Re: Microsoft vs. Justice Department

[Tod Landis <landis@cruzio.com>]

  Tibor,
  
  This is not a fair characterization of the situation.  Recently
  Microsoft spent huge sums, I believe millions, to hire the
  principal programmer and principal marketing person for
  Delphi away from Borland.
  
  These are not free market forces at work, although they
  may be legal.
  
  It is important that the Internet not be dominated by a
  single company.  The reason this becomes important to
  the public at large
  is because the Internet is an amazing source of information--
  one that can make up for the fact that our newspapers,
  television networks, etc. are just not spending enough time
  on the important stuff (how many of you know that we
  just spent 3.4 billion dollars to send 72 pounds of
  plutonium into space in a risky launch?)
  
  Tod Landis
  
  Tibor Machan wrote:
  
  > Sounds like a lot of folks here just do not like it that they didn't get
  > in the game early enough and had the support from the public as those who
  > did.  Now I am not an expert on all the details but even reading through
  > the complaints all I can detect is disgruntlement at -- not any bona fide
  > cheating, deception, coercion, etc., on the part of -- Microsoft.  Court
  > cases do not count in my book because the law is completely corrupt as far
  > as dealing with market competition is concerned.  People are convicted of
  > loan sharking, for example, and that is no real crime at all since it
  > means no more than charging high interest in a risky venture.  People are
  > convicted of prostitution, which also is no real crime.  Anti-trust
  > rulings, in general, have nothing to do with real crimes but with belly
  > aching that politicians and their appointees cater to.
  >
  > Tibor Machan
  >
  > .-