>I also feel that their "if you can't compete on product, slander" negative ad campaigns (e.g., scroogled) will continue to hold Microsoft back as a company and as a culture.
Well wouldn't the PC vs MAC ads be similarly slander? Apple got away with it, heck it even increased its sales, and for a long period of time, not only was it listed on Apple's website but it was also the general consensus that owning a MAC meant not worrying about viruses.
Despite most people (including me) disliking these slander commercials (especially political), they kept being made because they are effective and they work.