Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 14:32:18 -0700
From: "Ronald C. Dailey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: software racism ?
On 2002-01-11 [EMAIL PROTECTED] said:
>the Micro$oft ways of doing things. The problem with their holding
>such opinions as those is this:
>If M$ is allowed to get away with such illegal business practices
>with such impunity, then every other business enterprise ought to
>be allowed to get away with the same kinds of shenanigans. What
>if all the other software companies were to go about organizing a
>huge conspiracy to screw with Micro$oft in the same ways that
>Micro$oft is screwing with them?
Why aren't people complaining about AOL/Time Warner? If you want to use
AOL directly, you have to have their software. Perhaps the answer is
that there are still quite a few _other_ providers of access to the
internet so that you don't have to use AOL to get on the net. This deal
that you mentioned regarding MS and AOL could change that. Most people
won't notice because they have been seduced by the AOL ads on TV and
elsewhere and they have signed up and have their buddy lists and so on.
They don't know the difference and don't care.
>Civilized peoples cannot put up with such anarchy as this. The
>same laws must be applied equally to everybody, no matter who you
>are and no matter how much favor you have curried with the
>government.
I don't know whether I'd call the MS monopoly a form of anarchy. It's
more like a form of plutarchy. The way this best works in practice is
that there is an effort to make it _appear_ that the laws are applied
equally. The appearance of fairness is more important than fairness
itself. If things were actually fair and didn't appear to be, no one
would be happy. I'm not saying that this is right, only that this is
the way it has worked throughout history. Sometimes people are treated
fairly and everyone is able to see that it is fair. That's an ideal to
strive for.
Ronald Dailey
--
RCD
Net-Tamer V 1.13 Beta - Registered
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