[Am-info] Gateway Official Hits Microsoft Licensing In Testimony

[John Poltorak]

On Tue, Mar 26, 2002 at 07:02:11AM -0500, John J. Urbaniak wrote:
> 
> 
> John Poltorak wrote:
> 
> >
> >
> > There is no debate about that here. The only problem is getting the msg
> > out. Microsoft seems to have effectively silenced all opposition so there
> > is no competitor around whom Microsoft dissentors can unite in an effort
> > to be heard.
> >
> > The big PC boys don't want to upset Microsoft by offering naked PCs
> > because they will be punished as IBM was by chosing to offer an
> > alternative. The courts should have punished Microsoft very heavily for
> > doing what it did to IBM when any semblance of an alternative was snuffed
> > out.
> 
> No.  IBM should have continued the fight, in the market and in Court.

If they had continued the fight in the market the PC company would have 
gone bust because its Windows licenses would have cost so much more than 
everyone elses. No one else was interested in offering an alternative to 
Windows. From IBM's perspective the PC division was more important than 
the division which produced OS/2.

We have seen from the four year debacle who ineffective the US courts are 
and Microsoft have a long history of running rings round and making a 
mockery of the US justice system. 

> But IBM sold out.
> 
> It remains to be seen what Gerstner got in return for his betrayal.
> 
> John
> 
> 


-- 
John