I’ve been having a discussion with a few people over at Neowin on the topic of Windows users having to pay extra for security features. Someone with a similar opinion to mine summed up things in a nice way:

All Windows has done is make computer users lazy and stupid. People nowdays don’t know where the Magic Smoke inside their computers comes from, that makes their systems work. All they know is how to follow some stupid Help Wizard and go clicky-click with their mouse, and they click all their freedoms away. “Sure, you can scan my system for whatever you like…after all, I don’t OWN this OS, I just rent it from Bill. It’s HIS computer, after all”. Lets never forget. Microsoft didnt’ “sell” their OS, they sold you the right to use it. They can do whatever they want with it, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. You’ve become so dependant on Windows, Microsoft could damn-near do whatever they want with you. “Oh, you bought Windows ZRX Bicentenial Edition, and you want to get on the internet? Oh, well, get out your credit card, because you have to buy the ‘Internet Option Pack’. Don’t worry, it’s only a flat annual subscription fee of $99. No big deal. We’ll just add it onto your Windows lease application. Anything else you need? Oh…planning on switching hardware? You might wanna pick up the ZRX Driver Support Pack…that’ll be another annual $99…Printer support…hmm…Lemme see. Yeah, we’ve got one license still in stock for the Document Printing Option Pack. This one’s on sale for $49.99…But you’ll need to buy Office ZRX to use it…and that’s another $500 or so. Want that too?”

Just follow right along kiddies…with wallets in hand. Because it aint gonna get better before it gets a lot worse. Good thing Microsoft help drop the costs of personal computers, because they are raking it in as far as software goes. I’m not screaming that everyone should switch to linux or anything remotely like that. I’m just saying…maybe people should start standing up for what they want, instead of blindly following along with all the “Innovation” that Microsoft comes out with.