Gerald,
I truly appreciate your ability to cut through the rhetoric and elucidate the core issues that are at stake in this matter. It will be interesting to observe if Bill Gates comprehends the full ramifications of the choices that he must make.
If he takes the short term pragmatic approach and caves in to DOJ demands, thinking that he can maneuver around them at a later date, he will indeed be taking another big step down a long slippery slope.
He has proven himself to be a genius at building his business. I wonder if he really understands that this current situation is a completely different ballgame, one whos rules fluctuate at the whims of the opponent, and one that he cannot win without a clear conception of the principles involved.
The real issue is not integrating functions into an OS or so called "coercive" and unfair business practices. It's not just about Bill Gates and Microsoft, either. The fundamental question is governments role in the marketplace.
Microsofts philosophical opponents know this and hope for a settlement which will validate their underlying premise. Such is to be expected from Social Democrats. Companies such as ORCL, SUNW, NSCP, etc., should know better, and I, for one, will enjoy hearing them squawk when the chickens come home to roost, as the full weight of government control settles on and suffocates the entire industry.
Regards, JB |
