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Home -> Community -> Usenet -> c.d.o.misc -> Re: Boycott Microsoft
Rubywand <rubywand_at_swbell.net> wrote:
> Edwin E. Thorne writes ...
> >
> > Thomas Bregulla <thomas.bregulla_at_t-mobil.de> wrote in article
> > <355AE992.E97_at_t-mobil.de>...
> > > Jeremy Crabtree wrote:
> > >
> > > > Interesting...a moral defense for an immoral corporation...
> > > What makes me wonder is that you all say MS is immoral.
> > > MS is just a capitalistic company, right? - You are living
> > > in a capitalistic environment, right? - You feel well with this?
> >
> > The USA is not a pure capitalistic environment. We have a modified
> > capitalism system, wherein the government regulates some aspects of the
> > market.
>
>
> When it comes to computer stuff, the USA (and everywhere else) is
> about as close as it is possible to come to a pure capitalist
> environment. This has been true for years. It is _why_ computers are so
> dirt cheap.
That is why we have an illegal monopoly in th computer industry. Contrary to popular opinion PCs are not "dirt cheap." The price of acquisition may be low, but the total cost of ownership is high.
>
> > Microsoft is in violation of the laws of the USA.
> >
>
> If this refers to the widespread acceptance of the Windows OS, what
> is the alternative?
No, this refers to the illegal activities Microsoft engaged in to dominate the computer industry.
>Users and developers will always move toward a
These are only your opinions, presented as facts, to rationalize the acts of a company that engages illegal activities
>
> ....
> >
> > They give products away for free to put competitors out of business.
> > That's illegal in the USA.
> >
> ....
>
> More vague, unsupported charges. If giving away a product free is
> such an evil practice, then, supposedly, Netscape is even more evil than
> Microsoft. Netscape makes the most popular browser and they give it away
> free and this has surely wiped out competitors.
The fact that Microsoft gave Explorer away for free, then forced OEMs to
bundle it when that wasn't good enough, is neither vague nor
unsupported.
Netscape sold their browser until they were nearly bankrupted by
Microsoft's illegal activities.
>
> Of course, there is nothing bad or evil about Netscape's approach.
> Companies give away free product all the time. Apple used to give
> computers to school districts (and, in the process, helped establish a
> base of educational users).
Most users were expected to buy Netscape's browsers.
One of the biggest myths about Apple is that they gave away computers to be accepted into schools. Apple gave discounts, not free computers. Every computer maker gives discounts to schools, even IBM, with there Eduquest program.
>
> Netscape is just responding to market realities. So is Microsoft.
Microsoft is using it's monopoly on the desktop to monopolize another
market. That is the market reality.
>
> Since Microsoft can easily demonstrate that it has owned and
> produced the standard OS for years, it will be nearly impossible to show
> that Microsoft had any motivation to damage anyone in order to sell the
> next version of its OS.
The number of companies that Microsoft has destroyed even though they did not threaten Windows has almost become to large to count, let alone remember.
>
> Inclusion of a browser and other features in Windows 98 is simply
> an instance of maintaining control of essential features of ones
> product. It does not prevent other companies from modifying their
> products to accommodate the dominant OS.
This is pure nonsense. The Mac OS allows its users their choice of browser, and yet Apple maintains full control of the Mac OS.
>
> A good example of what happens when you lose control of your
> product's major features is Apple's sorry performance as a PC
> manufacturer. Apple can make no significant changes to its product
> without sacrificing compatibility and/or increasing costs.
This is more nonsense. Apple has not lost control of its major OS
features, and it doesn't have to integrate a browser into the OS to have
this control. Apple has made many significant changes, and continues
to make them, without sacrificing compatibility or increasing training
costs. You are confusing the OS upgrade situation in Windows with that
of the Mac OS.
>
> Consequently, Apple has little to offer shoppers vis-a-vis cheapo
> slap-together PC's except a higher price tag. Were Apple to introduce a
> new high-performance non-PC Apple II, it would regain control of its
> product and be in a position to win a significant share of the home and
> education markets.
Apple has far more to offer its customers than any PC maker can ever hope to. The Macintosh represents the best hardware and software value on the market, as it is easier to learn, cheaper and easier to maintain, and has more software available for it than PCs, as we can run Mac, Windows, Unix, and Apple II applications on the Mac.
> Unlike Apple leadership, Microsoft management understands the need
> to control vital features of its primary product. It helps to explain
> why Microsoft is prosperous while Apple skates from quarter to quarter
> on the verge of collapse.
Microsoft engages in illegal monopolistic practices, because it fears honest open market competition, where its products would have to survive on their merits.
Apple has been profitable for the last two quarters, during which time they made more profit than the number one PC maker, Compaq.
The only thing that brought Apple "to the verge of collapse" is the illegal monopoly created by Microsoft.
>
> >
> > > Why do you think MS is immoral? Because they sell software?
> >
> > Because they sell software that they have stolen from someone else.
>
> If you are bound and determined to grasp at any straw as an excuse
> to ban Microsoft's OS, fine. Go to CNET Shareware, download Bob and
> Ollie's Zippy OS, and install it. Just do not post some whining
> complaint when BattleZone crashes or Lara Croft turns up looking like a
> boy.
Pointing out all the theft and illegal activities done by Microsoft is hardly "grasping at straws." Those problems you mentioned are much more likely to happen in Windows, BTW. You'd give the same "stop whining response anyway."
>
>
> Rubywand
Edwin
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