Does Microsoft Cause Lower Software Prices?

Posted by timothy on Sunday January 23, 2005 @11:00AM from the imagine-that dept.

AngusSF writes "OK, slashdotters, , so is this FEE article Antitrust Benefits Consumers? It Just Ain't So! true?" AngusSF quotes from the article: "... as Stan Leibowitz and Steve Margolis have shown in their book, Winners, Losers and Microsoft, in virtually any market that Microsoft has entered (financial software, spreadsheets, etc.), the effect has been a dramatic reduction in prices and an expansion of output and innovation. Software products that do not compete with Microsoft's products fell in price by 12 percent from 1988 to 1995, but by 60 percent where there was competition from Microsoft.", and writes "I'd really like to see some on-line evidence of this. Has Microsoft competition in office suites really cut prices there?"

3 of 726 comments (clear)

Must Be True by fembots · 2005-01-23 11:01 · Score: 5, Funny

Ever since Microsoft entered the desktop OS market, Linux felt so threatened that it's been giving away free source codes!

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Photoshop by mishmash · 2005-01-23 11:17 · Score: 5, Funny

The existance of MSPaint doesn't seam to be making Photoshop more affordable.

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1. Re:Photoshop by nsasch · 2005-01-23 12:41 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Imagine if MSPaint didn't exist. Photoshop would cost even more! But thankfully, I can do everything in paint, from stick figures to solid backgrounds. What can Photoshop possibly do to make it better than MSPaint?!?!?!
  
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