Should we trust .NET? (was Re: PHP vs. Python/comp.lang.php?)

[Tim Hammerquist]

phil hunt <philh at comuno.freeserve.co.uk> graced us by uttering:
[ snip ]
> According to Microsoft, open source is un-American. And, also
> according to Microsoft, they are responsible for open source.

I invented software.  So there.  =P

> I guess Microsoft must be un-American.

Funny. DOJ decided the same thing.  =)

My (short-short) argument:

    Many say we should drop the suit because it's costing market
    billions and billions of US$.

    In a perfect economy with perfect competition (ie, if Microsoft
    didn't have a monopoly), the trial wouldn't have cause this.

    If a particular brand of VCR were to go out of business, would
    the market lose billions of $$?  No, chances are they'd just buy one
    of the dozens of VCRs next to it on the shelf.  _This_ is perfect
    competition in a capitalist economy.

    Another term, vital to perfect competition, introduced to Econ 101
    students is "perfect knowledge", which is exactly what linux
    distributions do.

Tim Hammerquist
-- 
I dunno.  Perhaps you should be happy that I have a policy of refraining
from grumbling about handicapped operating systems.  :-)
    -- Larry Wall in <199808291719.KAA12244 at wall.org>