This is manipulation done with very little finesse by amateurs:
"QUESTION: As you may know, the case impacts consumers. Some people say that Microsoft has repeatedly benefited consumers with its products. Others say Microsoft s business practices have hurt consumers. Which side do you agree with more?"
So you're askin people two questions at the same time: Do you think that MS _products_ has been beneficial to the average consumer or do you think that MS _business practices_ has hurt the consumer? Well, since most people see a fairly userfriendly GUI everytime they start their Window 9X they'll say that MS _products_ has made it easierf for them to use a computer - which probably IS true.
The problem is, that the survey concludes that 60% of Americans think that MS _business practices_ have benefited the consumer - a question that has never been asked! I think that this manipulation could have been done more elegantly, to put it mildly...
44% is not following the trial at all - no wonder that they might think that breaking up a company is too extreme - leaving only 19% with at least some knowledge of the case on Microsoft's side...
Quote:"Americans (59%) think that that there is sufficient competition in the high technology industry."
No - they don't. Well, at least they haven't been asked - but they have been asked wther they think that AOL/Time Warner, Sony, Sun, Apple and IBM are strong competitors to MS or not. You ask people a leading question like that and you get exactly the answer you're looking for - actually 59% is surprisingly low. Sony being a strong competitor to MS?...well...*smile*...
Bottom line: I don't know wether this test has been bought or not, but the MS-related results spans from "no surprise" (create a government agency to regulate MS) to "manipulated!" (product vs. business practice) and cannot be regarded as part of a fair survey.
Slashdot Mirror
This is manipulation done with very little finesse by amateurs:
"QUESTION: As you may know, the case impacts consumers. Some people say that Microsoft has repeatedly benefited consumers with its products. Others say Microsoft s business practices have hurt consumers. Which side do you agree with more?"
So you're askin people two questions at the same time: Do you think that MS _products_ has been beneficial to the average consumer or do you think that MS _business practices_ has hurt the consumer? Well, since most people see a fairly userfriendly GUI everytime they start their Window 9X they'll say that MS _products_ has made it easierf for them to use a computer - which probably IS true.
The problem is, that the survey concludes that 60% of Americans think that MS _business practices_ have benefited the consumer - a question that has never been asked! I think that this manipulation could have been done more elegantly, to put it mildly...
44% is not following the trial at all - no wonder that they might think that breaking up a company is too extreme - leaving only 19% with at least some knowledge of the case on Microsoft's side...
Quote:"Americans (59%) think that that there is sufficient competition in the high technology industry."
No - they don't. Well, at least they haven't been asked - but they have been asked wther they think that AOL/Time Warner, Sony, Sun, Apple and IBM are strong competitors to MS or not. You ask people a leading question like that and you get exactly the answer you're looking for - actually 59% is surprisingly low. Sony being a strong competitor to MS?...well...*smile*...
Bottom line: I don't know wether this test has been bought or not, but the MS-related results spans from "no surprise" (create a government agency to regulate MS) to "manipulated!" (product vs. business practice) and cannot be regarded as part of a fair survey.
Just my $0.02
Anders