Rooting for the underdog

AaHaa

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Hi all,

I'm guessing there are a lot of Microsoft... evangelists (I won't say "fanboys") on this forum, which is a good thing, 'cause I consider myself one as well. Microsoft has been providing me with technology and new stuff my entire life and I like to be loyal to a certain brand or product. Next to that, I don't like Google's philosophy and attitude. Same goes for Apple.
But as technology becomes more important and more prominent with every passing day, I find myself worrying a lot about the future and the ongoing battle between Microsoft, Google and Android. And I don't like that. I don't wanna be someone whose mood is influenced by some big faceless multinational company's decisions.

So, my question to you is: how do you keep a clear head when you hear hateful stuff/news about Microsoft? Because let's face it, there's A LOT of hatefull stuff about Microsoft going around on the interwebz.

I'll make a little list.
Things "people" hate from Microsoft:
- Windows 8
- Windows Vista
- Bing
- Internet Explorer
- Xbox One
- Steve Ballmer

Things "people" love from Microsoft:
- Windows 7
- Bill Gates
- Office
-....

I think Google-evangelists have it a lot easier. Everything Google does is "good". They're funny, they have easter eggs, they're your friend, they just want to improve the world of technology, etcetera etcetera. No one ever writes something negative or hateful about Google. But us Microsoft-loyalists, we have to endure with tons of negative Xbox One publicity and thousands of jokes about Internet Explorer and Bing. How do you shrug this off and keep a clear mind without getting angry? Please, some psychological advice :love:
 
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Dec 2, 2012
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I could go into a long post but the bottom line is that companies have become obscenely rich casting MS as an evil Empire and their CEO's as Darth Vader. MS never was able to capture the young, cool, hip persona that made Apple and then Google skyrocket. MS always gets casted as the stodgy establishment old boys club smoking cigars in suits. Which has served them well in the PC market but doesn't translate over to mobile very well.
 

snowmutt

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Seems silly to worry about MS.

Bing may be far and away behind Google's search- but they continue to improve, continue to gain, are solidly second place, and Google is starting to get slammed in the press and blogs for their tracking of their users searches.

I liked Hotmail, but Outlook.com is getting rave reviews. Again, distant in the world of Email providers, but gaining and improving.

Windows Phone.... we know that. Improving, gaining, and so long as MS keeps Nokia in the fold we will be competitive. A few of these other OEM (HTC, some of the smaller Chinese companies) may soon see that WP provides more room for growth then being lost in the ocean of Android. We will see.

Why lose sleep over the new XBOX?? It has already inked a HUGE deal with the NFL, and MS is seeing 2 years into the future with it being a complete entertainment system. It will leave any other gaming system in the dust, even if this is not the huge market it used to be.

Internet Explorer?? People slam it, complain, and it continues to thrive. Tell those stories walking, haters.

Throw in the fact that even if PC's go away (when?? I do not think they will completely die out, but I am in the minority), WP 8 is design for touch, it is optimized for mobile, they are still and will continue to be the leader in production (Word, Excel, One Note, so on, so forth) programs, and XBOX music (IT WILL GET BETTER!! BELIEVE!!), SkyDrive, and their entire protofolio will be cross platform.....

I think it is a great time to be a MS Faith Healer. :excited:
 

HeyCori

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A lot of people love Bill Gates, and with good reason, Bill is a great guy and deserves all the praise people give him. However, Bill stepped down as CEO in 2000. Hate Ballmer as much as you want but he has managed one of the largest and most successful tech companies in the world for the past 13 years. Even with the "failures" of many of their products, Microsoft has gone on to make record profits in the past couple of years. I may not have liked every decision he's made but I will respect that track record. It's nothing short of amazing. And with Microsoft looking to usher in a whole new era of entertainment with the Xbox One I prefer to keep the man in place that has proven he can make money.
 

gsquared

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Steve Ballmer and Big Bill should be switched.

Though I have always liked his style he, to this day, is feared by many.

Big Bill didn't get that name by being a nice guy.
 

Dave Blake

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Don't read anything on the Internet. Seriously you should spend some time at Android Central. It's just as bad over there. Thicken your skin a bit. Then just take it one post at a time and offer alternatives to the complaints. People think differently if you don't care to debate the topic move to the next thread. Most people are reasonable will accept a logical answer those that don't have an agenda. Their reteric reveals their intent to most people. Try to find comfert in the intelligence of humans most people know better even when thy won't admit it.
 

squire777

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I try not to worry about tech or the companies that make the tech. The internet is full of idiots who just say nonsense to get a rise out of people and the best thing to do is avoid comment sections on any website.

When i was studying comp sci at university, I used to see or get into debates with others about Windows vs Linux vs Apple, or how bad MS is, or how bad Apple is etc. After a while I just realized that it was well a little on the geeky side.
 

Laura Knotek

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I try not to worry about tech or the companies that make the tech. The internet is full of idiots who just say nonsense to get a rise out of people and the best thing to do is avoid comment sections on any website.
^^^This!

