Please tell me if you really believe that microsoft is in the position they are in because they have a better mousetrap. If you really believe this, then there is no point in continuing this discussion because you have no understanding of the reality of their products.
Virtually everyone with any respectability in this industry (And absolutely every employee of Microsoft that I know personally) agrees that the quality of most of microsofts products is quite low. This is not a company that got where it is by "building a better mousetrap." The only people who believe that, in my opinion, are those who have an agenda they want to advance and are latching on to this claim without regard to reality. From DirectX to Windows to Word, when all of these products were introduced there were superior, lower cost, higher featured competitive products in their category.
Alas, you, like a lot of people out there, are depressingly vague when you say Microsoft "violated the law" or "cross the line." What law? What line?
I thought this was common knowledge: Microsoft required every computer manufacturer who licensed their software to pay them a license fee for every CPU they sold, whether or not it carried microsoft software on it. The DoJ investigated, MS admitted wrongdoing and signed the consent decree. They then violated that consent decree and are in hot water now.
Another example: Microsoft hired some of the developers who created Quicktime and had them replicate their code for Microsoft's product. Of course, there was a slip up and the word got out, so they settled with Apple. Luckily for Apple, Jobs is smart enough that Microsoft now simply pays Apple a license fee every year for all the technology they have stolen. Unfortunately for Apple Microsoft is making a lot more on the technology than Apple is.
In case its not clear to you, it is against the law to violate a copyright.
Yet another Example: Microsoft stole the code for a drive compression utility (stacker). A jury awarded a $120 million judgement against Microsoft.
I could go on and on about things I saw and experienced, and heard about in my time there, but these you would discount because I cannot prove them. The above cases have court records to back them up.
Dragonfly |
