Re: How Much Has Bill Overcharged America?

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

  Paul; Question was about "consumer" software, not "business" software.  The difference
  between the two isn't what's purchased, but who it's purchased -by-.
  
  Scott
  
  Paul Ingels wrote:
  
  > Scott,
  > The problem comes when "management" tells the IS department what to buy.
  > That is usually based on high level business decisions or on the old "I
  > run it at Home" syndrom.  That is usually justified (incorrectly) with "I
  > won't have to learn something else, therefore I will be more productive"
  > A good example of this can be seen at:
  > http://www.aberdeen.com/secure/onsite/case1/body.htm
  > Note that this is posted on the company server too.
  >
  > Cost of ownership is a real big one that management preachs, but doesn't
  > live by.  MSIE is a good example.  I work in the IS department of a 1700
  > user MAN.  We have spent almost $1M on firewall systems so you know
  > security is important to us.  Had we gone with MSIE with the release of
  > 3.0, we'd have had to reload it on those 1700 computers when 3.01 came
  > out, again when 3.02 came out, and now with 4.?.  3.0, 3.01, and 4.0 all
  > have security glitches.  Yes the program is free, but to maintain it cost
  > thousands in manhours.  Netscape has had one glitch in that same time
  > frame (infact, it has only had one - not counting beta copies).
  >
  > Also, we have 32 servers running Novell.  There have been 0 AFCERT's
  > (security warnings) on Novell.  There is almost 1 a month on NT or MSIE.
  > Reloading NT on 32 (or more, because NT requires more servers) would mean
  > my people wouldn't have time to do anything else BUT load NT patches.
  > Again, cost or ownership is very high with NT.
  >
  > Paul Ingels
  >
  > Scott K. McGrath wrote:
  > >
  > > >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
  > > > >
  > > > >