What about choice?
微软为了确保用户在他们产品的严格控制下而做出了巨大的努力。
中国每年卖出 300 万台计算机，但人们却不为软件付应付的费用。
总有一天他们会付钱。只要他们想用盗版[sic]，我们就希望他们盗版我们的程序。他们会上瘾，然后我们就能在十年后找到收钱的方法。
Forcing hardware upgrades
October 14, 2025 marks a significant date for Windows 10 users: Microsoft will end all support for Windows 10. This means no more technical assistance, new features, or, most critically, security updates. While your computer won't suddenly stop working, it will become increasingly vulnerable to viruses and malware.
Microsoft suggests upgrading to Windows 11, but for many this isn't a viable solution. A significant number of existing devices simply aren't compatible with Windows 11. This puts users in a tough spot: either buy a new computer, even if their current one works perfectly fine, or risk running an increasingly insecure operating system.
But there is a compelling alternative: GNU/Linux. Instead of discarding a perfectly good machine, you can install an up-to-date GNU/Linux operating system and continue using your computer for years to come. GNU/Linux distributions are known for their efficiency and can breathe new life into older hardware, offering a secure and fully supported computing experience.
文件标准一直在改变
坚持微软的文件标准并不是一件简单的工作——即便你可以承受不断升级的费用。你经历过在 Office 95 和 Office 97 间传输 .doc 文件的痛苦吗？如果有，你会理解我在说什么的。
微软拥有着 Office 文件格式：他们在每次 Office 更新中都会改变并且不向后兼容。如果你将你的演示文稿保存成 .ppt 格式，明年当你使用 Microsoft Office 时，你就不得不依赖于社区对这个文件格式的反向工程来修改你的文件了。
There are of course other ways of writing and exchanging office files, the most well-known being the OpenDocument Format. But Microsoft isn't keen on letting Office users exchange files anyone can read and edit. Microsoft Office 2007 SP2 and later versions include OpenDocument Format (ODF) support, a feature added due to pressure from the European Commission.
默认软件是不可卸载的
Don't want Windows Media Player on your computer? Don't use Microsoft Edge anymore? You can't uninstall these programs. They previously worked on a standalone basis, but have been intrinsically linked with Windows – so they come in with every PC and no one can get rid of them.
即使在今天，Microsoft Edge 浏览器仍与 Windows 紧密集成，在不破坏系统的情况下无法删除。即使你已将默认浏览器更改为其他浏览器，Edge 仍会在你执行某些任务时自动打开。
垄断实践
微软对安装了 Windows 的计算机的 OEM（计算机制造商）进行严格的控制。这意味着与微软产品竞争的任何程序，无论是多媒体播放器、网络浏览器、办公套件、即时通讯程序或其他，都不会预装在你能买到的大多数计算机上。
像微软一样提供覆盖全球的软件和服务是一件很好的事情。可是，设计并结合使得非微软用户无法使用这些文档却是一个很不道德的行为。采用更多的开放格式并不是一个技术难题，但是这会导致更多的消费者获得更多的选择自己需要什么的自由——这并不是微软想要看见的。