Microsoft likes software pirates – when they count


Microsoft doesn’t really hate software pirates… when they might count toward market share for their latest Internet Explorer release. In the face of slipping numbers, Microsoft has reversed thier earlier requirement that users have a legal copy of Microsoft Windows XP or greater in order to download and install Internet Explorer 7. M$ has done their best stem the defection of users to the more secure and more standards compliant Firefox browser, but failed to prevent it’s steady climb in market share to 15% among average users, as high as 35% among some segments, such as the tech savvy and non-US users.

It seems a little desperate to me to rail against software pirates, spend millions hunting them down across the globe, then turn a blind it to them when it suits them. While I often convince people to make the switch to Firefox on it’s technical merits, I find it hard to understand why people continue to use products from a company with such a complete lack of moral and ethical backbone.

All I can say is:


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