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Politics : Libertarian Discussion Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: miraje who wrote (3483)	11/15/1999 4:40:00 PM
From: John F. Dowd	Respond to of 13056

JB: Thanks for the coffee shop input. It shows that all the arguments offered by us ordinary pukes (non-politicians, non-philosophers)offered over the last 6 months in favor of MSFT are not just the bleatings of sheep blindly following Billy Gates to slaughter. JFD

To: miraje who wrote (3483)	11/15/1999 4:52:00 PM
From: MeDroogies	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13056

James, I usually tend to side against the DOJ in cases like this, and I certainly think that MSFT's star is JUST starting to wane. HOWEVER, I have been on the down side of their unfair business practices, and it is safe to say that whether you believe they are a monopoly or not - they cheated and defrauded large numbers of consumers and clients alike. I know how fond people are of saying how many jobs MSFT created. What people don't ask are how many more could potentially have been created with true competition. Perhaps we will now find out. In addition, MSFT prevented box makers (via OEM agreements) from loading ANY boot system other than the MSFT boot. This didn't mean more than one OS couldn't be on the computer, but it would become difficult to load more than one unless you were technically competent. Those box makers who didn't hew to this were prevented from loading Windows (potentially hurting sales). In addition, we know that MSFT has used its Windows dominance to alter software (I refer to Sun's Java, in which they rewrote code so that it worked on Windows, but other versions of Java did not). Finally, I have been (now) in more than one presentation in which MSFT products were supposedly driving the program. Afterward, through various glitches, I have found that some other software was used because the MSFT wasn't up to snuff. HOWEVER, the vendor, due to MSFT license agreements, forced them to put MSFT front and center and prevented them from using other software, so they ran it in the background until MSFT created patches. This represents coercion and is, technically, a violation of RICO laws. However, the DOJ had trouble getting these companies to be witnesses because they were afraid of losing business. It's sort've like asking a witness to a Mob killing to testify. If he does, he's dead. If he doesn't, the Mob can keep doing what it wants. There is no doubt in my mind that the market is slowly eroding MSFT's power. However, they have time and money on their side. They can use their money to continue to subvert innovation (which I have seen firsthand) and buy their way into markets (which I have also seen firsthand). Eventually, Steve Case will be right. But that may be many, many years from now, and the consumer will continue to be hurt in the process. Now, the consumer HAS been hurt, despite MSFT's claim to the contrary ("we haven't raised prices...etc."). HOW? Simply because the cost of other vendors to getting access to Windows and other MSFT software information is VERY high. MSFT doesn't make money selling its OS....it makes it by charging other vendors extortionist fees, which are then passed on to consumers. So, the "cost to the consumer" argument is then redirected AWAY from MSFT and over to other vendors. It keeps MSFT's monopoly power on the pricing side somewhat invisible. IF MSFT was NOT a monopoly, we would have several OSs fighting it out with healthy penetration. We don't. And that carries a cost. This is one time I (and it took a long time to switch my view on this) agree with the DOJ. I hate to say it, but I lived it over and over. I kept making excuses for MSFT to maintain the consistency of my Libertarian views.......but this situation was considerably different than any that has preceded.