Tom's comment had been in reply to a discussion of multiple
incompatible phone systems. It is well documented that MS
has fostered their incompatible systems in an attempt to gain
advantage. This is a frequent subject for analysis in economics
texts. It was entirely appropriate for Tom to bring it up as a
parallel example to the phone systems, but it was wrong for
him to attribute a significant proportion of US business'
behavior to the following of MS' example. This has been going
on for much longer than MS has been any kind of power.
David
Tom: But here we are wiser. Taking cues from Microsoft, US
businesses have
learned the benefits of incompatibility. The best way to retain
clients
is to make them fearful of using any system but yours.
Chris: Well played! Nice job of working a gratuitous potshot at MS
into a
conversation that has no relation whatsoever to anything that MS
does.
Mike: Tom's head will explode if every so often he doesn't take
cheap nonsensical
shots at MS.
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