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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: cheryl williamson who wrote (45366)	5/25/2000 6:48:00 PM
From: JC Jaros	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

M$FT benefits from cheaper hardware because the PC spec is in the public domain. --- Isn't that ironic. The INTERNET (new paradigm) has been *hardware companies benefiting from SOFTWARE specs that's in the public domain. --- Things have flipped 180. Say, that would make Microsoft the antithesis to the Internet. -JCJ

To: cheryl williamson who wrote (45366)	5/25/2000 6:58:00 PM
From: SC	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74651

Cheryl, I wasn't aware that Apple owned foundries to produce the PowerPC processors that come in their machines. I wasn't aware that Apple made disk drives, memory, video cards, cases, etc. Come to think of it, all the component parts that apple assembles into their machines are made by someone else. All the component parts of the machines can be purchased from their respective manufacturers and a hardware clone could be assembled by anyone. The only difference is that Apple refuses to license their OS to clone makers so that Apple can charge premium prices for their OS AND gouge their customers on hardware sales as well. An operating system is intellectual property that is protected by copyright laws regardless of whether or not the hardware standard is in the public domain. You should stop making the argument that anyone who develops an operating system for a hardware standard in the public domain automatically surrenders his rights to control his intellectual property. It makes you look silly. Even the guy who invented linux wouldn't agree with you here. It was his decision to license the software for free but he still controls the conditions of licensure, and therefore his intellectual property. Believe it or not, even though linux is an open source OS it is not in the public domain. Steve