RE: Microsoft isn’t in the business of customer happiness, they’re in the business of making money,
Which leads to the next question: How do you make money of your customers aren’t happy with your product?
Well, since Microsoft IS making money, obviously, customers are somewhat satisfied with what they have... otherwise, they’d have gone with another product long time ago.
No, they’re making money because they’re in the pockets of the major OEMs (HP, Dell, Lenovo) thus forcing customers in to Windows.
I build PCs as a hobby, and when people come to me to build them a computer, my first question is “what’s your purpose for a new computer?” If they say email and Skype and Facebook, I suggest they call HP or Dell or Lenovo and ask for a Linux distribution laptop or PC. HP and Lenovo will build a machine for you with Linux if you ask, and if you decline the EULA on your machine, you can mail Microsoft your copy of the media that comes with your new computer, and they’ll refund the $100 to you for the license.
If someone comes to me and wants a gaming machine, I have no choice but to give them a Windows computer since the major gaming corporations (EA, Blizzard, Bethesda) don’t code for Linux (yet).
I personally use Ubuntu Linux for everything, but I am a gamer and I do have a gaming PC with Windows 7. I do not use it for anything other than gaming, however.
I'm satisfied with Windows XP and Office 2003. As is the company I work for.
This is not going to make any more money for Microsoft.
Two words, “Industry Standard”.
Products like Microsoft Word have been crap from day one. But everyone uses it. Why? Because of the perception that it is industry standard. So no other company will put in the time and effort to make a viable replacement that is not a buggy archaic piece of junk. Every now and then there has ALMOST been a viable alternative. But since Word is ‘industry standard’ no one can sell enough copies of an alternative to make enough money to polish it and add competitive features. So every competitor dies on the vine and buggy cash-cow keeps on dominating. Business p4roductivity software is still microsoft’s market to lose.
MS makes money off pissed customers like me because all the software I require only runs on Windows and requires MS access and excel. I can not describe my hatred of Win 8 and the ribbon toolbars of ms office.