Dear Mr. Latif,
I lurk and enjoy your many fine comments about the
larger market. However, your personal comments about
Bill Gates provoke me to post my personal comments
about Microsoft.
Below is some of what I recently sent to the DOJ:
Recently I tried to order several computers from Gateway
or Dell or Compaq, with the stipulation that they NOT
contain MS Internet Explorer. None of these companies even
bothered to respond. This is how tight MS's monopoly is
and shows how my freedom of choice has been destroyed.
The Internet has become a national resource
too valuable to allow one monopolist to control.
Microsoft has been allowed to have a monopoly in
the operating system. Also, to date, it has been
allowed to enforce the inclusion of its browser on
all new computers, regardless of customer choice.
It has been allowed, again, to shut out competition.
As a computer professional since 1984 I have
observed all too many instances of Microsoft's
abuse of its operating system monopoly status.
Smaller companies have been bullied into submission,
or made to sell out, or had their code stolen, or
they gave up and didn't even try to compete. Small
companies cannot afford to do legal battle with
Microsoft's deep pockets for legal services. The
company with the most money wins the legal
encounters -- or so it seems to most of us.
Microsoft has been allowed to have a monopoly in
the operating system. We realize it is difficult to
draw the line between what is an operating system and
what is an ancillary application software. This
vagueness has given Microsoft a unique
opportunity to print money as it absorbs other
software concepts into its operating system.
In past years Microsoft sometimes has shown little
creativity or courage preferring, instead, to let other
software companies take the lead. Then, as these
other companies begin to develop viable markets
for their products, Microsoft finds a way to
incorporate their concepts into the next version
of the operating system as an "improvement" and as
a "response to customer desires," which puts the
competitors out of business. This is not fair.
Too many consumers and investors, looking from the
outside in, think it is great to get good software
which includes as "free" the utilities they used
to have to buy separately. And we know many investors
think Microsoft is a great company as owning its stock
has made them a lot of money. However, I contend,
too many people are short sighted -- they fail to
understand the implications of their greed or
complacency about this issue.
As a computer professional, looking from the
inside out, I have experienced first hand the
problems created by Microsoft as it kills
competition and subtly makes it "difficult" to
install competing products.
Please keep your best legal minds, technical people
and computer experts working to tighten and improve
your case against Microsoft and its monopolistic
practices. |
