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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly?
MSFT 492.01+1.3%Nov 28 9:30 AM EST

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To: cheryl williamson who wrote (33220)11/8/1999 3:34:00 PM
From: Ritch  Read Replies (1) of 74651
 
The O/S should be public domain because it drives the hardware,
which is public domain.


This a totally ridiculous statement. The hardware configuration might be public domain, but not the components! Try to copy INTC's pentium chips and see how fast you get sued! It is true that you can design your own chip to do the same thing, but INTC does not supply the internal code to make it easy for you.

How many other O/S's do you see out there that are in the public domain? While I am sure there are a few, Linux is the only one that comes to my mind. This is only one version of UNIX on the market. Most other versions are proprietary. All Main Frame O/S's are Proprietary, as is Apples, and most others.

If you put an O/S into the public domain, you will begin to have many flavors of this O/S as everyone starts to make their own versions. Standardization of Windows is what has made this O/S the dominant system it is today. Putting it into the public domain would be the beginning of the end for the Windows O/S IMHO.

Ritch
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