Re: Boycott Microsoft Website

From: "Dennis Moran" <coolio@coolio9.com>

Date: Sat, 22 Mar 1997 00:00:00 +0000

Michael David McGrath <mcgrath@epx.cis.umn.edu> wrote in article
<5gvcns$nsq@epx.cis.umn.edu>...
> In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.970320102239.949B-100000@omni.cc.purdue.edu>,
> Chris Lomont  <clomont@omni.cc.purdue.edu> wrote:
> >P.S. I am not a Microsoft supporter, but I realize that this is the way
> >the business operates. Everyone just wants all this space to operate and

> >make lots of software, but it is simple economics and history to see
that
> >the industry will become controlled by a few superpowers.
> >
>
>     Waitaminute, Chris.  You say Microsoft is not a monopoly concerning
> the software business as a whole.  Of course that's true.  That's like
> saying the AT&T was a monopoly on the telephone, package/mail, and
> transportation (i.e. "communications") business combined when it was
> busted up.  Microsoft does indeed have something close to a monopoly --
> but not on the entire software industry,
> that's ridiculous.  They have a monopoly on the *operating systems*
> market, and as operating systems are a prereq for most to use their
> computers, Microsoft holds a position of substantial power and clout --
> perhaps far more than they should be allowed, considering their dubious
> ethical history.
>

That's wrong. If you considered operating systems as a whole, they only own
a majority of the market, maybe 70% or so. MacOS takes at least 10%, Linux
and OS/2 each have something like 5% market share, and the other various
OSes have the rest.

A monopoly has absolutely *no* competition, while Microsoft does.

>
>     I didn't read the post you responded to, so don't take this as
> any sort of commentary on it.  I just read your post, and saw some of
> the arguments in it as being a little... erm... unusually worded.
> Maybe it's not what you intended to say, but Microsoft could be
> reasonably said to have a near-monopoly -- especially considering
> the rapid rise of home computer usage.  "Alternative" OS'es still have
> some foothold in the market, but that foothold has been, and still is
> slipping rapidly (on a scale relative to the lifetime of a large
> corperation).
>
>      -Mike
>
>

--
Dennis Moran (aka Coolio)
coolio@coolio9.com
http://coolio9.com/

References

Boycott Microsoft Website
Jack Teh <jteh@usthk.ust.hk>
Thu, 20 Mar 1997 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Boycott Microsoft Website
Chris Lomont <clomont@omni.cc.purdue.edu>
Thu, 20 Mar 1997 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Boycott Microsoft Website
mcgrath@epx.cis.umn.edu (Michael David McGrath)
Sat, 22 Mar 1997 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Boycott Microsoft Website
Jack Teh <jteh@usthk.ust.hk>
Thu, 20 Mar 1997 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Boycott Microsoft Website
Chris Lomont <clomont@omni.cc.purdue.edu>
Thu, 20 Mar 1997 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Boycott Microsoft Website
mcgrath@epx.cis.umn.edu (Michael David McGrath)
Sat, 22 Mar 1997 00:00:00 +0000