I in no way want to open a Pandora's box, but several comments have been posted on the board seeking active comments against Microsoft. I believe, totally, in capitalism. So, I can't be against capitalism. Not being an insider, I am lacking in knowledge some of you may have. I don't use a lot of products some of you may utilize. I do not attend the trade shows. I love the Apple, but I in some way equate Apple to Ben & Jerry's. I believe they (B&J) abandoned their ideology at crunch time. I was employed by the local Bell company. AT&T was considered a monopoly. I spent my entire career fighting with management over their (middle managers) petty concerns with CYA practices. I have seen a lot of good over the split of AT&T and the Bells. But, the competitors (I won't mention names) are as ruthless or more ruthless than AT&T ever was. I am a retired employee and my phone bill is 10 times what it was. I agree with George Will. We cannot survive as capitalists without government regulations/laws and oversight. A reformed German Communist named Willi Schlamm once said that the "problem with capitalism is capitalists; the problem with socialism is socialism." I consider this axiom when I look at Apple and/or Microsoft. It ain't the company, its the people who run the company. I've been told that General Motors has a huge building in Washington, DC which houses hundreds of attorneys who's only function is to see that GM does not break anti trust laws. If the government can break AT&T and keep a watchful eye on GM, I'll hope they can do the right thing with other's who may cross that line. Business is marketing a product that meets a customers needs, price and satisfaction. I'm not sure where being nice to your competitor fits in. I've always heard that Apple's problem was its ideology. It would please me if Apple had a larger share of the market. And, I'm not unhappy with the price of a Mac. Please don't yell at me. Bernard Griffis
The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will be January 22. For more information, see <http://www.aye.net/~lcs>. A calendar of activities is at <http://www.calsnet.net/macusers>.
