Criticism of Microsoft

Criticism of Microsoft has followed various aspects of its products and business practices. Issues with ease of use, robustness, and security of the company's software are common targets for critics. In the 2000s, a number of malware mishaps targeted security flaws in Windows and other products. Microsoft was also accused of locking vendors and consumers in to their products, and of not following or complying with existing standards in its software.^[1][2] Total cost of ownership comparisons between Linux and Microsoft Windows are a continuous point of debate.^[3]

The company has been the subject of numerous lawsuits, brought by several governments and by other companies, for unlawful monopolistic practices. It was the subject of the landmark 1998 United States v. Microsoft Corp. American antitrust law case, during which Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was called "evasive and unresponsive" and the company's officials were found on a number of occasions to have falsified evidence.^[4][5] In 2004, the European Union found Microsoft guilty in the Microsoft Corp. v. Commission case, and it received an 899 million euro fine.^[6]