They have got to be kidding!

Jim farli@wiredglobal.com
Thu, 1 Jun 2000 13:48:36 -0700


The reason that M$ got themselves into trouble with the DOJ is not the
fact that they have a monopoly on Operating Systems.  Being a monopoly in
the United States is not illegal.

M$ brought the DOJ action on themselves.  They used their OS monopoly
power to illegally gain a competitive edge in other markets (most
obviously, but not limited to the browser market).  They used their OS
monopoly to restrict trade (i.e. requiring that PC vendors not include
competing software on computers and that all PCs sold include the M$ tax
whether or not an M$ operating system was installed).

There was a time when I admired Bill and M$.  He used some sometimes shady
but legal tactics to produce a product that allowed the common person to
use a computer.  When they started using their OS to curtail my freedoms
and to force me to make the choices that they deemed optimal for me, I
turned to Linux.  The more that I learn about how M$ has turned from a
software company to a marketing company, the more I shudder.  If they had
only put forth half the effort into software development that they did in
FUD and questionable marketing and "integration" tactics, I might still be
a happy M$ user.

--  Jim

Zope is cool!