Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: IanBruce who wrote (10271)	8/25/1998 10:45:00 AM
From: ToySoldier	Respond to of 74651

I have not heard anything about this report on the RealAudio issue released recently, but I can tell you that I have installed the RealAudio G2 program on both my Office ThinkPad and my new home computer and the software GPFs all the time when I try to connect to most sites. So I would find it easy to believe that something is flaking this product out. I never had problems with the older RealAudio player. The RealAudio Support staff are in the process of trying to assist me and I have sent them the GPF dumps from both my machines. Toy

To: IanBruce who wrote (10271)	8/25/1998 11:29:00 AM
From: mrknowitall	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74651

MSFT discussing disabling products? Well, duhh! I'd be alarmed if anyone thought we were all stupid enough to believe that intelligent managers at MSFT didn't talk about disabling or at least making the user's experience with competitor's products, shall we say, "less convenient." Saying they never discussed it would be akin to saying that no one at the White House knew Bill and Monica were playing nasty in the oval office. The real issue is how far MSFT went in applying what I call the "mined harbor" approach as a policy or even a real strategy. Since complex software is so much of an art form instead of science, it is all too easy to simply say there are technical nuances that may make it problematic to solve all "vendor's" problems through the OS. So, if the problem just happens to occur with some other vendor's package, it's up to the vendor, not MSFT, to provide the fix. No matter how distasteful to those in the software app' industry, this is, IMO, an impenetrable defense, and no amount of "smoking gun" documentation about discussing it is meaningful in the sense of prosecuting MSFT. Yes, I'd venture to say they discussed it. I'd even venture to say there is an undocumentable but subtle policy of "non-cooperation" with competitors. Well, at the risk of being redundant - "DUHH." Just food for thought.