Even if Microsoft did create one I would never buy it, mainly because there are far too many other choices already and secondly because I would rather not have a convicted predatory monopolist in the market.
I would rather own one produced by a corporation convicted under an Anti-Monopoly law designed for the railroad tycoons than by one whose basic operation system is supported and nurtured by a fascist/socialist entity, AKA the "EC".
This is a great idea on Microsoft's part. In the past, Microsoft has tried so hard to support every product on every OS version in the past that security holes were opened and support became a nightmare. Microsoft has finally come to their senses and realized that the future is now and yesterday is gone.
From a brief perusal of the Microsoft TectNet, it appears that Vista does not natively support the features that the new IE10 version requires. It would involve back porting and possibly breaking other applications in order to get Vista compatible with IE10. Microsoft has wisely realized that, that is not a wise move to make. In any case, by the time IE10 is formerly released, Vista will all ready be over 5 years old. Supporting a five year+ old OS is hardly a prime directive and besides, IE9 will work just fine on it. Besides, Microsoft NEVER had support for Vista and IE10; therefore, how can they conceivably drop support for it?
From TFA: "A bank could ask customers to sign up for a program that would scan their PC for signs of infection during online sessions"
hello ? privacy issues anybody ?
So basically organizations that do business with consumers would be allowed to scan the consumer PC. Great idea...
Next step, you have to allow the government, banks, Ebay, Paypal and what not to scan your PC otherwise they will refuse to do business with you. Since they may not have a linux or other OS scanners, you would be required to use Windows of course.
This guys is a genuis !
Are you serious or just attempting to be facetious? I am all ready scanned when attempting to board a plane. I don't have a privacy issue there since
1) Everyone is scanned 2) It is for the general safety of the airline and its passengers of which I am one.
I certainly consider my financial security as important as my personal security. If the scanning of PCs can be shown to be an effective deterrent against the interruption of either I would applaud its use. Obviously since all of the details have not been introduced, it would be foolish of me, though obviously no you, to rule out the idea.
I believe that I stand on firm ground when stating that if this idea were proposed by a open-source, in some circles known as an open-sore software advocate, your opinion of the proposal would be in sharp contrast to its present stated opinion.
These throwaway hotmail accounts are too little too late for me. I get so much spam on my hotmail account that it's kind of my throwaway account already. Nowadays I only bother to check it once every few months:). In contrast my yahoo and gmail accounts don't get even the same magnitude of spam passing the spam filters.
Interesting. I receive a lot of SPAM on my Hotmail account. In fact, I receive loads of SPAM on nearly every e-mail account I have regardless of who is hosting it. I do find that over 95% of all the SPAM I receive on Hotmail is in the JUNK folder. I question whether you have properly configured your SPAM filters, etc on Hotmail. Once properly configured and with a little help on your part to properly categorized received messages, the Hotmail filters are surprisingly effective.
Just out of curiosity...does anyone here actually use Bing? Hell...I don't know anyone that uses it. I mentioned it to a couple of friends that aren't stupid and relatively more 'net savvy than most users out there...and they'd not even really heard of it.
That statement is either a total lie or just plain preposterous. These "friends that aren't stupid and relatively more 'net savvy than most users out there", are either totally shut off from the real world, or you are. Next you will be claiming that they have never heard of Microsoft either.
For the record, I use both search engines. I have found on numerous occasions when one will find what I am looking for while the other just buries me with an inordinate number of relatively useless links. I actually appreciate the fact that I am not "locked in" to the use of only one search engine.
So, when is the US going to stop this? Or is the US government equally "socialist"?
Oh, and you're an idiot. The EU clearly allowed this enterprise to go on with its business. It even insured that other competitors will not be hindered from innovating!
Did you actually read the original post or are you making this up as you go along? The EC is requiring Intel to maintain and supply technology to competing vendors on its own dime. They are also requiring Intel to maintain compatibility with competing vendors, again on its own dime. This is clearly an invasion into Intel's right to create and innovate free of government interference. This is exactly what Opera is always requiring the EC to mandate. Companies like Opera need government assistance to compete. That is just plain wrong. It is a pure example of socialist/fascist business concepts at work.
FOSS is always prodding governments to help it compete against legitimate, capitalist businesses since they are unable to compete on their own. I believe is a pure, unhindered business climate. The best prosper and the rest die. Very simple and very clean.
Yah, too bad that in the US, there's no union of states like that...
