| ▲ | ccppurcell 10 hours ago |
| I believe they are abusing their customers but I think it's in poor taste to compare this to domestic violence. |
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| ▲ | PoignardAzur 5 hours ago | parent | next [-] |
| I strongly disagree, and not because of the "Microsoft is associated with bad things and that's a form of violence" points other people mentioned. The end result of treating domestic and sexual abuse like Serious Important Subjects that people should only talk about in a Serious Respectful Tone isn't that people become more mindful of abuse dynamics, it's that they avoid bringing up the subject at all. In practice, yes, abusive practices of corporations echo abusive practices of violent partners, and the parallel is worth highlighting. Bringing up the fact that both of them will use grand gestures to stop you from questioning their pattern of behavior isn't disrespectful, it's useful information. If anything, abuse victims should hear that message more often. |
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| ▲ | hedora 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| I disagree. Microsoft's actions have real world consequences, increasingly including violence. They're building a surveillance machine that is already being used like organizations such as ICE, and that's not even the worst of it. Look at how they are trying to tip the balance of power from employees to employers with telemetry in Windows 11, Office 365, LinkedIn and GitHub. Like domestic abusers, things only expand and escalate from here. |
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| ▲ | HexPhantom 9 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| The underlying point about power imbalance and gradual normalization of bad behavior is fair, but that analogy carries a lot of real-world weight that doesn't map cleanly to software decisions |
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| ▲ | SlinkyOnStairs 5 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | > but that analogy carries a lot of real-world weight that doesn't map cleanly to software decisions Twitter literally runs CSAM-as-a-service. While Microsoft is not quite that evil, building the North Korean computer surveillance system with "Recall" comes pretty close. Other examples include things like Facebook's regular doxxing of it's users with their real name policy. It's a crass comparison, but not unreasonable on both sides. Abuse goes beyond just physical violence, and the practices of these tech companies really do match those other kinds of abuse. The other half is that software has eaten the world, and these changes really do affect people's lives. | |
| ▲ | autoexec 8 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | > but that analogy carries a lot of real-world weight that doesn't map cleanly to software decisions It's imperfect. We have way more choices in domestic partners than we do with operating systems but I think there are a lot of similarities though too. User-hostile software like Windows is intentionally designed to develop dependence and learned helplessness in users. Windows will gaslight you. Microsoft will victim blame. Many shared tactics. It's a fair comparison to make. | | |
| ▲ | rob74 6 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | One more similarity is how hard it seems to be to break up with an abusive partner: when I saw the "Windows anounces Recall - Linux increases its Steam market share by 25%" meme, I checked under https://www.gamingonlinux.com/steam-tracker/, and yes, in May 2024 it went up - from 1.9% to 2.32%. But in February 2025, it was back down to 1.45%. It has rebounded since, to 3.38% in January this year, but dropped to 2.23% in February. Not sure where these big fluctuations come from - maybe Linux gamers don't really play that often, so they only log on to Steam sporadically?! | | | |
| ▲ | saidnooneever 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | saying victims of domestic violence should chose better is also victim blaming ma dude. | | |
| ▲ | autoexec 4 hours ago | parent [-] | | > saying victims of domestic violence should chose better is also victim blaming You're the only one saying that, not me. |
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| ▲ | cmicali 9 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| I agree and appreciate you calling this out. It’s easy to not understand the impact or meaning of referring to violence in a flip way when one has never had to have experienced it. |
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| ▲ | mapotofu 9 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | I also appreciate the callout but don’t believe it’s in bad taste. There are enough analogs, and it makes you question the type of people who run the companies and make the decisions. In MSFTs case, Bill Gates was an associate with a known pedophile and likely an abuser himself. I completely understand it being triggering but shying away from it because of that protects perpetrators. A lot of executive circles are filled with abusive freaks and their decision making reflects that. | | |
| ▲ | bee_rider 7 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | A article mapping out those connections would be a good thing to do. That’s not what this article is, though. This is about Microsoft having poor quality software and a business model that is adversarial to their customers. | |
| ▲ | user_7832 8 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | I'm willing to bet very good money that windows forcing an update somewhere has led to things that has killed someone. | | |
| ▲ | user_7832 6 hours ago | parent [-] | | Damn, really, 2 downvotes? Do you guys think what I said is wrong (or irrelevant or something)? I'll be happy to correct myself if I said anything wrong, but downvotes without comments really don't tell me much. |
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| ▲ | JollySharp0 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | The guy was a Darknet Vendor and has been to Jail/Prison in the US. | | |
| ▲ | bigbuppo 4 hours ago | parent [-] | | So when he looks at Windows 11 and calls it something bad, you should probably pay attention. | | |
| ▲ | JollySharp0 4 hours ago | parent [-] | | He is someone that cares about operation and information security. Modern Consumer operating systems basically throw all of that out of the window. On top of that he hate Microsoft. |
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| ▲ | JollySharp0 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| The title is supposed to be provocative and hyperbolic. Much of what is provocative and hyperbolic could be considered to be in poor taste, that is the entire point. The guy is an ex-Darknet Vendor and regularly interacts still with people that build ransomware, hack the US government, sell online drugs and he is quite pleasant compared to these people. |
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| ▲ | mynameisvlad 5 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | > The guy is an ex-Darknet Vendor and regularly interacts still with people that build ransomware, hack the US government, sell online drugs and he is quite pleasant compared to these people. It’s _almost_ as if we don’t use “people that build ransomware, hack the US government, sell online drugs” as a baseline for “pleasant”. | | |
| ▲ | JollySharp0 4 hours ago | parent [-] | | The point I was making that the norms for many of us isn't this behaviour of everyone is walking on eggshells. I find it infuriating that people will get bent out shape if they hear the truth. I prefer it when people talk plainly and speak how they feel. He is unfront and honest, which I appreciate much more than a snake in the grass (which is how many people behave in spaces where language and behaviour is tightly controlled). I find it honestly ridiculous that people are complaining about provocative & hyperbolic title, to the point where I believe they are concern trolling. | | |
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| ▲ | cindyllm 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | [dead] |
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| ▲ | oasisbob 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Not too surprising in a society where we use the language of homicide and violence for trivial things like describing a good comedian. |
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| ▲ | boca_honey an hour ago | parent [-] | | For a moment there, I also thought it was in bad taste to compare shitty software to domestic violence. Then you came in with this and reminded me that maybe I was being too fragile and should get over my self-righteousness. Do you also have a problem with "killing" a process on a computer? A kill-fee on a contract? How about killing time? |
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| ▲ | 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
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| ▲ | abkolan 10 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Thank you for saying this. Some journos don’t mind crossing the line for a click bait headline. |
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| ▲ | madeofpalk 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| I felt the exact same way. Put a bad taste in my mouth and I just stopped reading. |
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| ▲ | 9 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
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| ▲ | Dumblydorr 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-] |
| Yeah, fully agree. The idea domestic abusers care about flowers is ludicrous. They’re violent and mostly remorseless about it. Anyone who dealt with it personally would chuck the flowers in the bin. |
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| ▲ | onemoresoop 5 minutes ago | parent | next [-] | | Flowers are not because they care, it's damage control only. I actually liked original derisive title in this article, Microslop needs to be shamed into doing the right thing. | |
| ▲ | sgt 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | You'd be surprised how much that happens. They'll sweet talk their way back and that's how these relationships often survive. |
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