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Microsoft Settles Be Antitrust Suit for $23.25M
ewhac writes "Without admitting wrongdoing, Microsoft today agreed to pay $23,250,000 to Be, Inc., to settle anti-trust claims against the software giant. The payout is anticipated to be used to complete the orderly dissolution of the company. Shortly after announcing sale of key assets to Palm, Be, Inc., filed suit against Microsoft in February 2002, alleging destruction of its business via illegal exclusionary and anti-competitive business practices."
I have to disagree with be's definition of anti-competitive practices.
Be alleges that microsoft created exclusive dealing arrangements with PC OEMs prohibiting the sale of PCs with multiple preinstalled operating systems.
As much as I hate saying it, that's just smart business. It's no different from getting an exclusive military contract for developing warplanes, etc. But, in the end, microsoft won this lawsuit. The original charges were requesting 2 billion dollars!
Oh, and if anyone cares, I use GNU/Linux
And why did you staple the trout to the RAM?
they destroyed Be?
Not Be's business model or practices. Not the fact that noone knew what the hell the target market for BeOS was supposed to be (business? artsy fartsy Mac types? education?). Not the fact that this unknown OS with very little software was sitting next to Windows in Best Buy, and costing twice as much?
So MS says dont bundle our product with this other one, we dont want to be taking support calls for them, we dont want their shit shipping with us. It's like Pantera saying they dont want a Britney Spears track on their next CD. Big deal.
If they were trying to prevent OEMs from shipping another OS altogether, then maybe I'd take up a pitchfork too. Be had a chance to be competitive and chose the whine and sue road to success.
Noone takes responsibility for their own favors anymore. Be failed because Be sucked.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Be was looking for billions as well. Be had about as much of a case as SCO. They both share the whine-and-sue-your-way-to-riches philosophy.
BeOS was a half-decent OS at best, and the company was run by morons. They expected people to pay more for BeOS than Windows 9x? WTF? More for less.
So MSFT pays them a pittance (which is more than they deserve) and tells them to STFU.
The SCO suit will end in the same way. Except slashbots will cheer, because they think the corporate world is like pro wrestling, where you cheer the faces and boo the heels.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
When 8 figures amounts to decimal dust, who cares?
Probably a fraction of what the lawyers were paid, anyway.
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
This reminds me of a satire I once read about the United States. One of the points that the satire makes is that if a country needs money all it has to do is to get the US to bomb them. Then the US will provide them with billions of dollars in relief money. Same can be said of companies competing with Microsoft. Do something that Microsoft doesn't like...Microsft will pay you to keep your mouth shut.
"It's a shame though. BeOS was a pretty nice OS, even if it was unsuitable for the modern world -- a modern OS needs a real concept of security."
You say this while defending Microsoft?
Have you lost your fucking mind?
Have you actually ever really used a computer, or are you just hijacking your buddy's web browser which just happened to be pointed at Slashdot?
Oh, and to answer your other question: 90% of the folks buying PCs at some SuperStore want to use the OS that everyone else uses. Everyone else uses that same OS because everyone else could ONLY buy that OS on a new computer for years and years.
Ergo, Microsoft had a monopoly and used illegal practices to maintain said monopoly.
The average home computer user was immersed in Microsoft, was ignorant of the alternatives, and was too ignorant of technology to even begin to understand HOW to go about investigating an alternative. Microsoft enforced this ignorance.
Microsoft also made it economically difficult for developers to develop for other platforms (both by having the most ubiquitous desktop platform and by manipulating the license of its Developer Kit). Therefore, you see a plethora of applications developed exclusively for the Microsoft platform. Is it because the developers love it, or because it makes them a buck?
In short, you talk good game, but you really don't know shit. You'll notice I haven't opened the topic of Open Source (yet).
I have something in common with Stephen Hawking...