Just the opposite. I applaud the fact that the US has not descended to the level of the EC, better known as a group of socialist/fascist stormtroopers. Once again the EC has shown its disdain for the concept of free enterprise, or the freedom to innovate as one sees fit. The EC's action will only foster a growing lack of motivation to improve ones product sans monetary reward. The EC should change it's initials to ECUSSR to be in compliance with the "Truth in Advertising" laws in the US.
I don't imagine the money is that much of a problem. Wholesale pirating may have been slowed down a bit by Microsoft in later versions of Windows 7, but I doubt it would affect the Russian Government. Organizations that big can get site licenses for dirt cheap.
It might have something to do with not wanting to be dependent on US closed source technology. Or free of suspected back doors.
In reality the question is now why Russia has ordered this, it is why is the US dragging its feet?
You do realize that you are a hypocrite. If Russia, or any other government/agency had ordered the use of Microsoft as its primary operating system,FOSS community would be up in arms belching out their tired socialistic/fascist mumbo-jumbo. However, when the same is done only substituting OSS for Microsoft, it is praised like the second coming of Christ. The only consistency shown here by the open source community is its total lack of consistency.
So, you simply choose not to buy such a system in the first place - cuh.
I totally agree. If you don't like an item, or are not happy withs its performance, then don't spend your time investing time and money on it..
Individuals and companies can spend countless time and millions of dollars developing a better or newer technology. When the time comes to market this technology, the EC, or to a lesser degree the FCC would require these entities to give away sans or virtually sans any monetary reward to every two bit "Johnny come lately" who wants a piece of the pie. Pure Socialism at its worse. Then to add insult to injury, these two bit entities want the old technology keep readily available so as to support their deprecated working models thereby driving up the costs.
Those lacking in technological skills or just to lazy to innovate should not hamper those who wish to move forward with new technology. No one is forcing anyone to purchase such technology therefore it is no on else's business,. except for the very real Socialist faction who continually cry to the EC/FCC because of their own shortcoming.
IE might have had a better response with version 8 if they just hadn't started to mess around with those startup questions and halting the installation to ask stupid questions.
I can't find any reason to actually provide Microsoft with my web usage statistics, so when they ask for it I always answer NO, and that is something that puts me off too - because that means that they do track people on the web in unclear ways. And when I answer NO, it also means that most other security-minded persons will do the same thing. The result is that it's only the unaware, noobs and fools that they get statistics from - which also explains why it seems like their software seems to be more and more adapted for dummies for every generation.
I agree! In fact, when I visit a Doctor and asks me stupid questions like, "Where does it hurt", or "How long has this been happening", I immediately tell him it is none of his business. His job is to fix me, not inquire about my personal information in the slight chance that it might help him provide me with better service.
By the way, you are aware that Google and Firefox and even perhaps that deprecated, suck up to the EC, piece of garbage Opera also exhibit the same traits?
I really start to get scared when a developer releases an update to a product and starts off by declaring that there are "hundreds of bug fixes". Just how the hell did such a bug infected version get released to begin with? Quality control obviously was not high on their list. I wonder how many hundreds of bug fixes will be incorporated into the next version?
I've worked with Microsoft employees before. They have *admitted* to me that Microsoft pays people to troll boards, people inside tech magazines/sites/etc to write troll stories, etc. >/p>
I have worked and listened to "Linux" agents who told me under penalty of death that they were being paid to write malicious code (read 'malware') in an attempt to disrupt Microsoft and its cause it to lose favor with the public. Of course, like you, I would never list any specific documentation, names, or other pertinent data that could substantiate my claims. Why bother when everyone knows that *.nix is behind the 'virus' and 'malware' attacks on Microsoft. It is also a widely known truth that Opera, in conjunction with the FOSS has paid members of the EC to force Microsoft to downgrade its products so that FOSS can more easily compete.
NEWS FLASH: I just received a call from an unidentified source that Jimmy Hoffa is buried under the Chrysler building in NYC. Obviously, it must be true.
The FOSS has never produced a creditable office suite that can even begin to compare to Microsoft Office. The best it has been able to muster is a poor clone of Office 97. That, combined with the extreme fragmentation of the *.nix / *BSD family does not bode well at all. FreeBSD has their heads so far stuck up their ass that they will not even accept a perfectly good product if it has a GPL license. *.nix just doesn't seem to have a clear idea of where they are going. In both cases, and especially in the case of *BSD, the need for modern, quality drivers is a must. Without modern and fully functional device drivers, nobody is going anywhere. A perfect example is FreeBSD. They do not even support modern wireless "N" chips. Pathetic does not even begin to describe this situation.
