---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Microsoft has gotten so big that it can…"
description: "\"Microsoft has gotten so big that it can put out a Preview that will install itself without checking first to see if it has expired. The message here is..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/jerry-pournelle-10851_arrogant_microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can_3193839.jpg"
---

#  Microsoft has gotten so big that it can put out a Preview…

![“Microsoft has gotten so big that it can put out a Preview that will install itself without checking first to see if it has expired. The message here is that Microsoft's time is worth more than yours… no start-up company could get away with being that arrogant.” quote by Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/jerry-pournelle-10851_arrogant_microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can_3193839.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/jerry-pournelle-10851_arrogant_microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can_3193839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/jerry-pournelle-10851_arrogant_microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can_3193839.jpg)

> “Microsoft has gotten so big that it can put out a Preview that will install itself without checking first to see if it has expired. The message here is that Microsoft's time is worth more than yours… no start-up company could get away with being that arrogant.”

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Microsoft’s massive size lets it release software that installs without user verification, showing corporate arrogance.

**In simple terms:** Big companies may push updates without checking user consent.

Key Takeaway

Question software updates.

Themes

corporate power software distribution user autonomy

Mood

critical skeptical

Type

analytical cautionary

When to use this quote

- enterprise IT
- software testing
- user consent processes
- policy reviews

Key Concepts

ethical design consumer rights software licensing

Questions to Reflect On

- Should users have the right to reject automatic installs?
- How can companies respect user time?

A Different Perspective

User convenience can be compromised by forced updates.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arrogant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogant/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Expired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expired/) [Expired Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expired-message-5902729/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Get away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-away/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Message Microsoft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message-microsoft-5902731/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Microsoft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/microsoft/) [Microsoft Gotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/microsoft-gotten-5902728/) [Microsoft Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/microsoft-time-5902727/) [Preview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preview/) [Preview Install](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preview-install-5902730/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/)

## Related quotes

> [What do you mean, my birth certificate expired???](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pryme/what-do-you-mean-my-birth-certificate-expired/)

[Pryme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pryme/)

> [The 9/11 Commission said that this tracking system would be a high priority and would have assisted law enforcement and intelligence officials in august…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-9-11-commission-said-that-this-tracking-system-would-be-a-high/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [Copyrights have not expired, and will not expire, so long as Congress is free to be bought to extend them again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/copyrights-have-not-expired-and-will-not-expire-so-long-as-congress/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

> [In between the Queen and the First Lady, Nancy Reagan, sat Tony Richardson, looking very calm. Later on it emerged that this was because,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/in-between-the-queen-and-the-first-lady-nancy-reagan-sat-tony/)

[Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/)

> [We are only tenants, and shortly the great Landlord will give us notice that our lease has expired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-jefferson/we-are-only-tenants-and-shortly-the-great-landlord-will-give-us/)

[Joseph Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-jefferson/)

> [I did pass the bar in Pennsylvania. I can practice Amish law. But it's long expired, my bar license.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-fulcher/i-did-pass-the-bar-in-pennsylvania-i-can-practice-amish-law-but-it-s/)

[Rich Fulcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-fulcher/)

> [“But the pill did nothing, probably expired like everything else on the premises.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-the-pill-did-nothing-probably-expired-like-everything-else-on-the/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“The love you are selling has been expired for some time -discounts won’t make it better”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-curtis/the-love-you-are-selling-has-been-expired-for-some-time-discounts-won/)

[Emily Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-curtis/)

> [In English the expression 'ancient Greece' includes the meaning of 'finished,' whereas for us Greece goes on living, for better or for worse; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/budd-schulberg/in-english-the-expression-ancient-greece-includes-the-meaning-of/)

[Budd Schulberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/budd-schulberg/)

> [The problem with life is, by the time you can read women like a book, your library card has expired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/the-problem-with-life-is-by-the-time-you-can-read-women-like-a-book/)

[Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/)

> [Please don't keep until your desire expired, you are in short time to live and forever to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tivea/please-don-t-keep-until-your-desire-expired-you-are-in-short-time-to/)

[Tivea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tivea/)

> [I traveled nonstop in 2009, so when my son popped out and my passport expired for a while, I felt more than happy just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emm-gryner/i-traveled-nonstop-in-2009-so-when-my-son-popped-out-and-my-passport/)

[Emm Gryner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emm-gryner/)

> [The Doxology ... that testimonial to the Platonic Trinity, which divided the Roman Empire into at least eighteen quarreling sects, none of whom knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-hurmence-green/the-doxology-that-testimonial-to-the-platonic-trinity-which-divided/)

[Ruth Hurmence Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-hurmence-green/)

> [I spent all of my money on film. I remember I would do these set-design jobs or transcribe or just anything to get, like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mcginley/i-spent-all-of-my-money-on-film-i-remember-i-would-do-these-set/)

[Ryan McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mcginley/)

> [Light inspires me. I'm drawn to architecture, often graves, statues, trees - things usually that are quite still. I've been taking pictures continuously since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/light-inspires-me-i-m-drawn-to-architecture-often-graves-statues/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

