FC: Replies to DoJ's Joel Klein and breaking up Microsoft

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

***********

> From: "Phillip Hallam-Baker" <hallam () ai mit edu>
> To: <declan () well com>, <politech () vorlon mit edu>
> Subject: RE: DoJ's Joel Klein explains why judge must break up Microsoft
> Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 13:06:43 -0400
>
> Klein is an utter fool.
>
> AT&T was an absolutely hidebound monolith that refused to countenance the
> slightest innovation. Comparing Microsoft to AT&T is just ridiculous.
>
> AT&T had an absolute monopoly on providing telephone service, there was no
> other provider to turn to.
>
> Neither the infrastructure used to deliver telephone service nor the service
> itself changed measurably from the invention of the Strouger automated
> telephone exchange to the breakup. The principle complaint made against
> Microsoft is that they unfairly compete by outdeveloping their competitors,
> matching them feature for feature for as long as it takes them to tire.
>
> So Klien thinks a browser takes 'hundreds of millions to develop'. I got
> news for him. We wrote three browsers at CERN and none had so much as an
> entire man year spent on them. If it wasn't for the junk thrown in by
> Netscape there would still be viable open source alternatives to IE and
> Netscape.
>
>                 Phill



***********

> From: "ahf" <ahf () tekintel com>
> To: <declan () well com>
> Subject: Re: DoJ's Joel Klein explains why judge must break up Microsoft
> Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 14:22:30 -0500
>
> Declan;
>
> A lot of real muddled thinking here.  Anyone who starts off by equating The
> Bill of Rights and the Constitution with an Act of Congress needs to revisit
> Constitutional Law 101.  The Congress can change the Sherman Anti-Trust Act
> anytime it wishes.  And so it can with the other laws to do with
> anti-competitive behavior.  I predict before the next two Congresses, the
> Congress will do exactly that in order to come to grips with global needs.
>
> As far as AT&T is concerned Klein's thinking is nothing more than coming up
> with an example, any example(the only example) that meets his needs to
> rationalize his argument.  Long-distance rates are just one very small part
> of the entire telephone/communications bill that people are paying for.
> What about local rates which are going up at an alarming curve?  This
> argument of AT&T justifying MS breakup is plain nonsense on examination.
>
> What about IBM?  After thirteen years absolutely nothing.  A dropped case
> after tens of millions spent by lawyers on both sides.  IBM changed because
> the technology and the markets changed.  The same thing will happen to MS
> without government interference.
>
> This is all politics, just as the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was.  Politics as
> practiced by Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Novell,etc.
>
> Finally, lets ask Joel Klein where he will be next year.  Looking for a job
> with each and every one of his assistants.  Makes little difference if Gore
> or Bush will be president.  Except that with Bush he will be handed his box
> and the door the day after inauguration.
>
> AHF

***********

> From: Russ <Russ.Cooper () rc on ca>
> To: "'declan () well com'" <declan () well com>
> Subject: RE: DoJ's Joel Klein explains why judge must break up Microsoft
> Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 20:41:33 -0400
> X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21)
>
> Hmm, let's see. There's 100 million users of Office on Windows, 1 million
> Office on Mac, and no Office on Linux. I'm sure the Microsoft Office
> Corporation (MOC) is going to rush right out and try to figure out how to
> put Office for Windows onto Linux, because that Linux market looks sooooo
> lucrative...??? as opposed to, say, trying to put Office on Windows onto the
> other 200 million Windows boxes that don't already run it.
>
> And this is the marketing sensibility that knows what is best for
> competition and innovation?
>
> Cheers,
> Russ - NTBugtraq Editor
> "dot-age" (as in "we're in the dot-age") = senility (source Webster's)

***********

> From: Matthew_G_Saroff () raytheon com
> To: declan () well com
> Subject: Re: FC: DoJ's Joel Klein explains why judge must break up Microsoft
> Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 12:35:13 -0500
>
>         A cogent and well thought out statement.  I agree wholeheartedly.
>         The fact that if one looks at Microsoft products, Basic, (lifted
> from the computer lab of an east coast school (to be fair Netscape did the
> same with Mosaic)), DOS (purchased), Windows (Purchased), Word
> (purchased), Excel (Purchased) there is a common thread.  Microsoft does
> not innovate, it purchases or appropriates.
>         If Microsoft were a true innovator, we would be using MultiPlan
> for our spreadsheets.
> --
> Matthew G. Saroff
> The Opinions Expressed are not those Raytheon.
> Which is why the stock is tanking.

***********


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology
To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html
This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------