I figured you would chime in a pick a small piece of the entire post to harp on like usual.
IE copied Mozilla features and integrated IE into the OS. Ok, even if I am wrong and removed Mozilla/Netscape from the post, it's still a valid argument because the point remains the same.
What features did they copy? Did Netscape copy Mosaic to get to the point that MS could copy Netscape? How far down does the ripping off go?
Did MS rip off Apple after ripping off PARC over the concept of a GUI? Does it count that a bunch of PARC employees responsible for the creation of the GUI went to work for both Apple and Microsoft? Were they copying themselves?
How did MS copy Novell? With Office? The Office suite came out in 1989. I think the first version of Wordperfect came out around 1993 or so. What did they do? Fly into the future and steal from them?
Course there was a patent dispute, I think. And of course MS using underhanded tactics to maintain their lead against a competitor. But that's not copying now, is it?
Has everyone always hated MS? Nope. The MS hate train we're all riding on now didn't start until they established a monopoly and started throwing their weight around during the early 2000's. Beforehand, they were considered one of the best software houses in the industry. In fact, they still are by just about everyone except platform pundits overly attached to whatever company happened to woo them with their marketing spiel first, and posting crap on blogs and messageboards.
Listen. It all comes down to one very simple, sad fact: the copying argument is stupid, and the true originators of the industry are barely spoken about at all. Apple has had their moments. They're currently riding high on their most recent one. But if you look back at their history, you'll see they're about as bad as MS. Everyone copies at some point. MS and Apple both have stolen just as much as they've contributed.
