Can we STOP spelling Microsoft with a "$" PLEASE!!!

[Insomniaku]

How about this, when I can purchase ONE fucking Xbox that will last over a year without shitting it's own pants and even when it dies I can get a free replacement (THIS MEANS BRAND NEW, NOT REFURBISHED AND DESTINED FOR DEATH A FEW MONTHS LATER) in a decent amount of time with decent, that's all I'm asking for decent, customer service! Aaaaannnndddd when Microsoft Office doesn't cost THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS AMERICAN, and when M$ stops bombarding my computer with "Bing" or whatever, then maybe, just maybe I'll stop spelling Micro$oft like that

 

[Baldry]

Well if you can give us a reason not to call Microsoft "Micro$oft" then go right ahead...

I got a reason. It's a double standard. No one gives any other company a hard time for being motivated by profit, with the possible exception of the oil companies. If you are going to replace an S with a dollar sign in Microsoft's name, why not replace the E with a euro sign in Apple's name? They are all in business to make money. If you don't like it stop buying their shit.

Well I can't find the euro sign, how about "Appl£"! And I haven't bought any microsoft goods in a LONG time, it's a sudden realisation! And if there is any corporation I should use cash signs for it's Activi$ion

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

People aren't gonna stop doing that, they might lose their "indie cred". A term I can never say with a straight face.

Funny, because it seems to be a term you made up. Spelling Microsoft with a $ is not "indie." Cave Story is indie.

 

[Dave Green]

$orry for $pellin Microsoft that way.

 

[CrustyOatmeal]

unless you can show me one company that actively hates and rejects money and profit, microsoft is just another face in the crowd. They're not the most greedy or the most customer-unfriendly. they're not evil. they're not good either, don't get me wrong, they're just capitalists.

You missed the earlier post about the xbox slim that has some plastic in place that forces you to buy a 25 doller cable to bypass it. People who brake this plastic find it has nothing important inside it and has no reason for being.

if you really want to see a ripoff just look at HDMI cables. those things are expensive as HELL but are relatively cheap to make. i had a friend that worked at an electronic store and he told me they make the most profit off of HDMI cables because everyone wants them and nobody seems to care about the price

I had to pay 50 pounds for a wireless attatchment for my Xbox when i know those damn things are not built for 50 pounds or even close. Also the fact i have to pay for xbox live as well as the original expendeture. Also the fact this new slim is red ringing already. Il let you decide what that tells you.

 

[geldonyetich]

Bill Gates is one of, if not the, biggest philanthropist on the planet. 10 billion (not million) dollars to vaccine research [http://www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/01/29/davos.bill.gates.donates/index.html]. Campaigns amongst his fellow billionares to donate over half their wealth [http://nationalhorizon.com/bill-gates-warren-buffett-and-40-billionaires-to-donate-half-of-their-fortune-652.html]. I agree, saying Micro$oft is somewhat ignorant of this.

 

[Mr. Google]

Mr Gates, how did you get on these forums?

I saw the just kidding but he retired it would be...Steve Balmer now (yay google always helps me out) so yeah get it right!

 

[Palademon]

unless you can show me one company that actively hates and rejects money and profit, microsoft is just another face in the crowd. They're not the most greedy or the most customer-unfriendly. they're not evil. they're not good either, don't get me wrong, they're just capitalists.

Nintendo before the Wii

 

[Cherry Cola]

Micro-dollars-oft isn't as annoying as "fauxnews" though. mostly because the people who type that out have no fucking clue how "Faux" is pronounced and should be set ablaze and kicked down a well for being dumber then fox news.

Man, I love me some foe-news in the morning.

Or is that fau-news? Not sure how to spell the pronunciation.

 

[Dragon Zero]

Okay if no one else will I'll post this:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/7/22/

Funnily enough I used that today on these forums since someone made an excellent point on a topic of interest and I simply had to inform him that it was very hard to take him seriously with that being used. That said, yes, I do find it very, very annoying when people do that for Microsoft, Sony, Macintosh, Activision, Sam's club, Steak 'n' Shake etc. its incredibly immature and as I said diminishes your overall point. However, I'll be the first one to tell you that:

1) You shouldn't change something you do just because some jaggoff on the internet tells you.

b) Alot of times its better just to move on and not let it get to you b/c he that angers you conquers you, you'll put more energy into hating those people than they deserve, be a dick to dickish people and they'll only be encouraged, always share, heart of the cards, etc. etc.