## More by Jerry Pournelle

> [I think it takes about a million words to make a writer. I mean that you're going to throw away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/i-think-it-takes-about-a-million-words-to-make-a-writer-i-mean-that/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [The American way of war is to build an army, then another, then a third, while building fleets. If the war is still on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/the-american-way-of-war-is-to-build-an-army-then-another-then-a-third/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [You see, I used to do a certain amount of market research by going to the local drugstore and seeing what the truck drivers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/you-see-i-used-to-do-a-certain-amount-of-market-research-by-going-to/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [What man has done, man can aspire to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/what-man-has-done-man-can-aspire-to-do/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [A Dark Age is not just a period in which people no longer know how to do things. The real key is that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/a-dark-age-is-not-just-a-period-in-which-people-no-longer-know-how-to/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [Asimov was the reason why we changed some rules in the SFWA, and I'm not convinced we changed it for the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/asimov-was-the-reason-why-we-changed-some-rules-in-the-sfwa-and-i-m/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [We have for years been building a society in which everybody plunders everybody, and while we are weary of being plundered, we enjoy the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/we-have-for-years-been-building-a-society-in-which-everybody-plunders/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [It's not only possible, but likely that the Nobel Prize in economics will go in alternate years to people who disagree on nearly everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/it-s-not-only-possible-but-likely-that-the-nobel-prize-in-economics/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [So, I guess the answer to your question is very few people can bring off a novel of the future because it's just so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/so-i-guess-the-answer-to-your-question-is-very-few-people-can-bring/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [Of course most people underestimate the warrior characteristics of the Anglo-Saxon and Norman peoples anyway. It takes a heap of piety to keep a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/of-course-most-people-underestimate-the-warrior-characteristics-of/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [Gates has always understood Moore's Law better than anyone else in the industry. If you can make something run at all, get it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/gates-has-always-understood-moore-s-law-better-than-anyone-else-in/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [“Funny thing about this world,” Adams said carefully. “Legally, a sovereign government can protect its interests pretty well as long as it doesn’t start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/funny-thing-about-this-world-adams-said-carefully-legally-a-sovereign/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [In any bureaucracy, the people devoted to the benefit of the bureaucracy itself always get in control, and those dedicated to the goals the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/in-any-bureaucracy-the-people-devoted-to-the-benefit-of-the/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [If you submit a search of the following phrase on Google, you get over four hundred returns, and they are often very strange ones:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/if-you-submit-a-search-of-the-following-phrase-on-google-you-get-over/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

> [The hard part of writing at all is sitting your ass down in a chair and writing it. There's always something better to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/the-hard-part-of-writing-at-all-is-sitting-your-ass-down-in-a-chair/)

[Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

[Explore all 60 Jerry Pournelle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/)

## More Arrogant quotes

> [How arrogant - how very far from humility - would be the self-satisfied, smug assurance that God, a tidy-up-after-us God will come and clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/how-arrogant-how-very-far-from-humility-would-be-the-self-satisfied/)

[Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/)

> [ \[T\]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-after-year-a-symbol-of/)

[Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/)

> [What I would say to filmmakers, if I may be so bold or so arrogant, is to draw inspiration from other filmmakers, but go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/what-i-would-say-to-filmmakers-if-i-may-be-so-bold-or-so-arrogant-is/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [I absolutely hate arrogant people, irks me to no end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-absolutely-hate-arrogant-people-irks-me-to-no-end/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Splutter, splutter. Yes - we're off - we're rising. But why start off with an engine like that? But it smooths out now, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/splutter-splutter-yes-we-re-off-we-re-rising-but-why-start-off-with/)

[Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/)

> [Mourinho is a bit arrogant, but you've got to like him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nicol/mourinho-is-a-bit-arrogant-but-you-ve-got-to-like-him/)

[Steve Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nicol/)

> [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/)

[Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/)

> [I was spoiled and I was arrogant. I was very demanding, had an overblown image of who I was and got a reputation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judge-reinhold/i-was-spoiled-and-i-was-arrogant-i-was-very-demanding-had-an/)

[Judge Reinhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judge-reinhold/)

> [We are not being arrogant or complacent when we are said that our country, as a united nation, has never in its entire history,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/we-are-not-being-arrogant-or-complacent-when-we-are-said-that-our/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

> [“So you intend to go through life never loving anyone? Just … things?” “No. I’m looking for something more.” “More than love?” “Yes.” “Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-ahdieh/so-you-intend-to-go-through-life-never-loving-anyone-just-things-no-i/)

[Renee Ahdieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-ahdieh/)

> [People are tired of wasteful government programs and welfare chiselers, and they are angry about the constant spiral of taxes and government regulations, arrogant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/people-are-tired-of-wasteful-government-programs-and-welfare/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [“He was a man. Handsome as sin, arrogant as fuck, and in need of at least one woman to prove he wasn’t God’s gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-blue/he-was-a-man-handsome-as-sin-arrogant-as-fuck-and-in-need-of-at-least/)

[Melissa Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-blue/)

> [Being nice to people gets you nowhere. Being arrogant gets you nowhere. Blackmail, now that's a thing that will get you everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-to-people-gets-you-nowhere-being-arrogant-gets-you-nowhere/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's amusing how arrogant people can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-amusing-how-arrogant-people-can-be/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 1,146 Arrogant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogant/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Microsoft has gotten so big that it can put out a Preview that will install itself without checking first to see if it has expired. The message here is that Microsoft's time is worth more than yours… no start-up company could get away with being that arrogant.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jerry Pournelle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can-put-out-a-preview-that-will/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arrogant"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can-put-out-a-preview-that-will/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/jerry-pournelle-10851_arrogant_microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can_3193839.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/jerry-pournelle-10851_arrogant_microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can_3193839.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/jerry-pournelle-10851_arrogant_microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can_3193839.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Microsoft has gotten so big that it can put out a Preview that will install itself without checking first to…” — Jerry Pournelle",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jerry Pournelle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Microsoft has gotten so big that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can-put-out-a-preview-that-will/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/microsoft-has-gotten-so-big-that-it-can-put-out-a-preview-that-will/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
