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Microsoft Antitrust Update
You can't help but know that Microsoft and the Department of Justice (plus several of the states that joined in the suit) are attempting to settle their antitrust dispute. The rest of the states are holding out for a settlement with more teeth, or a continuation of the case. A few links from the past few days: The LA Times looks at the states still opposing Microsoft. Microsoft defended the settlement before a Senate committee, which was crippled by political maneuvering (see also the NYT story). The speech given by the CEO of Red Hat is online. Microsoft filed a brief with the court, unsurprisingly urging the court to accept the settlement. The Register has a story on the proposed settlement, which is available at the DOJ Antitrust website. Linuxplanet has some advice for people who want to comment on the settlement - you've got 60 days from November 28. Finally, Microsoft has named two people to help it comply with the proposed settlement.
I officially declare a monopoly on first posts. When does the money start flowing in?
FP!
...how the DOJ (and by extension everyone else)can possibly see that MS is anything BUT a monopoly. They're growing, not shrinking, and the government seems to detect no problem with this. Under the Clinton administration, the DOJ was after MS with a vengeance-- when and why did they lose their cojones?
Moderators on crack.
Man how can this be offtopic.
This place has really turned into 12 yr old script kiddie linux activist newsgroup where you are lambasted for not having the right opinion.
I feel for you Sorthum, I know what these idiots are like.
Dan
TIM: I warned you! But did you listen to me? Oh, no, you knew it all, didn't you? Oh, it's just a harmless little bunny, isn't it? Well, it's always the same, I always--
ARTHUR: Oh, shut up!
(VIVE LES LAPEINS)
And how about spell-checking! And typing that is readable!
Oh, oh, oh! And messages that can be understood by us 'laymen' english speakers!
Regardless of the negative moderation that your comment will surely see, this was a very insightful post. You are absolutely right in virtually all areas and it is such hypocrisy and closed-mindedness that makes the OSS "community" a joke among those with a shred of objectivity remaining. Microsoft earned every nickel of the countless billions in the bank via sound business decisions and, like it or not, idealism in such a cutthroat industry does nothing but give one a sense of misplaced superiority. The Linux apologists of Slashdot are a prime example.
I would say that this comment and the fact that it didnt get modded as a troll pretty much proves that there are more astroturfers on Slashdot than any other demographic. Welcome to MS's pocket Rob.
Oh, and you have a solution?
revolution.
Dogma.
Well, when the X-Box sets a couple dozen apartments, dorm rooms, and/or houses on fire, due to the overwhelming lack of heat dissipation in the unit, that will be a big black eye for MS.
One wonders how they will word the recall annoucement so that they can spin it as not their fault....
I like you, Stuart. You're not like everyone else, here, at Slashdot.
"Go into CompUSA and show me a word processor other than MS Word, or better yet, a spreadsheet other than Excel."
Actually, last time I was in CompUSA I saw a few diferent office type products. A good deal were focused on non-general use, but there were a few all round products. Only reason I noticed was that they were stacked near the Linux area (gasp! An actual linux area in a commercial store!?!?!)
Competition exists, but most people go for what they know. For some reason people will spend $700 on software like this and use 3% of the features than buy a package that is $30 and is narrowly focused on what they need.
clif