and their
experience; another common concept in this kind of propaganda is about
being part of strong, big and powerful community ("of partners" is not too
much important, it just suggests they are a wide network);
the word community is used to suggest human feelings
which can't be delivered by cold sentence like
"ensemble of commercial partners". They're trying to make you feel a part
of something you indeed are not part of. The keywords are
trusted, dependable experience, worldwide community
(with this last likely they are also trying to exploit the same
semantics of the "opensource community" or similar).
Familiar — Windows is easy to use and familiar so you can be
up and running right away
I've written about this claim above. There's no a single special
thing that makes Windows easy to use. It is not easier
than other GUI based systems. If you ask people to say what makes
Windows easy to use, they will answer a list of features that other
systems have too (in particular, modern GNU/Linux system). Indeed,
if the market wouldn't be poisoned by the monopoly, and average
computers' users' minds would be reset and one would ask users to try
Windows and GNU/Linux and then make a choice, the probability of
choosing Windows or GNU/Linux would be the same, more or less.
Compatible — You can be confident that your devices and
applications will work with Windows – more than any other
platform
Even about the compatibility topic I've written above. Here
they also sell the unbelievable "fact" that applications will work
with Windows more likely than with any other platform! Average illiterate
users should be informed of the fact that an application
needs to be "designed" to work with Windows... so it is obvious
that it will work with Windows; exactly in the same way an application
designed to work with another platform, guess!, it will work with
that platform, not for Windows! By the way, other platform like
GNU/Linux through projects like
wine
can run a lot of Windows applications (from the original binaries). The
opposite is still not easily possible.
Don't let them fool you in such a simplistic way! Study more FUD tactics
and avoid to be caught with this bait!
^1
Michael Sharp, director, Product Management, Worldwide
Operations at Microsoft Corporation, is behind the scenes. I wonder
how much money he gets paid to fool common people, I wonder if
he sleeps at night and he believes in what he allows to be written...
I bet the answer is yes, or he would not be where
he's. If you wonder what face can have this guy,
here
you can see a pic
^2
This does not mean that technicians do not use Windows! It
means simply that they may choose to use Windows, while
average common illiterate computer users (the vast majority of
computer users) are forced to buy
(and then to use) Windows.
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