Most users today have used an Apple or Unix-based system at least briefly. If that was a first or early computer experience, they often hold a very positive opinion of it. However schools, businesses and particularly government have made a massive investment in Microsoft products. This is a surreal parallel to the way a driver in fog invests in the driver in front of him (or lemmings make a massive investments in the judgment of the preceding lemming--hence my woefully uncritical students will often hear of my stupidity decremental operator "lemming--" (indicating the previous follower in the crowd) as well as the increment operator, "lemming++" (the next one).
When ZD and numerous other web and print based publications advance the concept that everyone uses MS products, they tacitly endorse those products. Such endorsements are absorbed subtly within the MBA-side IT community (as opposed to the engineering, programming and hacking (AKA "tech") side that have always held the keys to geekdom but have never been able to leverage their knoweldge, skills and abilities (perhaps largely as a result of having never been a sports hero or otherwise lacking much sales experience). Thus independents and small bands of techies routinely attempt to subvert the dominant paradigm. Sadly they too often must learn firsthand about having your output port hijacked for someone else's cruel pleasure...in prison!
So boys and girls, congratulations on that tech degree, now go earn an MBA, take a job as a CIO and change the world--instead of earning a Ph.D. and becoming widely unknown for improving packet handling (or some other "fantastic achievement").
Don't be a Lemming++ !
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