> But, doesn't marketplace dominance determine what is best? I thought > that concept was the whole theory of how the almighty marketplace > sorts out the wheat from the chaff.
Best? I don't know if it determines what is "best." A market gives choices from which to choose. Products and services sell well or don't sell well at all for all variety of reasons. Keep in mind what a market is. It isn't an unthinking behemoth, like the state, but a collection of inputs, outputs, information and decisions made by millions and millions of atomized actors. Is your snideness indicating that you think a central authority could do a better job at determining people's choices? Should we look to our "betters" and follow their leads? Or should we allow people to make choices based on their needs and/or wants and respect their choices? > All I ever hear is how MS Windows > commands over 90% of computer sales, and therefore that means > computers with that OS installed at the time of purchase are the best. If that's your definition of what is "best," than sure, it's the best. It's clearly a market leader, so perhaps it is. iPods are similarly market leaders by a wide margin. Based on sales, Windows certainly is what is best for the vast majority of consumers, as are iPods. YMMV. > In addition to their cheap cost, don't most people buy Windows > machines because "everyone else" has one? How can so many people > possibly be wrong? I don't know why people buy Windows over Macs, or Macs over Windows. But, somehow, you know that they are wrong for making one choice over another. That's a really neat trick. How is it that your preference is an objective standard? ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
