Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Annual Cost of Microsoft Monopoly: $10 Billion

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the that's-a-lotta-license dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft's deals with major PC vendors lock users out from alternative options, such as Linux. A recent whitepaper calculates that the cost to industry of this Microsoft monopoly is $10 billion per year."

23 of 713 comments (clear)

  1. Poor Apple by databyss · · Score: 5, Funny

    Poor apple topic sandwiched between two microsoft topics...

    I predict apple juice.

    --
    Hmmm witty sig or funny sig? Maybe elitest techy sig!
  2. $10 Billion... by Alien+Being · · Score: 2, Funny

    right from the community chest. That's a lot of little green houses and red hotels.

  3. Rich Uncle PennyBags would be shocked! by ballstothat · · Score: 5, Funny
    10 billion! Wow... that's like... 5 million hotels on boardwalk!

    I pity the thimble that lands there!

    --
    10
    20 Print "Balls To That"
  4. Re:10 Billion? What? by Realistic_Dragon · · Score: 4, Funny

    I calculated that numbers pulled out of asses cost the industry $98.2 billion last year!

    --
    Beep beep.
  5. Somewhere in Redmond... by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 5, Funny
    Bill is standing in front of a huge monitor displaying all the major hardware vendors. With a fluffy white cat on his lap and a pinky delicattely placed next to his mouth, he announces to the group that if they do not want his support revoked, they will have to pay, "One hundred Meeeellion dollars."

    The vendors laugh and a hush falls over the Redmond conference table. "Fine," replies Bill, calmly stroking the cat before deftly returning his pinky to his lips, "One hundred Beeeellion dollars!"

    "Shit," reply the executives.

    --
    If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
  6. Re:10 Billion? What? by Glog · · Score: 2, Funny

    Here's how they come up the number:

    10 spread butt cheeks
    20 pull digit
    30 if count(digit) 8 goto 10

  7. That's nothing compared to......... by ARRRLovin · · Score: 2, Funny

    ....the time we waste at work on the internet! ~$750B.

    --
    -Randy
  8. My Resume Cover Letter by jayhawk88 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dear Universities, Think Tanks, Consulting Agencies, and all other interested parties:

    I would like to apply for the job of "Guy that pulls numbers out of his ass". I feel that my ability to pull numbers out of my ass qualifies me as an excellent candidate for this position. To demonstrate, please allow me to give some examples:

    $4.3 Billion
    $350k per year
    $20.34 for every person in the United States

    Please note how I was effortlessly able to adjust the meanings of the ass-pulled numbers by adding descriptive phrases, while still distancing the numbers from any real facts or statistics. I realize that it takes more than pulling numbers out of my ass to succeed in todays competitive white paper/consulting/propoganda market, and feel that I can be a great benefit to your company.

    1. Re:My Resume Cover Letter by lucabrasi999 · · Score: 2, Funny
      I would like to apply for the job of "Guy that pulls numbers out of his ass".

      Dear Jayhawk88,

      Thank you for your interest in my company. Normally, we would definitely be interested in hiring a "Guy that pulls numbers out of his ass". However, I regret to inform you that we will not be hiring any time soon. I will keep your resume on file, for we do plan on hiring again -- in about 25 years.

      Sincerely,
      Bernie Ebbers

  9. Re:$AUS10 Billion by lucabrasi999 · · Score: 3, Funny
    But this is what, $42.00 in American currency?

    They said Australian Dollars, not Canadian Dollars.

  10. Re:Dropping... by bodester17 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I would go with....hype.

  11. Oooo! A new whitepaper! by ThinkFr33ly · · Score: 2, Funny
    Slashdot User's Whitepaper Analysis Code:
    if(isWhitePaperAntiMS)
    {
    this.RTFA = false;
    TakeAtFaceValue();
    AddAsYetMoreEvidenceOfHowEvilMSIs();
    }
    else
    {
    this.RTFA = ((new Random().Next(0,2) % 2) == 0);
    ClaimBias();
    DismissAsIgnorantRamblingsOfTheUneducated();
    }
  12. Hi... by Tebriel · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd like a big mac, a large fries, and a bullshit statistic to go, please.

