The whole Oracle-Google fiasco made me realize that the tech landscape has really changed a lot over the past few years. Microsoft is no longer as dominant as it was and in effect not anymore considered by majority of people as the most evil tech company. Stealing the limelight (in a bad way) from Microsoft is Apple, a company that is extremely successful financially nowadays that they are dubbed as being too greedy. On the Internet, giants Google and Facebook have been heavily criticized on how they handle privacy issues. Meanwhile, Adobe has been lambasted for its pricing practices among other things.
To our dear readers and visitors, we would like to know which tech company do you think is the most evil these days?
You may also share with us the reason behind your vote via comment below.
I think apple takes the crown on this one. Very 'unethical' practices and very closed environments. The sad thing is that users actually fall for their 'innovation' when all they are actually doing is catching up to competition.
ReplyDeleteI think Orcale takes this one. Since they bought Sun, there has been a fair amount of FUD spreading due to the fact that they might shut-down important FOSS projects such as Openoffice.org, we all saw what already happened to Opensolaris.
ReplyDeleteI voted for Oracle. They are screwing open source software right now. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteI have to go with Apple, producing stuff like iphone 4 with awful antenna design and getting away with it.
ReplyDeleteThe iphone 4 is not evil, it is just a fail. It did not help that the phone got stolen and was then forced to be released early. Micro$oft wins 100%.
ReplyDeleteMost evil: Apple (control freaks)
ReplyDeleteMost dangerous: Google (all that data... *shiver*)
Most suspicous: Facebook (their policies and practices and intentions are IMHO less clear than Google's)
Most greedy: Oracle (it's about money)
Most potential for turning "good": Microsoft (their old business models are becoming obsolete, they need to change, and the chance could theoretically be towards good.)
Nobody forces anyone to fork out any money and buy an Apple product, and while they have proprietary practices of the highest order, they do not go out and take 'evil' steps. People who value fashion over freedom willingly succumb to their temptation.
ReplyDeleteOracle is the real evil these days, evident by its serial assaults on the air supply of a significant part of today's important open source projects. Legally wrong? Probably not. Morally wrong? Definitely very yes.
They're all bad. Just for different reasons. Remember, they're in this to make money. Not friends.
ReplyDeleteAs long as MS has total control over world IT, it is evil. Monopoly is evil no matter what the name is.
ReplyDeleteOracle and Apple are doing evil things, but I do not have any of their products.
I think this poll is broken, someone is voting Google several times.
Google and Facebook have the potential to enable abuse on a scale that no other tech. company (at this time) can even come close to. Microsoft, Apple and Oracle may try to coerce you into buy more licenses or whatever but Google and Facebook have the ability to compromise your individual rights and privacy in ways that are truly frightening. In the wrong hands, they provide a way of tracking and monitoring people that was unimaginable just a few years ago. The sad thing is that we've all volunteered for it. Are they evil? Maybe not yet.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe Microsoft is any less evil than it was 10 years ago, just a little less relevant and a bit less competent. The world is moving beyond Windows and Office. They'll have a lock on the business world for a long time to come though.
That said, I don't believe that any company that becomes a traded corporation can hold virtue. They're bound by law to be fiduciary responsible - morality virtually never works its way into the equation.
Although other company's do not behave well against open source/Linux, the biggest hindrance and threat remains Microsoft.
ReplyDeleteOther company's can act nasty and bad, but they are not especially on a "mission to destroy that communistic Linux" like Microsoft.
Sure - Microsoft acts friendly lately, but it is the simile of the shark - ready to rip your flesh away in a bloody cloud...
Oracle is the most evil one, although none of them score very well.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that Oracle is actually out to make a quick buck for the short run and seems oblivious to the fact that everyone will hate them for it.
They are killing all projects that might compete with Microsoft.....seems like they (Oracle) are almost helping them (MS) to get back their monopoly...dirty dealings perhaps?
"I don't believe Microsoft is any less evil than it was 10 years ago, just a little less relevant and a bit less competent. The world is moving beyond Windows and Office. They'll have a lock on the business world for a long time to come though."
ReplyDeleteMS still owns the IT world (at least closed source). Other software vendors exists only because MS lets them. MS can replace them when it likes to because MS owns the platform (and collect taxes).
If Google did evil, you can always change to ping (hope not though). With MS you can only turn the other cheek an pay.
I vote for unnamed(who knows which ones?)Antivirus companies as the most evil as I suspect some of the Antivirus companies are actually secretly creating the bulk of the viruses and malware to feed the need for Antivirus software.
ReplyDeleteNice try, but Microsoft has been open source's (and many other technology entities) sworn, blood-enemy for *decades*. Other companies can have their actions explained by making a ruthless profit. Microsoft has an actual track record of bullying other tech companies even when it hurts them to do so, even at the sacrifice of profit, *just* to be evil.
ReplyDeleteYes, other companies make life hard for some of us sometimes, including Oracle, Adobe, and yes, even Google. But they'd basically have to run down the street with a chainsaw massacring random people for a year before they'd even catch up to Microsoft at the #1 pole position.
It seems people have voted what is the most envied company, instead!
ReplyDeleteBut M$ is still the most evil company though not so succesful anymore as people are getting wiser.
It's dangerous to count out Microsoft just yet. They are still heavily entrenched and try to paint themselves as open source friendly while taking every opportunity to undermine the ecosystem.
ReplyDeleteAnd with the recent Anti-Apple and Anti-google hype I even wouldn't be surprised to find another Microsoft Astroturfing campaign at the root.
I don't like Apple for its business methods but they have to do a lot to catch up with MS.
There are companies who are doing their job in proprietary way but never attacked Open knowledge of humankind. No issues.
ReplyDeleteSecond kind of companies they stayed with humankind and still supporting Open knowledge irrespective of their business interests.
Third is "direct attackers" they were always enemy of spreading the knowledge. never bother about them. they will perish.
Forth kind, they makes use of mankind to get their jobs done and wants to ditch mankind when time comes. they are the biggest evil all the time.
Well, I picked Apple mainly because of their recent patents they have taken out. While they have not yet acted on them, I wouldn't be suprised if an update includes them.
ReplyDeleteExamples are: Being able to shut down your phone based on pictures and heartbeat information that makes it seem like it might be stolen(what if you let a friend borrow it? they need to wait for a report, at least), and being able to freeze your device's functionality and make you interact with ads(this is at the OS level).
There's more, but you can find them around.
It’s Apple for peddling over priced shiny gimmicks and Oracle for heralding the demise of open source.
ReplyDeleteFor me it's Oracle. The java lawsuit against Google, their recent decision to no longer develop Opensolaris is enough for me.
ReplyDeleteIt is the Oracle... death to the OpenSolaris & Java lawsuit against Google. Solaris also no longer available for free use. And MAYBE they will start charging for mysql & OpenOffice.org.
ReplyDeleteA little tricky question.
ReplyDeleteI'd also add Sony but for different reasons not related entirely to software.
Same goes with NDS.
All of those companies have done equally a lot of good and not so good stuff.
Of the less evil on the list I'd say Adobe, since they continued Macromedia's legacy even if they screwed up quite a bit of their software. Most dangerous now is Google.