OpenSore is at best a poor knockoff of Office 97. When OO finally reaches the functionality of say Microsoft Office 2003, I might give it another look. Of course by that time, Microsoft Office 2020 will be released.
Unless this results in OpenOffice finally becoming a viable Office Suite and not just a poor knock-off of MS Office97, nothing will have really changed. A rose by any other name still stinks.
Do you honestly believe that there will not be a test court case to determine the validity of these actions. It takes only a few minutes to get an injunction against the action. Any two-bit lawyer can do that.
Actually, it is stupid. They could have used those megabucks to wipe out any competition that started getting popular.
Let me get this straight:
Microsoft using its capital to stop competition = bad
Blockbuster doing the same thing = good
Would you care to explain that thesis to me in detail? By the way, I am a strong believer in Capitalism. The strong survive and the weak die. I just don't appreciate it when the theory is not applied uniformly.
Totally agreed. "Why would anyone want a movie sent to you in the mail? You wouldn't even know what movie you are going to see next! Walking around aisles of thousands of bad movies for over an hour is clearly a superior customer experience, and we don't need to worry about this competition."
You most certainly would know what movie(s) your were to receive next, You simply adjust your queue to the desired order your want your purchases delivered in. You apparently are not familiar with how the service operated. They even had a download on demand service that came pre-installed on on certain Samsung Bl-Ray players. It was also available on other models too I would suppose. In many ways, it was better than the Netflix implementation. However, it usually was more expensive.
I use open-source software whenever I can find a product comparable to a Microsoft one. I would never be foolish enough to use an inferior product just because it was available. My lively hood is too important for that nonsense.
Guess you just continue to eat Microsofts shit until the FOSS community comes up with a comparable product, then you switch. Rag on them, but then switch 'cause it's free.
No one is 'raging' on anyone except you. I simply am pointing out a fact that the FOSS community has failed to produce an office suite that is comparable with MS Office. Even you have not attempted to challenge that fact.
By your standards, I, or any other user for that matter, should use an inferior product simply because it is free. That position is simply indefensible. I won't waste my time attacking it.
In this world, you usually get what you pay for. Unfortunately for the FOSS, that is all to often true. Open-Office is free, but then again, look what you are getting. Why would I want a poor attempt at cloning Office 97 when I could just use the original and better version. The open-source community should concentrate on things that they are actually good at; like, web browsers.
If the open-source community spent 10% as much effort producing quality products as it does in attacking Microsoft, it would have all ready have a majority share of the market with superior products. Instead, fools like you accept inferior products simply because they are free. Keep accepting (your words) 'shit' and that is all you will ever have. On the other hand, grow a set of balls and demand better products and perhaps you will achieve your goal.
Paranoia doesn't mean the whole world isn't out to get you.
Your logic is hopelessly flawed. By your standards, I should frequent some third world doctor rather than seek the best medical assistance available in some fool hardy attempt to unsettle the medical industry. Yes, medical assistance costs a lot; however, I am not going to start frequenting some witch doctor in some lame attempt to protest against the cost of proper treatment.
FOSS developers have had over fifteen years to come up with a package that could even remortely challenge MS Office. They have failed miserably. Proponents of FOSS are always blaming Microsoft for their miserable showings when all they really need do is look in the mirror. It is always easier to blame someone else for your own short inadequacies.
Open-source software is based on the "socialist" model of development. We have all seen how well that has worked out for civilization in general.
You make a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door.
I use open-source software whenever I can find a product comparable to a Microsoft one. I would never be foolish enough to use an inferior product just because it was available. My lively hood is too important for that nonsense.
By the way, I really enjoyed your "donation" comment. I already do that. I make a donation to Microsoft and they give me the best Office Suite software in the world. When Open-Office or any other software vendor produces a better one, I will make a donation to them. I pay for what I want. I don't donate in some vague hope of someday receiving a suitable product in return. What you do with your money is your business. I assume you have been making large and regular donations to the FOSS.
Nor, has it been released publicly yet (only beta versions). Furthermore, what browsers pass that test with 100% accuracy. 100% being the key word here.
Slashdot Mirror
Even if Microsoft did create one I would never buy it, mainly because there are far too many other choices already and secondly because I would rather not have a convicted predatory monopolist in the market.
I would rather own one produced by a corporation convicted under an Anti-Monopoly law designed for the railroad tycoons than by one whose basic operation system is supported and nurtured by a fascist/socialist entity, AKA the "EC".
