Norm, you and I don't know the wording of the contracts that the big OEMs willingly signed with MSFT.
so re My beef is strictly with MSFT's illicit and suspect business practices.
You, along with Joel Klein, seem heartily willing to prejudge that MSFT is guilty of something, and you don't seem very interested in getting to the facts, but only in stopping Win98. Joel Klein seems to be of the same mind. It's odd that Joel Klein is associated with something called the "Justice" Dept.
The basic OS choice issue is moot here, because the OEMs chose to pay per machine so they could get a cheaper price from MSFT. Not only that, but it's simpler to simply put the same thing on every machine. Ring a bell? Hello McDonalds, I want a Big Mac with onions, extra mayo, no pickle. What? This isn't Burger King? I can't have it my way? No, not here at Mickey D's. Go to Burger King if you want it your way. If the PC OEMs choose not to offer OS/2 preinstalled anymore, then I would think that they did it willingly. I know for a fact (according to John Dvorak, PC Mag columnist) that MSFT offered the OEM's pay-per-copy or pay-per-machine. The big OEMs chose pay-per-machine. They made a free choice, to get the product cheaper Is this so difficult to understand?????? |
