Microsoft: Difference between revisions

| Industry = Information Technology

Microsoft is a large American technology company founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Initially focused on developing BASIC interpreters, the company rose to prominence through its MS-DOS and Windows operating systems, which became fundamental to the personal computer revolution. Under successive CEOs Steve Ballmer and Satya Nadella, Microsoft expanded beyond operating systems into diverse technology sectors, including cloud computing, gaming, and hardware. Notable acquisitions include Skype, LinkedIn, and GitHub. Microsoft's recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion made it the third-largest gaming company globally.

As one of the Big Five American tech companies, Microsoft maintains market dominance in PC operating systems and office software, while offering a wide range of products and services, including the Azure cloud platform, Xbox gaming consoles, Surface computers, and enterprise solutions. The company has faced criticism for monopolistic practices and software security issues.  

=== Court Cases up to the Early 2000s ===

In the major antitrust case brought by the US Department of Justice, U.S. v. Microsoft Corp., 253 F.3d 34 (D.C. Cir. 2001),<ref>https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/253/34/576095/</ref> Microsoft argued that there was no barrier to entry in the market they were in. A central issue at that time was whether Microsoft could bundle the web browser Internet Explorer with the Microsoft Windows operating system. The District Court stated the following in the court case: "The District Court condemned a number of provisions in Microsoft's agreements licensing Windows to OEMs, because it found that Microsoft's imposition of those provisions (like many of Microsoft's other actions at issue in this case) serves to reduce usage share of Netscape's browser and, hence, protect Microsoft's operating system monopoly."

# The prohibition upon the removal of desktop icons, folders, and Start menu entries

# The prohibition for modifying the initial boot sequence

# The prohibition of otherwise altering the appearance of the Windows desktop

The case was eventually settled,<ref>https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/file/503541/dl</ref><ref>https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/373/1199/474311/</ref> and did not result in a company breakup.<ref>https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft/long-antitrust-saga-ends-for-microsoft/</ref>

Section III.H of the Consent Decree<ref>https://www.justice.gov/atr/microsoft-consent-decree-compliance-advisory-august-1-2003-us-v-microsoft</ref> required Microsoft to "allow end users and OEMs to enable or remove access to all middleware products­, including web browsers, e-mail clients, and media players ­through a readily accessible, centralized mechanism." End users and OEMs should be able "to specify a non-Microsoft middleware product as the default middleware product to be launched in place of the corresponding Microsoft middleware product."  

In the case United States v. Microsoft Corp., 87 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2000),<ref>https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/87/30/2307082/</ref> Microsoft's Conduct taken as a whole is described as "deliberate assault upon entrepreneurial efforts that, could well have enabled the introduction of competition into the market for Intel-compatible PC operating systems." Further, "Microsoft's anti-competitive actions trammeled the competitive process through which the computer software industry generally stimulates innovation and conduces to the optimum benefit of consumers."

Beginning with Windows 10, updates were no longer able to be selectively chosen by the end user and instead, updates are automatically scheduled when your computer is inactive, or before the system is shut down.<ref>https://www.crn.com/news/applications-os/300077576/did-microsoft-just-backtrack-on-forced-updates-for-windows-10</ref> This has also led to some systems being rendered unusable due to bugged updates that cannot be avoided.<ref>https://www.tomsguide.com/news/windows-10-update-is-bricking-pcs-uninstall-this-right-now</ref><ref>https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-update-bricked-my-bios-thought-to-be/a1f0ebc7-d20d-459f-9956-72a3f98ca432</ref> Some users have resorted to disabling updates in Window's registry editor,<ref>https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/how-to-stop-win10-update.html</ref> to avoid the caveat of not being able to receive security updates, which can make those systems vulnerable to attacks.

