the "maybe" was for the "china" thing. But it is a big maybe. Here is why
AFAIK Google didn't hand over any user info to chinese authorities. They just merely censored the results. Between getting no access to google and having censored results, even if i was chinese I would have preferred getting the censored version.Why? because google is not used to find the censored topics. It is used more widely to get information on non censored topics. The loss of the world's biggest search engine would have been quite bad.
Also, google stood up to the US authorities when they demanded handing over user info while yahoo and MS happily handed it over.
So in my eyes, google has not screwed over its users or its partners. The biggest crime they may have committed is pulling the plug on some services ot letting some rot (feedburner). But those are free services and if it doesn't generate profit for them, they are right to pull the plug. In most of the cases they allowed the user enough time to get their data off the pulled service.
You can bash google for all you want but I think it is on very flimsy grounds.
I'd say the biggest difference between Google and Microsoft would be in the arena in which they play.
Google has everything on the web. They can change whatever they want whenever they want and since it is web-based, you will have no option but adopt to whatever changes they have decided they want to go trough with. If they decide to obsolete a product, you no longer have access to it. You're pretty much on your own when it comes to replacing whatever you just lost.
With Microsoft it's all on your server. If they decide to change, alter or obsolete anything, it's up to you to keep up with them. If you don't approve of changes, you can remain on the platform you are currently running, if that makes you happy. While not free of risk, it at least lets you remain in control of what you are running.
In short, depending on either of them involves risks, and what you consider to be least acceptable is entirely up to you, your business and your priorities.
