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DOJ Nixes Lax Policy, Hardens Antitrust Enforcement
eldavojohn writes "A policy from the Bush era seen as a hurdle to the government prosecuting companies under antitrust laws has been withdrawn by Obama's Department of Justice. From the article: 'The DOJ's Antitrust Division has withdrawn a September report that "raised too many hurdles to government antitrust enforcement and favored extreme caution" toward antitrust enforcement action, the DOJ said. The change in policy could mean that the department looks harder at the actions of technology vendors such as Google, Oracle and IBM, as detractors have raised antitrust concerns about all three in recent months.' You may recall that Google has come under some antitrust scrutiny recently and the pressure may have just gotten a little more intense."
I should be able to use the Windows Kernel with X, the Windows API on Linux, and Office on Free BSD.
What entitles you to other people's work on terms of your choosing?
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
If someone can explain to me how modding the above as "Troll" is anything other than abuse, I'll be fucking amazed. Hint: It doesn't mean "anything with which I disagree." I see someone let the radical libertarian fundamentalists have modpoints again.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Barking up the wrong tree there, you hideous freak.
Somehow I find it rather a relief to know that you find me unattractive.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Microsoft does not have any "undue influence". They are successful because people want to buy their products. In fact, businesses make billions using Microsoft products.
If you were capable of creating a better value proposition than Microsoft, they could not stop you.
But if people prefer Microsoft, that is not up to you or the government to attempt to destroy.
Also - Microsoft has every right to exist, which is an extension of each of our rights to contract and deal with eachother voluntarily.
The do not exist to "serve the people", they exist because of the focus and desire of the employees to create things, and earn profit doing it. There is nothing to "give back" because they did not take anything from anybody. They *trade* with people - the people who buy their products get the value of using the products, while Microsoft gets the the value paid by the buyer. It is a win-win situation, and if it weren't, nobody is forced to do it.
Mine is Good
The _____ need to go
Now fill in the blank:
blacks
whites
immigrants
unions
rich
poor
people I disagree with
See how much fun you could have if you just go a little further with the "Give ME the gun and I'll make everything right" attitude?
Mine is Good
What gives Microsoft the right to say what I may or may not install on their operating system?
Has Microsoft tried to prevent you from installing something on a windows machine?
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
No, one issue is that by default, the way they have set up OEM licensing, everyone pays for a Microsoft license. Lowering the refund hurdle aside, that's inherently anti-competitive and unrealistic - the vast majority of people are going to use what came with the system, after all, they already paid for it. It works to stifle any competition. Netscape died a painful death.
Netscape died a painful death because they deserved to. Their software sucked and no-one wanted to use it.
Another example. Why is there no competition for MS Outlook? It's a mail program that appears designed to make its users look like drooling idiots. I especially like the " would like to withdraw this message" messages I get all the time. "Oh but the calendar feature is wonderful." I also like how it takes at least 3 or 4 reposts to schedule a meeting and by the time that is accomplished, even Outlook can get confused about the results. (And don't get me started about the idiocy that is top-posting).
There is competition for Outlook, it's just not good enough. The fact you don't like Outlook, does not mean everyone else hates it as well.
You kids have no idea what things were like in the 80s when there was competition, variety and innovation.
I most certainly do remember the '80s, with its patchwork quilt of incompatible, inconsistent, dissimilar software you had to glue together yourself at great expense of both time and money. I'd take the (relatively) consistent, coherent and widely-compatible platforms of today over that in an instant.