ROFL! Only you can take the Microsoft decision and turn it into a Gates vs ORCL, SUNW, and other clowns tug-of-war!
Cut the spiel, Charley! And don't believe what all your Jewish inlaws tell you... Below is an article written by yet another Gates-buster and it doesn't hint at Netscape, SUNW, or any software issue whatsoever. It exclusively focuses on Bill Gates' unspoken cardinal sin, that is, his foray into the US media turf.
Microsoft and the media monopoly
Mark Stosberg
senior Computer Science major
"Like it or not, we are all now living in a Microsoft world. But journalists have a tough time grasping the downside of this making it clear to the many millions of Americans who have no idea that control of a vast percentage of their information world is falling into one pair of hands" Jon Katz, from We the Media.
It seems to me every computer industry magazine I pick up has a headline about Microsoft developing another strategic alliance. Microsoft has a strategic alliance with Apple, it's supposed big Operating System competitor. They also have alliances with Digital, which is a giant player in enterprise computing systems.
That's just the beginning. (and I'm assuming here you are aware of their market dominance in word processors, spreadsheets, and browsers). Microsoft also owns: MSNBC ($450 million stake), the Bettmann Archives (700,000 images), Encarta Encyclopedia, Dream works SKG (Hollywood studio founded by Steven Spielberg and others), TCI/Time Warner's Black Entertainment Television (will produce interactive television and CD-Roms for Microsoft), and much more.
Denise Caruso, of Wired, believes "Microsoft is holding all known pieces to a puzzle that could snap together into a new breed of media company, a 'technomedia' company that not only creates media but also controls the entire value chain of delivering it". Microsoft is not just a computer company anymore, but is morphing into a media company with ventures in Hollywood, television, the in ternet, DirecTV and beyond. I find the growing power of Microsoft scary, and Gates bloated personal wealth unacceptable.
Let me throw you a few quotes from people better informed than myself: "The real problem with this kind of company assuming so powerful a position in the information world is that it has no discernible values or morals beyond creating the Next Big Thing." Jon Katz, Wired.
"As the manufacturer of the operating systems used by 120
million personal computer users, Microsoft controls the gateway
to more than 85 percent of the PCs in the world." -New York
Times
"Some of [Microsoft's] executives privately believe Microsoft
could double both its size and its market valuation within the next
five years. This would make it the most valuable firm on the
planet." -Steven Levy, Newsweek.
So in answer to the forum question, YES I think Microsoft is too
powerful! I believe it is time to break up Microsoft as AT&T was
broken up. Furthermore, Microsoft is part of larger problem of
giant corporations owning the mass media. Do think NBC is goin
g to do an exposé on Microsoft, a major investor? How about on
GE, their parent company, a major military contractor, atomic
power manufacturer, and manager of many prisons? Don't look
for stories on those issues on NBC.
And how about ABC News? They once did an exposé on Disney,
but now Disney owns ABC. Think another exposé is in the
works?
Microsoft is part of a problem which puts the bulk of today's
media in the hands of a few giant corporations. With mainstream
journalists having to worry about so many toes to step one, it
seems they have little left to strive for in their articles except
profit. What's worse is that when the media is no longer
democratic, there aren't any mainstream channels available to
spread the story about the ills of a corporate media state.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first great example
of this. A bill appears to have been passed largely on the crest of
mass media lobby dollars, it has barely covered in mainstream
news. Ted Koppel of Nightline tried, here's what he came up wi
th "It's possibly the most important communications bill in
history, and here's what the networks had to say about it. NBC
said, 'No comment.', ABC suggested we talk to CBS, who also
told us 'No comment.' And Fox? They said, 'No comment.'"
There is hope for putting democracy back into mass media, for
taking back some Microsoft's media stronghold. We can start by
supporting public broadcasting, and paying attention to the
alternative news sources. Also, the internet is now offering
amazing p otential for grassroots communication and information
gathering.
For example, here's the homepage for the book We the Media which I used for much of the information in this article:
mediademocracy.org
Here's the website for the report on GE I referred to:
web.its.smu.edu |
