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Technology Stocks : Novell (NOVL) dirt cheap, good buy? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mike Hermann who wrote (32041)	5/27/2000 11:26:00 AM
From: PJ Strifas	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42771

Lions, Tigers and Government...oh my! If you refer to a current pending anti-trust law case, you've made your choice I find it silly to change others minds with FEAR, UNCERTIANTY and DOUBT. The government does not want to control industries but they have a responsibility to manage the overall economy of this country (that also includes the LONG TERM EFFECT OF COMPANIES WHO HAVE MONOPOLIES not just the short term benefits). So let's look past the short term perceived gains of the current state of the this industry and look to the long term negative effects of the current state of the computer industry. The latter far outweighs the former yet most people only care about the "here and now" of things and not the long term. Remember, the past is not a clear indication of the future - we can learn from it but it's not a crystal ball! Certain companies are clearly becoming the Big Corporate Giants they so openly battled for decades as the "Little Guy". I for one would like to see some thought and consideration for the long term impact of the monopoly power of some companies today (AOL & MSFT are foremost in my mind). Now that these companies own the "bottleneck" of internet content and PC operating systems, we are basically left to their whims and decisions so consumer choice has been limited (and perhaps we've lost some innovation in the process as well - you never know). I thought this country was based on individual freedoms? Are we mortgaging those freedoms for some "ease of use" or a certain level of comfort? Most people DON'T understand exacly what's going on with the DOJ vs MSFT case is really all about but that hasn't stopped MSFT from finding ideals that the average person can identify with (fascism, Big Brother or that the recent economic run-up was directly MSFT's doing - please...) The only arguement for MSFT's case is that the PC has become better since there's only one platform and yet several people have argued that the world is comprised of diversity so why does one OS make sense here? One word - COMPATIBILITIY. But if there were truly open standards for device compatibility and interoperability then this argument would be moot no? The basic functions of an OS is to manage the hardware on the system and create "pathways" for data/content to be moved about the system. Everything else is merely icing on the cake - a customizable user environment or SHELL. MSFT created a great shell that it married to the real OS it was developing thus eliminating (or burying) the layer where compatibility lived. So now we can't have universal compatibility can we? Hmmm....innovation? Possibly. Limiting competition...definitely. So what's the harm to the end user since they have benefited greatly by this strategy you say? Short term, probably little but long term, you will see a definite gap between benefit and "harm to the consumer" when innovations are now funneled through a monopoly WHO NOW HAS THE POWER OF CHOICE AND NOT YOU AND ME (by choosing with our pocketbooks!)! Seems to me other industries were capable of finding a common platform that allowed for real competition where consumers benefited with lower prices, better quality and good service. What they did was realize that by growing the overall market, they would be increasing their bottom line. So why don't we leave the FUD behind and take care of our business the right way then the government would have NO CAUSE to "interfere" as you put it. Regards, Peter J Strifas

To: Mike Hermann who wrote (32041)	5/28/2000 7:56:00 AM
From: Frederick Smart	Respond to of 42771

Facism vs. Freedom.... >>I think it's a matter of freedom vs fascism myself, govt control vs entrepreneurism, etc.,etc, . Once we let Govt. let us know they are in control , we start a whole new industry, regulation of free interprise and entrepreneurism (sic?) , the basis of our country. Regards,>> Facism will always use examples of "wrong" to advance it's power. But these examples have to be highlighted in politically "safe" ways: ie. riding two horses. At the last second the govt. will use public opinion to show up at the finish line on the "right" horse and will be sure to drop whatever baggage it has to advance it's power while appearing to support the common man. It's a sleight of hand trick which, unfortunately has been masterfully played against us with increasing frequency. Just look at the growth in moral crusades that have direct political ties which feed this trend: - worldwide reparations movements - tobacco - technology - guns - etc. etc. Wether this leads to fasicsm is up to US. I think there have been many dangerous precedents being set all around us during these past several years even amidst so much progress. You just have to look beneath the surface. Good and bad are accelerating in unique finely threaded ways. I really feel that the net is quietly exposing more and more of the examples of hands being found in in various political cookie jars. The net has the same effect as turning on a light in a dark room. Governments worldwide should be counting their days. I'm typing this while in Minnesota where Jesse Ventura has done a fantastic job "going higher and completely reframing the entire debate. Power up here is being spread back to the people. The radio, the net and $300,000 - w. another $300K in matching funds - got Jesse into the Governor's mansion. The established Democrats and Republicans HATE this man. Why? Because he had the guts to say he was NOT perfect and he called a spade a spade. Peace. GO!!