Re: bundling is inherently unfair to consumers

["Eric M. Hopper" <hopper@omnifarious.mn.org>]

On Tue, Dec 14, 1999 at 08:46:41PM -0500, Mitch Stone wrote:
> --- From a message sent by Eric M. Hopper on 12/14/99 7:36 AM ---
> 
>> 	Bundling Windows with half a ton of raw sewage is wrong.
>> Bundling Red Hat with it wouldn't be because you could go get Debian
>> if you wanted.  Bundling it with Mac OS or Solaris is pretty iffy,
>> since they're both monopoly products in their market space.
> 
> All proprietary products are monopoly products "within their market
> space," given that nobody but the owner is able to freely manufacture
> the product.  This is very much in the nature of patents and
> copyrights, and why I find this entire debate so absurd -- the
> definition of "market space" apparently depends entirely on who is
> doing the arguing.

	*nod*  I can see that point, but...

	Suppose Sun did start selling Solaris with a half-ton of raw
sewage?  Basically everybody would start a long and painful trek off of
Solaris and the Sparc platform.  I bet a few places would even buy the
sewage because they were desperate for an upgrade.

	It wouldn't happen with the Mac simply because people who own
Macs have a much lower cost to switch.

	This is one of the reasons I find patent and copyright law to be
somewhat disturbing, and in need of some rethinking.  What would've
happened if Einstein had tried to patent General Relativity, or had
copyrighted the formula 'E = mc^2'?

Hmmmm...  needs thinking,
-- 
Its name is Public Opinion.  It is held in reverence. It settles everything.
Some think it is the voice of God.  Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet
broke a chain or freed a human soul.     ---Mark Twain
-- Eric Hopper (hopper@omnifarious.mn.org
                http://ehopper-host105.dsl.visi.com/~hopper) --