"One Bullet is never enough" Paper

[phil hunt]

On 22 May 2002 13:19:49 +0900, Stephen J. Turnbull <stephen at xemacs.org> wrote:
>
>    James> It's going the next step beyond that and unnecessarily
>    James> demonizing the opposition which I find tiresome.
>
>Microsoft is not the threat that the rabid slashdotters claim. 

On its own, no. In concert with pernicious laws such as the DMCA and 
software patents, which can be use to ban compatible software, it 
may be.

> But
>Microsoft got big by directing its strategy at beating (or beating up)
>the competition, not at satisfying the customer.  Sometimes those are
>the same.  Sometimes they aren't.  There may be big social gains to
>reining in Microsoft (and maybe there aren't, of course, since doing
>so requires the presence of Big Government).

Or smaller govmt: repeal the DMCA, abolish software patents.

>Maybe.  I fear Big Government just because it's Big.  Big entities are
>vulnerable to Big mistakes. 

There's also the issue that power tends to corrupt.


-- 
<"><"><"> Philip Hunt <philh at comuno.freeserve.co.uk> <"><"><">
"I would guess that he really believes whatever is politically 
advantageous for him to believe." 
                        -- Alison Brooks, referring to Michael
                              Portillo, on soc.history.what-if