With so much good Open Source software available, why do people insist on using Microsoft products?

Question

OS - most distros of Linux
Office Suite - Open Office
Email Client - Thunderbird
Internet Browser - Firefox
Media Player - VLC
Graphics Processing - GIMP

All this software is legal, free AND stable. A Microsoft-free box is possible!

Answer 1

"the broken" is a little misguided. Microsoft software by itself might be fairly stable, but as soon as you add any third party software to windows, it starts slowly destroying things.

I use openoffice, the gimp and thunderbird, and they are by far on par or better than regular pay for proprietary software.



I have 5 Linux boxes that never need rebooting, a dual Xeon workstation which renders my gimp projects fast and reliable, 2 Linux servers, and two IBM Thinkpads with FC6. Oh, and my router runs FreeBSD. Another very good Unix OS.



Modern Linux distros are easier to install than windows, are reliable, powerfull, and run on anything from iPods to toasters. Did I also mention "virus free".



Whatever people's excuses are for not embracing free legal stable programs are, I don't know. Most are ignorant or just don't care.



What about the crappy linux desktop? Your not talking about a nice xgl rendered desktop are you? http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://static.flickr.com/82/207006905_3997271b2d_m.jpg&imgrefurl=http://swik.net/Compiz/Compiz%2BImages&h=180&w=240&sz=16&hl=en&start=29&tbnid=_hI5mFffLcS-kM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dxgl%2Bfedora%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN

You must be a XP user. The ignorant in denial.

Answer 2

Why is everyone so paranoid and bigoted against Microsoft?



I prefer Microsoft to open source software because of better stability, better compatibility, better research and development of the products, and no concerns for crossing mediums in application.



Yes, there are plenty of open source software titles out there that can emulate Microsoft products very well, but they aren't all designed to work fluidly with one another as Microsoft products are, and result in more conflicts than one gets with Microsoft products.



Ultimately, it's six of one and half a dozen of the other. Some people hate Microsoft because it's a big company, some hate it because it's the standard for computing and they insist on being rebellious, and some like it because it's the standard in computing and because it's a big company.

Answer 3

There are a few things about open source that big business don't like:

- Lack of communication between developers

- Redundant efforts

- Lack of priorities

- Lack of conventions

- Lack of focus

- Dependency on key people

- Lack of leadership



Also remember that Microsoft's key market is not the home user, it's the enterprise user. So for a big organization to make the right decision on which software to use, it has to not only be function but meet all of the above criteria.



I still think there is a usability issue in all of these applications (apart from maybe Firefox).



From my perspective there are a few things that make enterprise size organizations

Answer 4

I'm using Mozzi right now. On XP though.



People grow up with MS. Apple had the right idea back in the day, tried to get Macs in many schools across the country. Never took though, since MS stole all of their ideas, and then put a chokehold on all providers - in essence - use our product or else.



I think that mentality is going away now, and with time, your Linux and such will be more popular (hopefully). They just need to mainstream applications...that is the big drawback to minority players.

Answer 5

Politicians shouldn't get entangled in trivial concerns like this in any respect while determining the thank you to run government agencies. interior government agencies, they could in simple terms enable the IT managers to proceed to make judgements on those styles of themes, and ideally hire IT managers with outdoors adventure interior the corporate international, as those IT managers might suited understand the thank you to maintain efficient, sensible computers. If Republicans (or Democrats) in legislative positions with little understand-how of desktops did confirm to apply open source utility, and it wasn't the main fee saving pass after pondering all components, then this may well be a stable occasion of why government agencies tend to be greater inefficient than the interior maximum sector.

Answer 6

yes those are good softwares and free. but most users dont know that. what they see is the easy and intuitive windows graphical user interface, and the crappy, makes-you-feel-inadequate gui of a linux desktop.



so people would rather pay for the convenience of a windows based desktop.

Answer 7

ignorance mostly - they don't know that it is out there



edit:

I thought of another reason... They might be afraid that if they use something different, then they will not be able to open their friend's file that came from a microsoft program

Answer 8

Microsoft products are easy to use. Those listed are easy to use as well. So I suppose it's just because that's what everyone has always used.