This is a great idea on Microsoft's part. In the past, Microsoft has tried so hard to support every product on every OS version in the past that security holes were opened and support became a nightmare. Microsoft has finally come to their senses and realized that the future is now and yesterday is gone.
From a brief perusal of the Microsoft TectNet, it appears that Vista does not natively support the features that the new IE10 version requires. It would involve back porting and possibly breaking other applications in order to get Vista compatible with IE10. Microsoft has wisely realized that, that is not a wise move to make. In any case, by the time IE10 is formerly released, Vista will all ready be over 5 years old. Supporting a five year+ old OS is hardly a prime directive and besides, IE9 will work just fine on it. Besides, Microsoft NEVER had support for Vista and IE10; therefore, how can they conceivably drop support for it?
"100-Renewable-Energy-Possible-By-2050"
If you believe that, then you will believe that 2012 will be the year of Linux on laptops.
From TFA:
"A bank could ask customers to sign up for a program that would scan their PC for signs of infection during online sessions"
hello ? privacy issues anybody ?
So basically organizations that do business with consumers would be allowed to scan the consumer PC. Great idea...
Next step, you have to allow the government, banks, Ebay, Paypal and what not to scan your PC otherwise they will refuse to do business with you. Since they may not have a linux or other OS scanners, you would be required to use Windows of course.
This guys is a genuis !
Are you serious or just attempting to be facetious? I am all ready scanned when attempting to board a plane. I don't have a privacy issue there since
1) Everyone is scanned
2) It is for the general safety of the airline and its passengers of which I am one.
I certainly consider my financial security as important as my personal security. If the scanning of PCs can be shown to be an effective deterrent against the interruption of either I would applaud its use. Obviously since all of the details have not been introduced, it would be foolish of me, though obviously no you, to rule out the idea.
I believe that I stand on firm ground when stating that if this idea were proposed by a open-source, in some circles known as an open-sore software advocate, your opinion of the proposal would be in sharp contrast to its present stated opinion.
These throwaway hotmail accounts are too little too late for me. :).
I get so much spam on my hotmail account that it's kind of my throwaway account already. Nowadays I only bother to check it once every few months
In contrast my yahoo and gmail accounts don't get even the same magnitude of spam passing the spam filters.
Interesting. I receive a lot of SPAM on my Hotmail account. In fact, I receive loads of SPAM on nearly every e-mail account I have regardless of who is hosting it. I do find that over 95% of all the SPAM I receive on Hotmail is in the JUNK folder. I question whether you have properly configured your SPAM filters, etc on Hotmail. Once properly configured and with a little help on your part to properly categorized received messages, the Hotmail filters are surprisingly effective.
Just out of curiosity...does anyone here actually use Bing? Hell...I don't know anyone that uses it. I mentioned it to a couple of friends that aren't stupid and relatively more 'net savvy than most users out there...and they'd not even really heard of it.
That statement is either a total lie or just plain preposterous. These "friends that aren't stupid and relatively more 'net savvy than most users out there", are either totally shut off from the real world, or you are. Next you will be claiming that they have never heard of Microsoft either.
For the record, I use both search engines. I have found on numerous occasions when one will find what I am looking for while the other just buries me with an inordinate number of relatively useless links. I actually appreciate the fact that I am not "locked in" to the use of only one search engine.
So, when is the US going to stop this? Or is the US government equally "socialist"?
Oh, and you're an idiot. The EU clearly allowed this enterprise to go on with its business. It even insured that other competitors will not be hindered from innovating!
Did you actually read the original post or are you making this up as you go along? The EC is requiring Intel to maintain and supply technology to competing vendors on its own dime. They are also requiring Intel to maintain compatibility with competing vendors, again on its own dime. This is clearly an invasion into Intel's right to create and innovate free of government interference. This is exactly what Opera is always requiring the EC to mandate. Companies like Opera need government assistance to compete. That is just plain wrong. It is a pure example of socialist/fascist business concepts at work.
FOSS is always prodding governments to help it compete against legitimate, capitalist businesses since they are unable to compete on their own. I believe is a pure, unhindered business climate. The best prosper and the rest die. Very simple and very clean.
Yah, too bad that in the US, there's no union of states like that...