==== Resetting Preferences/Settings During Updates ====

During some Windows updates, the preferences users have set on applications that they have installed, will end up being reset to their default settings.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/n1hoz0/windows_please_stop_changing_my_settings_with/</ref><ref>https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-updated-and-reset-all-of-my-settings/529ffb03-edd4-4be2-9412-50e3271fa8fe</ref><ref>https://www.minitool.com/news/windows-settings-are-reset-after-reboot.html</ref> Users have reported this to go as far as resetting permissions for apps,<ref name=":1">https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-update-reset-my-computer-settings/e58bcee8-f4c9-40ef-a452-1dc5db7c45d9</ref><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/y0ksm0/why_are_my_settings_changed_after_every_update/</ref><ref>https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/why-do-updates-remove-personalization-settings/0f1badb2-7486-4d31-b687-39913795aa8f</ref> which can be extremely risky for insecure software. <!-- From evidence I have found from the Discord server and my own experience, the frequency happens in larger amounts for older hardware. Preferences I set up for Greenshot, VisualStudio, Aseprite, and more get reset and it has even corrupted my data for WinAMP. I will refrain from directly mentioning it in this article until I find more public documentation.

|Windows has frequently been resetting the default browser to Edge<ref>https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/default-browser-keeps-changing-to-edge/25e2939d-4674-40ab-b05a-6161e2297976</ref> without consent.<ref name=":1" /> While there are methods to disable this,<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/15zbjar/default_browser_keeps_changing_to_microsoft_edge/</ref> it is tedious to achieve, especially for tech-savvy users.

While being something that can be reasonably circumvented,<ref>https://www.starwindsoftware.com/blog/bypass-tpm-and-install-windows-11-on-unsupported-hardware/</ref> Microsoft's decision to attempt to lock-down Windows 11 to computers with Trusted Platform Module 2.0 chips (TPMs) has forced the hands of both consumers and companies alike to dispose of hardware that would otherwise be perfectly acceptable to use.<ref>https://securityonline.info/windows-11s-tpm-2-0-free-software-foundation-fights-forced-upgrades-and-e-waste/</ref> This has also included Windows 10 users to be frequently reminded by Microsoft to upgrade their hardware to be Windows 11 compatible,<ref>https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-revives-pop-ups-in-windows-10-to-push-windows-11-upgrades</ref><ref>https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsoft-embarrasses-itself-with-windows-10-pop-up-that-hogs-the-desktop-urging-an-upgrade-to-windows-11-then-promptly-crashes</ref> which has caused many users frequent agitation.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoft/comments/19dvs9k/any_way_to_disable_the_upgrade_to_windows_11_ads/</ref>

During 2024, Microsoft unveiled Recall,<ref name=":0">https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsoft-reveals-ai-powered-recall-feature-to-transform-windows-11s-searchability-while-confirming-hardware-requirements</ref> marketed as a way to search through what you have done on your computer by recording your screen. This sparked controversy,<ref>https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsofts-controversial-recall-feature-for-windows-11-could-already-be-in-legal-hot-water</ref> especially among security experts<ref>https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/feature/Privacy-and-security-risks-surrounding-Microsoft-Recall</ref> who worried about the security of screenshots,<ref>https://news.sky.com/story/microsoft-ai-feature-investigated-by-uk-watchdog-over-screenshots-13141171</ref> since it could easily document private information like Social Security Numbers, bank account information, and passwords, as well as user browsing behavior. There a python script called "TotalRecall"<ref>https://github.com/xaitax/TotalRecall</ref> that collects the screenshots and descriptions of these recordings, proving the danger of Recall.<ref name=":0" /> This feature was delayed after backlash from users.<ref>https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/06/microsoft-recall-delayed-after-privacy-and-security-concerns</ref>

=== Microsoft Account Dark Patterns When Installing Windows<!-- Tone, and needs sources  May be deleted, see discuss tab for details --> ===

Numerous [[Dark Pattern|dark patterns]] have been implemented in the form of vague language and a confusing user interface, which hides the option to create an account without a Microsoft account under sub-menus and small text. The dark patterns in the Windows installation menu have been in place since Windows 10 was launched in 2015, and continue into the Windows 11 installation process.

=== De-listing/Destruction of Access to Games ===

In early September of 2016, Microsoft shut down access to purchasing Xbox 360 Indie Games,<ref>https://www.polygon.com/2015/9/9/9297959/xbox-live-indie-games-shutting-down</ref> and in late July of 2024, Microsoft shut down their storefront for Xbox 360 games.<ref>https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2023/08/17/xbox-360-store-will-close-july-2024/</ref> These shutdowns have caused hundreds of games to become impossible to obtain new copies of and even play in some cases.