[Rich3800]

I agree we talk about Microsoft too much. I think of Microsoft in terms of an aberration of the capitalist way of life, where accumulation of capital is the source of power. Other American (and foreign corporations following the American legal model) mega-corporations are not forgotten either. I see Microsoft and other patent trolls as legal companies disguised as software companies. I own stock in a number of free-software-supporting companies: IBM, Dell, Red Hat, HP, Sourceforge. I used to own Novell stock until the Novell-Microsoft agreement, then I dumped it. I believe the best way to support free software companies is from the inside, by being a shareholder. When a company of which I am a shareholder does something unethical, I certainly make myself heard. When Dell would not support Linux, the management heard my opinion loud and clear, without abiguity.