    --
    The Blaster Master Fighting for Truth, Justice, and Evil Pie since 1979
  13. Re:Blatant Example of Microsoft Monopoly by dfiguero · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now someone tell me how Microsoft prices Windows XP $20 cheaper than the same PC with a free operating system.

    Easy:

    They have this deal where clippy will work their helpdesk for X amount of time for every copy of Windows sold...

    --
    My penguin ate my sig
  14. Re:Apple is a worse Monopoly in my opinion. by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 3, Funny

    Why don't you buy yourself a dictionary and look up the word "monopoly" then come back here and tell us what Apple has a monopoly on? OK, thanks, bye.

  15. Re:Apple is a worse Monopoly in my opinion. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Build me an XBOX then.

  16. Re:Of Course! by NickFortune · · Score: 2, Funny
    In the grand scheme of things $10 billion is not a lot of money. But keep subscribing to that FUD.

    Astroturfing again, Bill?

    --
    Don't let THEM immanentize the Eschaton!
  17. Re:Of Course! by sik0fewl · · Score: 3, Funny

    There's not much different when you're coding C++ for Windows or Linux. Or Java. Or Perl. Or [insert language here].

    Visual Basic?

    *ducks*

    --
    I remember when legal used to mean lawful, now it means some kind of loophole. - Leo Kessler
  18. Re:Dropping... by Coryoth · · Score: 2, Funny

    The number one fastest in what way? Revenues? Profits? Employees? Hype?

    Slavishly devoted fanboys. Apple absolutely leads the commercial OS market in blandly devoted fanboys. Of course in the whole OS market they are a distant second to Gentoo, but their current growth rate in mindless followers is much better than Gentoo which peaked a while ago.

    *(Not to knock Apple or OS X, they are a company that produces decent hardware and a fine OS, they just seem to have a side effect generating vocal mindless zombie followers as well as normal users).

    --
    Craft Beer Programming T-shirts
  19. Monopoly? You should try TREK! by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 2, Funny
    You should see what MS is able to do, now that they have embraced and assimalated Unix! This is just from the public Beta - but watch out!

    [dehli001] ~ > ssh 127.0.0.1
    jahangir@127.0.0.1's password:
    Welcome to the Interix UNIX utilities.

    DISPLAY=localhost:0.0

    Man, this was cool, no? Well then, check this out!

    5 Klingons
    4 starbases at 3,1, 0,2, 7,2, 1,3
    It takes 250 units to kill a Klingon

    Short range sensor scan
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    0 * . . . . . . . . . 0 stardate 2300.00
    1 . . . . . . . E . . 1 condition GREEN
    2 . . . . . # . . . . 2 position 3,1/1,7
    3 . . . . . . . . . . 3 warp factor 5.0
    4 . . . . . . . . . . 4 total energy 5000
    5 . . . . . . . . . . 5 torpedoes 10
    6 . . . . . . . . . . 6 shields up, 100%
    7 . . . . . . . . . . 7 Klingons left 5
    8 . . . * . . . . . . 8 time left 8.00
    9 . * . . . . . . . 9 life support active
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

    This is just beta. Wait untill we see what they're working into XBox!

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  20. Re: Of Course -- People could get used to... by ch424 · · Score: 2, Funny

    using Linux by learning to setup a Cron job to start Openoffice an hour before they get to work, so that it's just about ready when they arrive!

  21. Re:Blatant Example of Microsoft Monopoly by dotpavan · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now someone tell me how Microsoft prices Windows XP $20 cheaper than the same PC with a free operating system.

    simple math! it is because XP is worth -$20 :)

  22. Re:Must be two major reasons, then. by 1u3hr · · Score: 2, Funny
    $600 for Office is not a lot of money, try hiring a personal secretary to do what you're able to do with the Office tools.

    Don't complain it costs $20 for a CD. Try hiring the Rolling Stones to play in your living room.