Just the opposite. I applaud the fact that the US has not descended to the level of the EC, better known as a group of socialist/fascist stormtroopers. Once again the EC has shown its disdain for the concept of free enterprise, or the freedom to innovate as one sees fit. The EC's action will only foster a growing lack of motivation to improve ones product sans monetary reward. The EC should change it's initials to ECUSSR to be in compliance with the "Truth in Advertising" laws in the US.
Not into "their standard" but into an open standard (which should be what all "standards" are anyway)
The great thing about standards is that there are so many of them.
I don't imagine the money is that much of a problem. Wholesale pirating may have been slowed down a bit by Microsoft in later versions of Windows 7, but I doubt it would affect the Russian Government. Organizations that big can get site licenses for dirt cheap.
It might have something to do with not wanting to be dependent on US closed source technology. Or free of suspected back doors.
In reality the question is now why Russia has ordered this, it is why is the US dragging its feet?
You do realize that you are a hypocrite. If Russia, or any other government /agency had ordered the use of Microsoft as its primary operating system,FOSS community would be up in arms belching out their tired socialistic/fascist mumbo-jumbo. However, when the same is done only substituting OSS for Microsoft, it is praised like the second coming of Christ. The only consistency shown here by the open source community is its total lack of consistency.
So, you simply choose not to buy such a system in the first place - cuh.
I totally agree. If you don't like an item, or are not happy withs its performance, then don't spend your time investing time and money on it..
Individuals and companies can spend countless time and millions of dollars developing a better or newer technology. When the time comes to market this technology, the EC, or to a lesser degree the FCC would require these entities to give away sans or virtually sans any monetary reward to every two bit "Johnny come lately" who wants a piece of the pie. Pure Socialism at its worse. Then to add insult to injury, these two bit entities want the old technology keep readily available so as to support their deprecated working models thereby driving up the costs.
Those lacking in technological skills or just to lazy to innovate should not hamper those who wish to move forward with new technology. No one is forcing anyone to purchase such technology therefore it is no on else's business,. except for the very real Socialist faction who continually cry to the EC/FCC because of their own shortcoming.
IE might have had a better response with version 8 if they just hadn't started to mess around with those startup questions and halting the installation to ask stupid questions.
I can't find any reason to actually provide Microsoft with my web usage statistics, so when they ask for it I always answer NO, and that is something that puts me off too - because that means that they do track people on the web in unclear ways. And when I answer NO, it also means that most other security-minded persons will do the same thing. The result is that it's only the unaware, noobs and fools that they get statistics from - which also explains why it seems like their software seems to be more and more adapted for dummies for every generation.
I agree! In fact, when I visit a Doctor and asks me stupid questions like, "Where does it hurt", or "How long has this been happening", I immediately tell him it is none of his business. His job is to fix me, not inquire about my personal information in the slight chance that it might help him provide me with better service.
By the way, you are aware that Google and Firefox and even perhaps that deprecated, suck up to the EC, piece of garbage Opera also exhibit the same traits?
I really start to get scared when a developer releases an update to a product and starts off by declaring that there are "hundreds of bug fixes". Just how the hell did such a bug infected version get released to begin with? Quality control obviously was not high on their list. I wonder how many hundreds of bug fixes will be incorporated into the next version?
I've worked with Microsoft employees before. They have *admitted* to me that Microsoft pays people to troll boards, people inside tech magazines/sites/etc to write troll stories, etc. >/p>
I have worked and listened to "Linux" agents who told me under penalty of death that they were being paid to write malicious code (read 'malware') in an attempt to disrupt Microsoft and its cause it to lose favor with the public. Of course, like you, I would never list any specific documentation, names, or other pertinent data that could substantiate my claims. Why bother when everyone knows that *.nix is behind the 'virus' and 'malware' attacks on Microsoft. It is also a widely known truth that Opera, in conjunction with the FOSS has paid members of the EC to force Microsoft to downgrade its products so that FOSS can more easily compete.
NEWS FLASH: I just received a call from an unidentified source that Jimmy Hoffa is buried under the Chrysler building in NYC. Obviously, it must be true.
The FOSS has never produced a creditable office suite that can even begin to compare to Microsoft Office. The best it has been able to muster is a poor clone of Office 97. That, combined with the extreme fragmentation of the *.nix / *BSD family does not bode well at all. FreeBSD has their heads so far stuck up their ass that they will not even accept a perfectly good product if it has a GPL license. *.nix just doesn't seem to have a clear idea of where they are going. In both cases, and especially in the case of *BSD, the need for modern, quality drivers is a must. Without modern and fully functional device drivers, nobody is going anywhere. A perfect example is FreeBSD. They do not even support modern wireless "N" chips. Pathetic does not even begin to describe this situation.
