Arthur S. Alexion on Mon, 18 Feb 2002 17:10:11 +0100


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Re: [PLUG] MS Outlaws? (was Fwd: CG: Windows XP warning)


At 12:42 AM 2/18/2002 -0500, you wrote:
paul@dpagin.net wrote:
>> Microsoft also violated § 1 of the Sherman Act by unlawfully tying
>> its Web browser to its operating system.
>
>Isn't this what Konquerer is moving toward?  And what was
>that other Linux product that emulates Outlook?

Although at first glance a comparison between this open-source tool and
its closed-source counterpart seems a bit absurd, these kind of design
decisions are already taking place in Konqueror.

The distinction between KDE and associated projects, including Konqueror and KMail, and MS, and IE and Outlook, goes beyond the not for profits status. Part of the MS decision was based on the virtual monopoly the MS has on the desktop computer OS. In that it controls the OS, it thereby controls the browser and Outlook (reminds me of the old Certs commercial: is it a bad eMail client, or a bad PIM? Why, its BOTH!) markets. Since KDE does not even have a monopoly on the Linux environment, let alone the entire PC market, its inclusion and special support for its browser and eMail client cannot be an exercise of its (non-existent) monopoly power.


(Monopolies are not considered evil, in and of themselves. A lot of utilities are *regulated* monopolies. It is their anti competitive use of their monopoly position which makes them evil. In theory, it is the regulation of certain legal monopolies, like utilities, that prevent them from taking advantage of the consumer through their monopoly power.)

Art



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