Now the Original post could stand to have phrased it much more gracefully or just taken it better and some of the people are certainly acting as prickish as he but we should all move on and shake hands. Or is it the other way around?

 

[martyrdrebel27]

1. Having to buy a wireless adaptor (original 360s and Elites only) which adds to the £39.99 monthly fee...Equalling a total cost of £89.99 just to play online
2. Im sorry but as a Xbox user for 2 years, LIVE sucks bollocks...Mainly the NXE though...Yet they justify £40 as acceptable for the crappy service somehow
3. Having to buy points instead of it just being a simple monetary amount...Why cant you just buy £1 worth of points? Because M$ wants you to have leftover points
4. Best one for last so but Im gonna seperrate it into 2 points
a) M$ wanted BBC to put iPlayer onto 360 but M$ wanted it for only Gold Members....So they wanted to charge LIVE users for a free service (for all TV license payers)
b) Internet browser...refer to point a)

1. you've allowed yourself to feel entitled to something that you're not. remember, 360 came out a full year before ps3 and wii, the two consoles which had wifi. Their wired only internet was still top of its class. And you dont acknowledge the fact that that the wifi adaptor was a one time cost, not recurring.

2. paying 50 a year for xbox live ensures they've got an obligation to fulfill. free psn hosting means they can drop their support at any time with no recourse (to be fair, this is a point i previously read and can't legally verify myself, but i've been told that from multiple sources during these discussions.) and if XBL isn't good enough for you, try Wii Friend Codes... yeah.

3. Again, not just a microsoft thing. nintendo does it too. Unfair to call out only microsoft.
4. a) i won't comment on something i'm completely ignorant about and
b) if it's gonna be as shitty as PS3's browser, i'd rather not have it at all.

i'm not saying you're wrong and i'm right or that i'm not wrong and you're not right. just offering up a little Point/Counterpoint.

 

[Atmos Duality]

The "They're just capitalists" is a bullshit copout argument, mostly because it isn't even an argument.

Fun fact: "Capitalism" is no more inherently evil/good (or ethical for that matter) than any other modern political ideology, since anything taken to an extreme will end badly. Corporate mega-giants like Micro$oft are nothing short of capitalism gone wild.

Before some condescending twit drops it on me, let me say that I already recognize that life is brutally unfair and wrong more often than right, but if a company continues to perform these unethical practices for years after the fact, then I have every right to display my ire, however the hell I want.

 

[Brandon237]

I will spell Micro$oft however I want, thank you very much, even spell-checker agreed with me on that one! They're a big corporation and all big corps deserve it. Activi$ion, $ony, Bethe$da. And so do their products, Window$ Vi$ta, you can't argue that one.

 

[rookie.of.the.year]

erm... i've never heard of 'micro$oft'

i'm sure Apple should have some sort of monetary value inserted into it

 

[Decagonapus]

I've yet to use a Microsoft OS that crashes when using Microsoft programs. Microsoft doesn't make "buggy products" so much as people try and break them and third party companies make buggy products for Microsoft OS. There will be the off hiccup with hardware (again the manufacturer's fault normally) but that's fixed pretty quickly. My old Netgear wireless card doesn't work under Windows 7 because there's no driver written for it, who's fault is that?

Each OS has a different kernel and needs programs to be specifically compiled for that kernel to work. Some can be run under emulators but that's a workaround rather than the rule. If one wasn't a standard then each program would need to be compiled for multiple kernels which would cost a lot more.

It pisses me off a lot when I use Linux and I get a load of shit on the boards about 'evil Micro$oft' and all that, it's short sighted jerking off by a bunch of Linux hipsters. If you really want to see a customer unfriendly software developer look at Apple! They only let their OS be installed on their hardware, limit what software you can install and periodically try to deactivate devices that have been modified. Look at every installation of iTunes, it brings the entire Apple menagerie with it! Frankly Apple treat their customers with more contempt than Microsoft are even able to summon.

Props for the first legitimate comments in the thread.