As I mentioned, I’m not here to criticise you for making the choice you have, or defend those who do criticise you for it.

What I am here to defend is our freedom to state the very valid reasons why we are choosing to avoid it as much as possible.

Therefore, it’s unclear to me exactly which stance you are taking in reference to what i said.

Our position is there are at least two core topics for why we choose not go there. They are 1. issues with the product and 2. issues with the company.

With the pool analogy the corner cutting and then further elucidation regarding the escalation of user-hostile features, are both specific criticisms with the windows software itself. Not the company.

Regarding issues with the company, as stated we are not listing reasons for condemning you for your choice but rather listing the reasons why we make our choice as we do.

Therefore, it is unclear exactly which position you are taking which is contrary to this? Everyone will have a different moral line for the myriad of issues when dealing with evil companies and their products/services. Do you wish to tell others where they choose to draw their own lines for their own lives are incorrect? I doubt that’s really the stance you intended to make, so what do you mean, then?

Finally, I’m not sure how much of the history you’re aware of, but microsoft’s open hostility to linux devs & users is extensive and bitter. We have the case of a billion dollar company, actively trying to spoil & ruin the harmless pleasure many people take in a wonderful piece of technology.

This is almost entirely unlike any other “us vs them” technology debate. In nearly every other case, its wealthy corporation vs wealthy corporation with the users caught in the middle. In this case it is literally freedom of the people vs corporate profits. That freedom being actually incredibly important: its not only about the harmless enjoyment of the community. But also, considering the tech trajectory our society is on, very likely serving a critical role for actual human rights today and tomorrow.

As stated many times, you are welcome to your choice, and your choice is understandable. But it would really be alot healthier if people take the time to appreciate the breadth of the problem, and perhaps better appreciate why we make our choices the way we do. OR considering that may involve more effort than you have time for - fair enough - at least appreciate this is a topic some of the people who clearly have looked into it, might know more about it than you have had time to learn yet.