Re: interface based monopolies

[Jordan Pollack <pollack@cs.brandeis.edu>]

  Alan and Hans replied to my suggestion to nationalize
  the windows API as (essentially): 
  
  >"sun and netscape arent problems; lets worry about microsoft first"
  
  My point is that a case against Microsoft needs to be drawn in the
  public interest, on historic principles which would apply to all,
  rather than as a fight for wealth among charismatic, cherubic, or
  geeky technology CEOs.
  
  I also think that a general piling on to Bill Gates as a paranoid
  world conquerer, a.k.o napolean or hitler, is the wrong approach. it is
  also a hard ball to get rolling now that MS advertises in all major
  media and can stop advertising in those who cover Nader's meeting.
  (For all we know, IE is the official browser for the democratic and
  republican parties, except in Utah!:) 
  
  Finally, if MS perceives that laws are written just to punish it, it could
  easily buy a Berne Convention signatory island nation, which would
  welcome infinite returns. And the US immigration department has no way
  of evaluating source code for value to charge an export tariff.
  
  Professor Jordan B. Pollack   DEMO Laboratory, Volen Center for Complex Systems
  Computer Science Dept, MS018  Phone (617) 736-2713/Lab x3366/Fax x2741
  Brandeis University           website: http://www.demo.cs.brandeis.edu
  Waltham, MA 02254             email: pollack@cs.brandeis.edu