The government looks at monopolistic practices to determine if a company of a monopoly. The EU believes Microsoft is monopoly. Quite frankly I was suprised how easily Microsoft got off. Part of the problem is that a portion of the republican part is very libertarian at heart.
----- Original Message ----- From: DJA <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Main Discussion List for KPLUG" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Google office (Microsoft officals predict) Date: Fri, 06 May 2005 14:08:30 -0700 > > Todd Walton wrote: > > On 5/5/05, DJA <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > >> In practical economic terms Microsoft /is/ a monopoly in the operating > >> system market. In that market Linux is still little more than a Glob Fly. > > > > > > Well, "monopoly" usually means something more than just > > successful. It usually implies some kind of extra-market > > wrong-doing. > > > > -todd > > But being BIG in the marketplace is part of the definition of a > monopoly. Pretty tough to be unsuccessful and be a monopoly, and > vice versa without being either the government or government > subsidized. > > My point was that it is unfair to imply that because Linux exists > as a competitor that that is evidence that Microsoft is not really > a monopolist after all. > > To me, neither Linux nor Google are relevant examples of successful > competitors against Microsoft's anti-competitive and monopolistic > business practices anyway. > > Linux is not company, and not a product in the usual sense. It > exists within a completely different business model and can be > successful even if M$ were the only company in its own markets > (unless of course M& were able, through government manipulation, > outlaw Linux altogether). A better example if we insist on focusing > on Linux, would be Redhat. > > > And Google is not really in Micro$oft's market (yet). It looks like > they want to be, but so far only seem to be as significant to > Google as Linux is to M$ in economic terms. M$ exerts no > monopolistic control over the search engine market. As successful > as it is, at this point in time, neither does Google. > > -- Best Regards, > ~DJA. > > > -- [email protected] > http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list -- ___________________________________________________________ Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
