🚀 go-pugleaf

%% Regarding Re: Free capitalism <> Microsoft (Re: Windows 95 & OS/2;
%% jshi...@inri.com (Jason Shiffler) writes:

    .The point is that OEMs have to pay for Weeniedoze wether they put
    .it on the PC they sell or not, so they would have to pay twice if
    .they would preload another OS. Competition is very tough, so they
    .can't afford this. This is the reason why every PC comes with
    .windoze. Yes, there are alternatives, but if the customers want 
    .other OS's, _they_ have to pay twice. Free market - NOT! 

    js> this is very true, and is due to the fact that many of the
    js> computer manufacturers's bowed down to microsoft. instead of
    js> challanging them they said okay you win.

Ahh, this is a little naive.

The fact is, microcomputer manufacturers didn't bow down voluntarily,
they were *forced* to acquiesce because of Micro$oft's massively
dominant position in the market (read: monopoly, unfair advantage,
etc. :)

Micro$oft said "if you want to ship Windows bundled on your systems, you
have to accept our terms".  Sure, some company could have refused and
said to their potential customers "hey, you can't get Windows from us
like you can with all those other computer companies, but you should buy
from us anyway because we're standing up for the little guy!"  Somehow I
doubt that would work as a marketing strategy.

About the only thing that could have stopped Micro$oft would be *all*
the manufacturers banding together and rejecting Micro$oft's demands in
a united fashion.  I'm sure we can all guess what the chances of that
are/were.

This is actually a prime example of *why* people are upset at Micro$oft
and consider them too big and powerful for a healthy, competitive
software industry.

At any rate, isn't this an old point?  Didn't the Government force
Micro$oft to use per-copy licensing instead of "bulk" licensing already?
-- 
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 Paul D. Smith <psm...@baynetworks.com>         Network Management Development
 Senior Software Engineer                                   Bay Networks, Inc.
-----------------------------------------------==<http://www.baynetworks.com/>-
 "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist
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     These are my opinions--Bay Networks takes no responsibility for them.