Hello _scar_face_,
No one can predict what’s going to happen. I can only share my “wish list.” Seems to
me, the best outcome for all concerned would be a carefully crafted settlement satisfying
the chief concerns of the government, msft, and the consumers.
Government demands the rule of law prevail. They're capable of strapping msft down, blocking or
delaying every new product, acquisition or strategy. It’s like being nibbled to death by a
thousand ducks as someone cleverly put it. It certainly wouldn’t be surprising if some
security departments within the government, had a number of control issues about the
information revolution; a revolution brought about by the multiplication of increasingly
powerful PC’s. Anything that msft could do to help mitigate such concerns would only
benefit their cause.
MSFT demands that its intellectual property rights be protected by the rule of law, and
that they have the right to take legal actions to protect their property. They also demand
the right of any and all technology companies to freely innovate without government
intervention. Government might want to “hold that thought” long enough to consider the
fact that they are prosecuting a company that deals not in railroads, oil, or telephone
equipment, but a vital industry, that deals mainly in ideas, which must be protected
equally. The tech. industry is all about the coalescence of ideas. It requires some degree
of leadership in order to assimilate these ideas into an organized format most easily used
by the consumer; a format in which one can achieve the most benefit at the lowest cost.
MSFT would probably like to see some indication that the government recognizes this
important contribution, much as a rudder helps provide direction for a ship. Hopefully
they’ve come to appreciate how fragile and vulnerable this industry is to outside
intervention from the government, and how vital it is to the economy at large.
Consumers no doubt just want their lives to be made easier, by having computing
simplified to a form as user friendly as possible. They can then profit from the widest
array of available technologies, at the lowest cost to achieve the highest degree of
productivity and personal empowerment. Conversely however, most people are
uncomfortable with any single entity having too much potential control over their PC, be
that msft, the government, or whomever. Individual consumer security issues are
probably best addressed by technology rather than government.
Hopefully a settlement will be reached soon; one that restores respect for government,
releases the PC industry, the tech. industry, and the economy from the specter of
government control. In effect, the important leadership functions of companies like msft
will be restored, and consumers may once again pursue their dreams of personal
empowerment through technology. Prolongation of the process will only be to the
detriment of the people. |
