Re: Evidence of tying

[Alan Glanz <aglanz@idsyst.com>]

  David --
      In my opinion, you really didn't address Jim's core issue here.
  That is, my question to you would be: WHEN did the consent decree
  change?  My hunch is that it was after Windows already had the monopoly
  on the desktop PC OS business.  If not, feel free to correct me.  I am
  really asking -- this isn't just rhetorical.  Either way, though, I
  think I would agree with Jim that this kind of behavior, no matter when
  it occurred, is classic Microsoft -- bullying and amounting to unfair
  business practices.  As I've written to Gates himself, "Stand or fall on
  the basis of the quality of your software, not on bullying tactics".
       It's interesting, by the same token, that now this same bullying by
  MS is being played out in the BROWSER business.  That is, after Compaq
  established a relationship with Netscape and began putting Navigator on
  the desktop of new PC's, a Compaq executive was told by a Microsoft
  executive "Put IE on the desktop, or you don't get Windows licenses".
  Unfortunately, Compaq really felt they had no choice (as they said, "We
  can't very well deliver a PC without an OS"), and backed down to stay
  legal (and probably maintain other business ties the two companies
  share).  Admittedly I don't know all of the legalities of the situation
  (as you can see here from my wording), but I'm amazed that people
  continue to defend Microsoft after the NUMEROUS shady practices they've
  engaged in have been brought out into the light over the last few
  months.  Again, I don't mean this as rhetorical -- I really am just
  trying to understand where you're coming from.
  
  Alan Glanz
  
  David E. Y. Sarna wrote:
  
  > It is no longer Microsoft's policy to compel buying unneeded /unwanted
  >
  > licenses. The consent decree already fixed that. Note that now that
  > OEMs
  > do have a choice, they are basically choosing to do what they did
  > before, because that's what the market wants.
  >
  > Regards,
  > David E. Y. Sarna       davids@objectsoftcorp.com
  > ObjectSoft Corp. (NASDAQ:OSFT)    http://www.objectsoftcorp.com
  > 433 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack, NJ 07601
  > Tel.: (201) 343-9100    Fax: (201) 343-0056
  >
  > > -----Original Message-----
  > > From: jimsmith@ideas4you.com [SMTP:jimsmith@ideas4you.com]
  > > Sent: Monday, November 03, 1997 8:46 AM
  > > To:   David E. Y. Sarna
  > > Subject:      RE: Evidence of tying
  > >
  > > In
  > >
  > <58532D5A7331D1118E670060971996F502AB91@production.objectsoftcorp.com>
  >
  > > ,
  > > on 11/03/97
  > >    at 08, "David E. Y. Sarna" <David@objectsoftcorp.com> said:
  > >
  > > *  Different strokes for different folks. Freedom of choice. It's
  > the
  > > *  American way.
  > >
  > > I agree entirely, David, but that is NOT the case here.
  > >
  > > Case in point, try to order a computer system from anywhere without
  > > an
  > > operating system installed, or without bundled software.  You can
  > only
  > > get
  > > such a system by purchasing the individual components and assembling
  >
  > > it
  > > yourself.  Or, if they will sell it to you without the bundled
  > stuff,
  > > they
  > > won't give you a discount from the regular price.  Guess why?
  > Because
  > > Microsoft compells them to buy an OEM license for every single
  > system
  > > they
  > > sell, whether the OS is installed or not.  This, while perhaps not
  > > illegal, is certainly an unfair trade or business practice, which
  > > costs
  > > all of us extra money we wouldn't otherwise have to spend.
  > >
  > > So, where's the freedom of choice for the user who doesn't want the
  > > hassle
  > > of building the system, but does want to install their own OS?
  > >
  > > Where's the freedom of choice for the OEM to install the customer's
  > OS
  > > of
  > > choice?
  > >
  > > And don't say that he doesn't have to purchase products from MS,
  > that
  > > flys
  > > in the the face of freedom of choice, again.
  > >
  > >
  > > --
  > >
  > > Jim...
  > >
  > >  Way Down Upon the Suwannee River 
  > >          White Springs, Florida
  > >
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