[Am-info] Re: End Game/ feeble solution

[Norm]

On Mon, 12 Jun 2000 14:39:22 +0200, Case Roole wrote:

>The basic idea behind the split is that MSApps will port its software to other
>platforms to extend its market share and become less dependent of MSOS. This
>should reduce the applications barrier to entry significantly. The availability
>of the monopoly products MS Office (and now) MSIE could make, say, BeOS and
>Linux a viable option for the business market. Thus the middleware threat to
>Windows by Netscape's Navigator would come back with a vengeance in the form of
>Office and MSIE!


     I don't believe there will be much incentive to port M$'s
applications to other platforms either.  IMO this theory is a
pipe-dream.

     But that's only one half of the equation.  Where would
applications like 'M$ Office' or IE be now if M$ hadn't been able to
bundle and/or weld them to the OS??  I have a *BIG* problem with the
fact that this remedy will do nothing to undo the damage that's already
been done, but I do feel a little comfort in knowing that it will make
it much more difficult for M$ to use it's OS to garner marketshare for
any future applications.


>
>For details on this line of thought you could read Rebecca Henderson's
>remedy-supporting brief at: http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f4600/4644.htm
>(start below item 98 for the arguments for these specific remedies)
>
>Of course, MSApps is not forced to port its wares to non-MSOS platforms and I
>don't expect them to do it. After all, extending their market share by porting
>to different platforms would only be interesting if those different platforms
>already have market share. As they don't, the easiest way for MSApps to be able
>to run on all platforms would be to make sure that the MSOS monopoly is
>maintained.
>
>Fortunately, this flaw in the DOJ's remedy is prevented from having a negative
>effect by Microsoft's strategical goal to accept nothing but a carte blanche to
>leverage its monopoly to any new market that it sets its eyes on, a strategy
>that will keep them in court for years to come.
>
>Meanwhile the arguments against Microsoft's position and actions get a chance to
>become more articulated, while Microsoft itself is ever more troubled to
>maintain the consistency of its web of deception. By not accepting the easy
>way out that the DOJ has offered it, Microsoft is keeping its critics mobilized
>which will do it vastly more harm than the DOJ ever could.


     I agree.  By fighting so hard to keep every piece their monopoly
power they can they're loosing the battle for 'mindshare'.  M$ is a
company with quite a few skeletons in the closet, and at this rate they
seem to be making damn sure that sooner or later every one of them will
be dragged out into the open...and I'm getting a front row seat ;-).

--
 ...Cheers,

 ...Norm

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