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To: Clarksterh who wrote (4249)	12/31/1997 3:14:00 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10921

OT Re:The very fact that Microsoft has a HUGE cash surplus indicates that perhaps competition is not everything it should be. Clark, It's exactly this type of talk that gets me nervous. Who are you or I to say what is the "appropriate" Cash surplus? Head down this path of logic, and INTC is also in danger of being a target. And for nothing more than being a superior business entity with a lean structure and excellent focus. The day this becomes criminal is the day I renounce my citizenship. Regards, Brian

To: Clarksterh who wrote (4249)	12/31/1997 5:08:00 PM
From: Ian@SI	Respond to of 10921

Clark, OT 1) Some people hate the government. Personally, I don't "hate" the government. I do hate paying $2 in taxes to get $1 in value. ... and that's on a good day for the government. 2) Some people hate MSFT (there are a lot of those, especially ex Apple users) I neither love nor hate them. I just believe they had an ineffective strategy and didn't take the IBM good housekeeping seal seriously soon enough. 3) Some people own MSFT (or Netscape). I own neither. But I do have both their browsers. Including 2 copies of Netscape's - 1 used for secure transactions only. I like different features in both and will continue to have both. This DOJ nonsense is precisely that ... NONSENSE. Almost no one seems to be concerned with what I think is the key issue - how to promote maximum competition in the market, and thus gain the most innovation and lowest prices. The very fact that Microsoft has a HUGE cash surplus indicates that perhaps competition is not everything it should be. These statements seem quite inconsistent with my limited understanding of macroeconomics. Help me understand the economic principles that cause you to believe that "most innovation" is inconsistent with a "HUGE cash surplus". Schumpeter, if I remember correctly, built a strong case supporting the link between Innovation and Profits. ... or is it only companies that are hugely successful at innovation that need to be stopped? ;-) Do you love government? Are you one? Do you hate MSFT? Have you shorted them? :-) {tongue-in-cheek} Seriously, if you look at the actual results rather than the theoretical fears, there's no indication whatsoever of a monopoly abuse. Huge numbers of companies have been spawned because of the WINTEL alliance and they have, in turn, generated huge wealth for the founders and some of the shareholders. What's the basis for punishing successful companies. I thought that the USA presumed innocence until proven guilty. Is it fair to hang them just because at some undefined point in the future, maybe, they might commit some alleged abuse? I think not. Ian.