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IP: Dan Gilmor says "Government should block XP release" and I disagree
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2001 03:50:01 -0400
It is not often I disagree with Dan Gilmor on anything but this time I will. I have been using the XP Professional beta for a while now and have found it remarkably stabile for a beta and with attention paid to some important areas. It does add versions of Media Player and picture aps that are preloaded with it. None of them seem to preempt me from loading alternatives and in fact all the non MS stuff I have still works fine. (side issue I can access Kodak photo processing using the XP tools - not what Kodak seems to say in the press). In the NY Times, Lohr reported I said: " "I think Microsoft could easily undo that if they had a mind to," said David Farber, a computer scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, who testified as an expert witness for the government in the Microsoft case. Indeed, Mr. Farber said Microsoft's current strategy of increasingly delivering Internet services over the Web would work best with software designed as "well-defined modules" instead of the "spaghetti code" of deeply integrated software, bundling all kinds of features into one." and I stand by this but I am opposed to seeing anyone forced to be subject to "prior constraint" on the release of a product while a court and litigants attempt to re-design software by court hearings and legal briefs endlessly blocking what is bad and good and surely that will be the result of any attempt to block Windows XP release. If MS violates the law by releasing Windows XP then let nations, states and parties sue MS and collect large damages (note I said IF). Dan, sounds like a opportunity for a good rousing debate. Dave
From: "Gillmor, Dan" <DGillmor () sjmercury com> To: "'farber () cis upenn edu'" <farber () cis upenn edu> http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/opinion/dgillmor/dg080301.htm Government should block XP release Now that a federal appeals court has reaffirmed its unanimous decision that Microsoft abused its monopoly and stifled innovation -- and now that it's clear that Microsoft has no intention of modifying its behavior -- it's time for a difficult but necessary step. The Justice Department and states must quickly seek an injunction blocking the upcoming release of Microsoft's new Windows XP operating system, at least as it's currently designed.
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- IP: Dan Gilmor says "Government should block XP release" and I disagree David Farber (Aug 03)