When i was studying comp sci at university, I used to see or get into debates with others about Windows vs Linux vs Apple, or how bad MS is, or how bad Apple is etc. After a while I just realized that it was well a little on the geeky side.
I belong to two different Linux User Groups. The people in the Linux User Groups are not at all hateful of Microsoft IRL. In fact many of them use Linux servers at work to manage Windows desktops. Several of the Linux User Group members even said they liked some features of Windows 8 and were finally upgrading from XP to 8 on their PCs at home. They didn't hate my WP; they were curious about it, since they hadn't seen one previously. They don't all use Androids; many had iPhones, and one person had a BlackBerry.

Of course, there is no IE for desktop Linux. However, most Linux users I've met don't use Chrome; they'll use Chromium. However, most of the Linux users I know prefer Firefox, rather than Chromium.

None of the Linux users I've known IRL are anywhere near as extreme as people who post online.
 

cgk

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Just accept that none of those companies care a damn about any of you and this stuff becomes much easier...
 

Coreldan

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I use rational arguments, most people who bash any of the things you listed have no idea how the stuff really is and are mostly just bandwagoning some equally baseless things. IE is a great example of that. Earlier IEs deserve all the hate they get, but IE10 is a really solid browser and I've found no need to go back to Firefox that I used the last decade. Bing is sort of the same, I can honestly say that most of the time I get better results with it. Windows 8 is just improved Windows 7 with a different start screen. I don't really know anyone who actually uses the old start menu so hardcore that they wouldn't manage with the new one. Even if it was a nonexistant gain to them, Win 8 still adds a lot of cool stuff Win 7 doesn't have.

Vista and Balmer.. well, Vista was honestly quite bad when it came, service packs made it tolerable. As for Balmer, I don't really have the kind of interest in sort of corporate politics and finances to make any real arguments about whether he was good or not. It's not like most of the ideas are even his or anything, even if he would give the green light to them or something.

But I don't really stress or lose my sleep over it. If people bash these things, I just tell my honest reasons why I like said things, but I also honestly admit to flaws of some of things.
 

3earnhardt3

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I always root for the underdog, but it's hard to call MS an underdog. They are huge and have been known to bully other companies with that power. However, they have gotten significantly better as a company, and provide almost everything I could expect out of a computer/smartphone/gaming console. I was a Google ****** way before Android, I hated AOL and MSN because they were too big and couldn't provide the same easy-to-use but powerful experience that this new weird-named search engine did. AOL and MSN pushed obtrusive ads and tried to sell me services I didn't want, Google subtly provided ads while mainly focusing on accurate results.

I was one of the Gmail beta testers and am responsible for hundreds of Gmail/Google converts, and I have to live with that terrible crushing feeling of REGRET every time I see them whip out their Android Phones. So now I root for MS again, but I do not delude myself into thinking they are the underdog, they are not. If MS gains Apple levels of Marketshare they will go back to being just like Google is now. Look at the Xbox One, perfect example of leading the marketshare and pushing and selling services people don't want (yet) in their game system. FYI, I'm not getting a PS4, but will get an Xbox One, for Kinect voice controlled bluray, and games of course.
 

tgp

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How do you shrug this off and keep a clear mind without getting angry? Please, some psychological advice :love:

Easy. I use a phone from all 3 platforms. I carry an Android as my primary phone, and for the 2nd phone I switch between an iPhone 5 and a WP. I had a Lumia 920, but now I have a more affordable Lumia 521. Now no matter which platform someone is a ****** of, I'm right with 'em!

I was a Windows Mobile user back in the day. I was with Verizon at the time, and when WP7 was released in 2010 I was anxiously waiting for Verizon to carry one. However, I had recently moved to a different state where prepaid options were plentiful, and as I was looking to cut costs I couldn't justify sticking with Verizon for the single reason of WP7. I switched to Virgin Mobile and got an Android. My boss got a WP7 on the day it was released, and honestly it was quite "rough around the edges." My prepaid Android with Froyo was much more capable.

As I watched Android & WP progress in the 2+ years since then, I decided that I wasn't going to make the sacrifices necessary to help the cause of WP in my own small way. I enjoy using it, but I do find it lacking in many areas. I'll let you guys who are much more passionate about WP get things in order, then I'll jump in when WP is more on par with Android & iOS! :winktongue:
 
Dec 2, 2012
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Steve Ballmer and Big Bill should be switched.

Though I have always liked his style he, to this day, is feared by many.

Big Bill didn't get that name by being a nice guy.

I've always gone against the popular trend of the Steve Jobs worship because I always rooted for Gates. A big part of me hopes he still actually quietly calls most of the shots and that Ballmer is a figurehead.
 

Huime

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after symbian and meego, I looked at the market and got no appetite. Later I heard about WP, although ver7 did not impressed me, but I admit my interest started to grow due to the "loosing team" sympathy.
 

WavingReds

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I just keep on trucking and not care because the majority of people are uneducated on these matters and will believe anything you say as long as you say it properly =)

Btw you missed on Office, people love Office
 

AaHaa

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I just keep on trucking and not care because the majority of people are uneducated on these matters and will believe anything you say as long as you say it properly =)

Btw you missed on Office, people love Office

You're right! I'll add that one to the list ;)
 

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