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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lady Lurksalot who wrote (22617)	5/30/1998 2:11:00 PM
From: Jack Clarke	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Holly, Writing software patches to DOS and Windows for the sole purpose of rendering competitors' products incompatible and unusable, while calling these patches bug fixes and enhancements You obviously know much more about OS and software than I do. I have always heard that Microsoft software runs better on Win95 than others do. But I have always preferred to run non-Microsoft software such as Netscape and Corel Wordperfect. Are you saying that I shouldn't download any Win95 patches because they may make my non MS software run poorly or not at all? And, one other question: Are you going to get Win98? With respect for your views, Jack

To: Lady Lurksalot who wrote (22617)	5/30/1998 2:33:00 PM
From: Father Terrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Holly, I must admit I would rather pay royalties to Bill Gates than taxes to Uncle Sam! Netscape also is "giving away" their browser technology. They are competing nicely against Microsoft. It also struck me in the House hearings that a bevy of competitors lined up to complain they could not compete and that MSFT is a monopoly, blah, blah, blah. If they can't compete and MSFT IS a monopoly, then where did all these competitors come from? It also struck me that real capitalism does not sanction businessmen who cannot compete against another company whining and mewling to a Big Brother to help them out. Bill's tactics are very similar in many ways to the big automaker's tactics from the 1930s onwards. I don't see the DOJ going after them for that. I'm afraid the real reason is that the government has determined that MSFT and Bill Gates are making too much money. Some in the government are afraid of Bill Gates. You see, it is alright to be successful in America, but not TOO successful. And it is alright to make profits -- but not TOO big a profit, or you will be slapped down. A favorite I like from the government is "obscene profits". What is an obscene profit? When does a profit become obscene? Why has no one gone after the cosmetic industry with their mark-ups of 600% to 2,000% or the telecommunications industry where a domestic phone call, per minute, costs less than 1/10 of 1%? Many now tout the cheapness of 10 cent per minute calling. . . what is the markup from a cost of 1/10 of a cent to 10 cents? An obscene profit?? Hmmmmmmm. . . FT

To: Lady Lurksalot who wrote (22617)	5/30/1998 2:34:00 PM
From: James R. Barrett	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Holly, I agree with everything you said about Bill Gates and Microsoft. However, you are giving Bill Gates too much credit for the success of Microsoft. Apple Computer deserves much of the credit for Microsoft's success. I bought my first computer in March of 1992. It was a Dell 386DX 33MHz It was NOT my first choice. I really wanted a Macintosh but the price for the Mac was MUCH HIGHER than the Dell computer. At this time Apple treated the IBM PC and Microsoft as a "flash in the pan" and assumed they would disappear very soon. So in the mean time Apple kept their prices at nose bleed altitudes and continued raking in 60% gross margins. In the mean time thousands of other buyers also thought the Macintosh was too expensive and began buying Gateways, Dells, IBMs, etc. By the time Apple realized what was happening and began to lower prices it was too late. Bill Gates and Intel had taken over the PC market. Bill Gates beat Apple fair and square. The rest is history. Jim

To: Lady Lurksalot who wrote (22617)	5/31/1998 1:01:00 AM
From: Krowbar	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 108807

Hi Holly, That was a well written essay on Bill Gates and Microsoft. I was about to write something very similar, but you beat me to it, and did a much better job. Netscape started giving their browser away free because they were forced to. Microsoft gave it away free because they wanted it to be the standard browser, thus choking Netscape. I wonder why Gates doesn't want to put their product on the shelf next to Netscape, and compete on it's merits. The answer is that Netscape is the better browser. The graphical interface was invented by Xerox and copied by Apple and Atari, then Microsoft. It galls me that he is rewarded for the work of others. Those that say that we owe the computer industry to Gates simply don't know what they are talking about. Del