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

To: Dave who wrote (64278)	1/19/2002 1:09:18 PM
From: dybdahl	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

I don't know much about AOL's multimedia activities, and most Europeans don't know a company named AOL, but there is no doubt that buying Red Hat would give them more power and would give them the ability to provide a desktop OS completely without Microsoft software included, with a lot of desktop applications available, and a level of AOL integration that has not been seen before. If they make the deal, I think it will be very wise for both companies. The open-source community also regards this as very positive. Microsoft, Yahoo and other companies can at any time create their own rival product that is compatible but integrated with their services. I don't see any abuse here, but I agree that AOL could get into a position where a violation of some countries' laws would benefit them a lot. But as long as it doesn't happen, I see no problem. Even though their OS should only work with their own ISP, the applications for it would work on competing operating systems too. Compare it to a situation where only MSN users would actually buy Windows and the rest of the world would run Windows applications without paying Microsoft an OS license. Dybdahl.

To: Dave who wrote (64278)	1/19/2002 5:01:20 PM
From: Dave	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74651

Dave2, I was not aware that AOL held a monopoly in ISPs. Perhaps you could elaborate? On what do you base this opinion? If AOL is not a monopoly, then it isn't bound by the same restrictions that MSFT is. With monopoly power comes responsibility. I'm no fan of AOL/Time/Warner/Beatrice/Enron, but seriously, even if AOL WERE a monopoly, competing with Microsoft by introducing a new product or purchasing an existing one is hardly an abuse of monopoly power. AOL certainly has not been abusive with its purchase of Netscape! I think they would buy Red Hat for the same reason they bought Netscape: as an incentive for Microsoft to abuse its Windows monopoly less in the future. Dave