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To: Maxer who wrote (25830)	5/8/1998 1:37:00 AM
From: Craig Freeman	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 97611

Maxer, if the public needs a better product than MSFT offers, somebody will offer it for a price. Justice hasn't accused MSFT of doing anything to keep the competition from developing and selling something better. I haven't heard how MSFT stole employees, paid money to retailers to reject competitive products or do any of the things Coca-Cola has done for decades. They are accused simply of giving away something that their competitors would like to sell for a profit. And, for good reason, requiring resellers to participate in that giveaway (heck .. resellers would charge their own mothers for IE or Netscape if you let them). Funny thing, you don't hear about how MSFT intends to start charging zillions once they bury Netscape. IMHO, that won't happen. MSFT thinks enough of the Internet that they want to be SURE that everyone gets there -- even if they don't make a penny on the software. MSFT has bigger fish to fry than a minnow with big dreams named Netscape. If you really appreciate Netscape products, do the right thing and send them a check. If not, what's the problem? Craig

To: Maxer who wrote (25830)	5/8/1998 1:46:00 AM
From: X Y Zebra	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 97611

>>And if MSFT products were better designed, were not suffering from Olephantisus (25 million lines of code in win98 I'm told), and not so full of bugs I might be more sympathetic with MSFT. But the truth of the matter is that many of the products are terrible. And they are out to eliminate choice.<< Maxer, If such is the case (and I have no reason to doubt it), then the market must be educated enough to make the choices. The choices are there, however, the real question is, Does the market participants have the knowledge to make those choices, and are they willing to make the choices. There is no reason to cry about how bad or good the products from MSFT or whoever, are. Once again the real question is: Is the market willing and able to make the alternative choice? There is no reason to ask for help from a bunch of bureaucrats who hardly understand the reason why they are doing what they are doing. If they really knew, how come after breaking up AT&T, a few years later the telephone companies are now merging with each other, to gain better efficiencies. Could it be that they are simply attempting to justify why the DOJ pays the salaries of a bunch of lawyers, in search of something to do? In the current debate, I rather live under the "evil" empire of Microsoft, than under the stupefying, wasteful world where the government tells me what to do.... H.L. Mencken said it already: "The typical lawmaker of today is a man devoid of principle--a mere counter in a grotesque and knavish game. If the right pressure could be applied to him he would be cheerfully in favor of polygamy, astrology, or cannibalism." My opinion only. Z.