Microsoft Hatred FAQ

[Matt Garrish]

"Tim Roberts" <timr at probo.com> wrote in message 
news:a103l1tkejrc99s0385qjqqhm96d46dpc4 at 4ax.com...
> "Jeroen Wenting" <jwenting at hornet dot demon dot nl> wrote:
>>
>>Microsoft isn't evil, they're not a monopoly either.
>>If they were a monopoly they'd have 100% of the market and there'd be no
>>other software manufacturers at all.
>
> This is wrong.  The dictionary definition of a monopoly is when a
> manufacturer has all or nearly all of a market.  Microsoft DOES have a
> monopoly on PC operating systems.
>
> That, in itself, is not necessarily illegal.  However, Microsoft then USED
> that monopoly power to stifle their competition, and that IS illegal.
>
> Part of their behavior really escape me.  The whole thing about browser
> wars confuses me.  Web browsers represent a zero billion dollar a year
> market.  Why would you risk anything to own it?
>

It may not be worth loads of money in-and-of itself now (don't forget 
Netscape wasn't always free, though), but if you control how people view the 
Internet you can make a lot of money in other ways, especially if you build 
your browser into your operating system and warp standards so that people 
who design sites take advantage of the proprietary features. Eventually the 
hope is that your OS and browser will become the only means of accessing the 
internet. And if your OS and browser are the only way to access the 
Internet, who in their right mind would use another system?

Matt