Re: Dole on Microsoft

[John Robert BEHRMAN <jbehrman@netropolis.net>]

  Give me a break. It is unlikely that General KLEIN moved against MS without giving
  some notice to the CinC. There is no telling how the White House will come down on
  any final negotiations and settlement. But, there is nothing to negotiate or settle
  unless MS is subjected to some ranging fire at the very least. Do not get overly
  excited and jump to conclusions.
  
  Maybe Saddam HUSSEIN got the better of Bill CLINTON in the last week or so. Maybe
  not. Getting saved from the Americans by the Russians and French could be the
  stupidest move yet by the leader of Iraq. Russia and France seek to market arms and
  oil in Mesopotamia. Would we give them those concessions in return for Saddam's head
  on a plate? Yup. Could Russian and France deliver on that? Yup.
  
  Let me suggest that members of this forum at least try to observe the ongoing legal
  battle with the detatchment of say a Prussian or British observer at one of those
  battles down on Manassas Creek a few years back. Do not exaggerate or underestimate
  either side this early on. Look for vulnerabilities especially in the side that
  seems to be winning at the moment. Recognize that a "decisive result" can be very
  hard to guage at the time or even in hindsight.
  
  Consider Jutland: It was long considered a British naval victory because, in the
  First Sea Lord's words, the Royal Navy did not "lose the war in a day". In fact, ...
  
       1/
       The RN never again put Europe under a general blockade, never entered the
       Baltic so long as the Second or Third Reich had any surface fleet at all; and
       ...
  
       2/
       While the Suez Canal remained open during the First and Second World Wars,
       Britain was subjected to naval blockade twice in this century and lost all of
       its empire save a few American yacht basins and tax havens.
  
  The dreams of nineteenth-century German navalists were never realized, but the more
  practical objectives of Das Heer were realized and, while no slouches, Britannia did
  not rule the waves in this century and certainly does not today.
  
  Similarly, MS does not seem to be able to "break" ISO or RFC standards, such as they
  are, with its 32-bit technology, WindowsNT. That fact alone, gives the DoJ not just
  a very strong case against MS but a remedy for monopolistic practices which rest on
  and in the DOS/Windows kludge. Moreover, the US Government, not just the DoJ, can
  compel almost any settlement it wants by threatening to sap and expose MS foreign
  marketing and collection practices.
  
  In sum, it would be wrong for the US Government to press, say, Netscape's claims
  against MS. If NS can buy Bob DOLE, they can hire Texas Tort Lawyers and bring their
  own case against MS. The US Government should act on behalf of the American people
  generally to uphold traditional marketing and rigorous engineering standards.
  
  Our Government should be slow to act. Our form of limited and federal government is
  not supposed to be a culture of enterprise but of restraint and even decorum.
  However, at the end of the day, a republican democracy should be able to bring
  energetic and massive resources to bear if need be. Pity any as would oppose that.
  
  In this case, the people should stop MS oppression of domestic OEMs and simply keep
  MS from squeezing the last drop of blood out of their old DOS/Windows monopoly. A
  small thing, this should satisfy the claims of Justice and Mercy. The computer
  industry generally and Microsoft's own bankers can sort the rest out in due course.
  
  Yes, MS should be broken up into three companies. But, do not let a court do it. We
  already have MFCs (Microsoft Foundation Classes), we do not need MFJs (Modified
  Final Judgements). DoJ and SEC can get results with a robust mix of law and strategy
  and a few Overseas Intercepts from No Such Agency as we might have and a General
  Communications Headquarters which Her Majesty certainly does have.
  
  So Much For An Archaic Perspective and PLAYON JRBehrman sends.....
  
  James Love wrote:
  
  > Declan McCullagh wrote:
  >
  > > >>Maybe MSFT will hire Clinton in 2000.
  > >>  I believe they hired him a little over five years ago when he was
  > >>first running for President...of course he may have even been on the
  > >>payroll pack when he was only a Govenor.
  >
  >    [snip]
  >
  > > Which of course explains why the Clinton Justice Dept is moving >against MSFT.
  > >
  >
  >     It might explain why Reno did not consult with the White House
  > before filing against Microsoft, as has been widely reported.
  >
  >    jl
  >
  > --
  > James Packard Love
  > Consumer Project on Technology
  > P.O. Box 19367 | Washington, DC 20036
  > voice 202.387.8030  | fax 202.234.5176
  > love@cptech.org | http://www.cptech.org
  
  
  begin:          vcard
  fn:             John Robert BEHRMAN
  n:              BEHRMAN;John Robert
  org:            TETRA ENGINEERING, Inc.
  adr:            1436 West Gray, Nbr 298;;;HOUSTON;Texas;77019;USA
  email;internet: jbehrman@netropolis.net
  title:          Chief Analyst
  tel;work:       713 610 1162
  tel;fax:        713 610 1161
  tel;home:       713 524 4154
  x-mozilla-cpt:  ;0
  x-mozilla-html: FALSE
  version:        2.1
  end:            vcard