Re: How Much Has Bill Overcharged America?

["Scott K. McGrath" <mcgrats@ix.netcom.com>]

  >So how much has Bill Gates overcharged America so far?
  
  That's an irrelevant number.  Professionals pick software based on two criteria
  which are both at level 1.  Functionality (will it do what I want it to do?) and
  Return on Investment (Will I make money by using it.)
  
  If it will do what I want but costs so bleeding much that I won't make money, I
  won't buy it.  If it won't do what I want but is -cheap-, I won't buy it.
  
  Home users generally don't buy s/w.  They buy a PC and use what's on there
  because it's already there.  Mostly if they buy, they buy games or financial
  s/w.
  
  Scott K. McGrath
  mcgrats@ix.netcom.com
  
  
  charles mueller wrote:
  
  >         Pieter Nagel has raised a super question:  "The majority of consumer
  > software is vastly OVERPRICED."  By how much?
  >
  >         It's a critical question in antitrust.  Monopolies overcharge.
  > Important monopolies overcharge a lot.  The size of the overcharge tells the
  > court how important this particular monopoly is.  If it's small change--de
  > minimis, in legal lingo--don't sweat it.  If it's big bucks, maybe we need
  > to do something about it.
  >
  >         The overcharge is the measure of "damages" in antitrust--the
  > magnitude of the injury to the consuming public at large or, in the case of
  > a private plaintiff who's had no choice but to buy from a monopolist for
  > years, how much has been stolen from him.  The lawyers know the judge is
  > going to ask them, "Okay, before you take up too much of my time here, how
  > many dollars are involved?"  The overcharge is number he wants.
  >
  >         So how much has Bill Gates overcharged America so far?
  >
  >         Charles Mueller, Editor
  >         ANTITRUST LAW & ECONOMICS REVIEW
  >         http://webpages.metrolink.net/~cmueller
  >
  >                                                   **************
  >
  > At 08:42 AM 11/21/97 -0500, you wrote:
  > >On Fri, 21 Nov 1997, Luc-Etienne Brachotte wrote:
  > >
  > >> 3 keywords : Microsoft, blessing, inexpensive. (and "easier" also)
  > >
  > >Microsoft kan not possible be inexpensive if it made millionairres
  > >out of so many of its employees. I am of the opinion that the
  > >majority of consumer software is still vastly overpriced.
  > >
  > >     ,_
  > >     /_)              /| /
  > >    /   i e t e r    / |/ a g e l
  > >
  > >