Well, some of us are on severley limited budgets right now, and free is attractive. Then there's the fact that some of us don't like the idea that, to some (ahem.. M$), our computers and data belong to them, and in order for our legally purchased software to run, it has to phone home and send all sorts of information back to HQ before permission is granted to run.
Oh and never mind that a growing number of us like to build our own systems, and sometimes make wholsale changes to the hardware configurations resulting in another phone back to HQ to get permission to run again. And I hear Vi$ta will be even more re$trictive in that regard.
So no thanks. It's called a free market, and if someone can come up with as good or better mousetrap, for lower cost (or free), then he gets the business.
Rant and rave all you want, but your master's business model has forced this issue and it ISN'T going away. Get over it!
My posts are usually short and to the point. You guys are the ones always trying to endlessly explain how you have nothing else in common with leftists, other than wanting everything free.