OpenSore is at best a poor knockoff of Office 97. When OO finally reaches the functionality of say Microsoft Office 2003, I might give it another look. Of course by that time, Microsoft Office 2020 will be released.
Just a wild guess, but I'd say that it's because you don't need to pay to use it.
The most expensive thing you will ever get is free advise,
Unless this results in OpenOffice finally becoming a viable Office Suite and not just a poor knock-off of MS Office97, nothing will have really changed. A rose by any other name still stinks.
This has got to be one of the stupider stories, assuming you discard Anonymous Coward's posts, that I have seen on Slashdot in quite awhile.
Do you honestly believe that there will not be a test court case to determine the validity of these actions. It takes only a few minutes to get an injunction against the action. Any two-bit lawyer can do that.
Actually, it is stupid. They could have used those megabucks to wipe out any competition that started getting popular.
Let me get this straight:
Microsoft using its capital to stop competition = bad
Blockbuster doing the same thing = good
Would you care to explain that thesis to me in detail? By the way, I am a strong believer in Capitalism. The strong survive and the weak die. I just don't appreciate it when the theory is not applied uniformly.
Totally agreed. "Why would anyone want a movie sent to you in the mail? You wouldn't even know what movie you are going to see next! Walking around aisles of thousands of bad movies for over an hour is clearly a superior customer experience, and we don't need to worry about this competition."
You most certainly would know what movie(s) your were to receive next, You simply adjust your queue to the desired order your want your purchases delivered in. You apparently are not familiar with how the service operated. They even had a download on demand service that came pre-installed on on certain Samsung Bl-Ray players. It was also available on other models too I would suppose. In many ways, it was better than the Netflix implementation. However, it usually was more expensive.
I use open-source software whenever I can find a product comparable to a Microsoft one. I would never be foolish enough to use an inferior product just because it was available. My lively hood is too important for that nonsense.
Guess you just continue to eat Microsofts shit until the FOSS community comes up with a comparable product, then you switch. Rag on them, but then switch 'cause it's free.
No one is 'raging' on anyone except you. I simply am pointing out a fact that the FOSS community has failed to produce an office suite that is comparable with MS Office. Even you have not attempted to challenge that fact.
By your standards, I, or any other user for that matter, should use an inferior product simply because it is free. That position is simply indefensible. I won't waste my time attacking it.
In this world, you usually get what you pay for. Unfortunately for the FOSS, that is all to often true. Open-Office is free, but then again, look what you are getting. Why would I want a poor attempt at cloning Office 97 when I could just use the original and better version. The open-source community should concentrate on things that they are actually good at; like, web browsers.
If the open-source community spent 10% as much effort producing quality products as it does in attacking Microsoft, it would have all ready have a majority share of the market with superior products. Instead, fools like you accept inferior products simply because they are free. Keep accepting (your words) 'shit' and that is all you will ever have. On the other hand, grow a set of balls and demand better products and perhaps you will achieve your goal.
Paranoia doesn't mean the whole world isn't out to get you.
Your logic is hopelessly flawed. By your standards, I should frequent some third world doctor rather than seek the best medical assistance available in some fool hardy attempt to unsettle the medical industry. Yes, medical assistance costs a lot; however, I am not going to start frequenting some witch doctor in some lame attempt to protest against the cost of proper treatment.
FOSS developers have had over fifteen years to come up with a package that could even remortely challenge MS Office. They have failed miserably. Proponents of FOSS are always blaming Microsoft for their miserable showings when all they really need do is look in the mirror. It is always easier to blame someone else for your own short inadequacies.
Open-source software is based on the "socialist" model of development. We have all seen how well that has worked out for civilization in general.
You make a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door.
I use open-source software whenever I can find a product comparable to a Microsoft one. I would never be foolish enough to use an inferior product just because it was available. My lively hood is too important for that nonsense.
By the way, I really enjoyed your "donation" comment. I already do that. I make a donation to Microsoft and they give me the best Office Suite software in the world. When Open-Office or any other software vendor produces a better one, I will make a donation to them. I pay for what I want. I don't donate in some vague hope of someday receiving a suitable product in return. What you do with your money is your business. I assume you have been making large and regular donations to the FOSS.
IE 9 still can't pass Acid3.
Nor, has it been released publicly yet (only beta versions). Furthermore, what browsers pass that test with 100% accuracy. 100% being the key word here.