Neowin.net

You must be psychic, being able to say "they did threaten them" from the following paragraph:

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Massachusetts told the court that it is investigating whether Microsoft used illegal means to punish a computer manufacturer for promoting rival operating system Linux, whether it violated an exclusive dealings prohibition, and whether it failed to properly disclose communications protocol information, among other things. The allegations were based on complaints and tips, and have not been proven, the state told the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia July 3.

Oh sure, they no proof on the linux thing. They still did threaten computer manufactuers to pull Windows. Finally, something to be proud about my state for.

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Oh sure, they no proof on the linux thing. They still did threaten computer manufactuers to pull Windows. Finally, something to be proud about my state for.

Unfortunetly there are many Microsoft lovers who visit here that refuse to accept any wrong doing on Microsofts part. Microsoft has a long history of bullying the competition, and its vendors.

Even the online store Tiger Direct said that Microsoft threatened them to only sell Windows software.

People are living in a fantasy world if they think Microsoft is such a great company.

Ironicly, it's Microsoft's bullying and trying to close the market to competion thats going to end up making sure they lose the market, thats how it seems to work, and Microsoft can't say Windows is better then Linux if they are doing everything to stop Linux being adopted, if Windows is really better then Microsoft shouldn't fear it and should compeat farely, Microsoft are heading down the same path of boom and bust with the windows market.

Also, Microsoft with SCO's help are giving Linux something it despratly needs, it's helping to promote it so more people know about Linux, almost the same way it happend with Napster and we all know what happend there.

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Unfortunetly there are many Microsoft lovers who visit here that refuse to accept any wrong doing on Microsofts part. Microsoft has a long history of bullying the competition, and its vendors.

I'm not saying that. It's stupid to think that Microsoft is always going to continue doing what they did in the past, especially with DOJ breathing down their backs. Maybe this happened, but it's foolish to assume it did happen from that one paragraph.

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Even the online store Tiger Direct said that Microsoft threatened them to only sell Windows software.

Yes, and so what? Their argument got ripped to shreds considering it wasn't illegal, and that Linux was free. How can you undercut a free product?

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Microsoft can't say Windows is better then Linux if they are doing everything to stop Linux being adopted

According to that argument, IBM can't say Linux is better than Windows even though it's doing everything to stop Windows from taking Linux's place.

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Finally, something to be proud about my state for.

What exactly is it that you're proud of? That your state is pissing away millions of dollars of its taxpayers money? That your state Attorney General is advancing his political career at your expense?

That is what all these state lawsuits are all about: "Look at me! I fought the Big Bad Microsoft on your behalf! You can now all live safer, more productive lives thanks to me! And I will continue to fight these murderous software companies if you elect me Governor!"

Well, I'm happy that your state has so successfully eliminated murder, rape, assault, robbery, kidnapping, child abuse, and so on that it can afford to spend millions on building some political hack's career.

The problem for Microsoft is that they've lost there vision they used to have, Microsoft when there was a up starting company had a vision to give the best technolgy and to advance computing, but the bigger the company got, the more that vision changed in now where they are trying to protect everything they have even with playing dirty, this is whats bringing Microsoft down, people don't trust them anymore, and ultimately, when people don't trust them, theres only one way they can go and thats down, but that doesn't mean the company will die or anything, it just means they'll be another IBM, a big company but not too much in control of the computer.

Jagged, the problem with that is that Linux and IBM is not doing everything to try and stop the adoption of windows, so that arguement means nothing, Microsoft is trying everything to stop people moving over to Linux, playing dirty, bribeing, and it wont supprise me if they have paid SCO to scare people off, I find it very funny seeing what SCO are doing lately and willing to bet Microsoft are behind it simple because the blame can be put on SCO and not on Microsoft so it doesn't make them look bad.

The truth is, if Windows is better like you and Microsoft keep saying, then tell Microsoft to stop getting desprate with Linux and compeat fair, after all, you keep saying there techonoly is better, if that was the case, they will win all the time because people want the best, but thats not the case, and Microsoft knows this because they are fighting Linux desprately.

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Jagged, the problem with that is that Linux and IBM is not doing everything to try and stop the adoption of windows

Yeah, right. I see their ads all over the place. They have guys who come to our workplace and try to sell us Linux systems. IBM offers us lucrative deals, the same allegedly "unfair" way Microsoft does. The truth is, it's not "unfair" if everyone's doing it. It's business.

The problem is that you don't know what's going on in the real world.

I call that advertizeing Jagged, the Linux deals are better then the Microsoft ones even without them trying to be, beside, you would say things like IBM coming to your work place like that simple because you are pro Microsoft and just like I would with Linux.

I do know whats going on in the real world, you don't want to accept the fact that Microsoft is slowly loseing this, and you know who could be the biggest loses of this?, the countrys that adopt it the slowest, think about it, say all the EU moves to open source software, how much saving would that do to the economy?, not much, but it helps, what Microsoft is doing is helping to hold the US economy back as we all know that Microsoft have more say and power in the US then anywhere else in the world meaning if the US arnt careful, they could get left behind because the fact is, they are moving in big numbers to Linux in Europe and the rest of the world and weather you like it or not, thats whats making sure Linux is here to stay and compeat with Microsoft.

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Look, if MS says, if you also sell Linux with your computers, then we will send our business elsewhere, they should be able to do that. MS can provide their software to whomever they damn well please. If they have stipulations then fine, take it or leave it.

True. Thats the basis of a free market. But microsoft has an illegal monopolyt. You well know that any mainstream PC manufactuer would fail if Microsoft pulled Windows, hence the monopoly buisness. A monopoly is a detriment to the free market, and tends to degrade quality. Its about time this gets fixed before it becomes irreversible.

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But microsoft has an illegal monopolyt.

No, it does not.

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A monopoly is a detriment to the free market, and tends to degrade quality.

We have monopolies in plenty of other areas, and they're not ripping the country to shreds. Monopolies are not by definition illegal, and they are certainly not by definition malicious.

Speaking of monopolies, have you checked out AOL/TW lately?

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Online Services --------------- America Online - over 30 million subscribers CompuServe Interactive Services AOL Instant Messenger AOL.com portal Digital City AOL Europe ICQ The Knot, Inc. - wedding content (8% with QVC 36% and Hummer WinbladFunds 18%) MapQuest.com - pending regulatory approval Spinner.com Winamp DrKoop.com (10%) Legend (49% - Internet service in China) Other Netscape Communications Netscape Netcenter portal AOL MovieFone iAmaze Amazon.com (partial) Quack.com Streetmail (partial) Switchboard (6%) Joint ventures with the following companies ------------------------------------------- Hughes Electronics Corp. 3Com eBay Eastman Kodak Co. General Motors VarsityBooks.com Hewlett-Packard PurchasePro.com VeriSign Inc. Citigroup Ticketmaster Inc. Movietickets.com Homestore Infospace American Greetings TIME WARNER http://timewarner.com/ Time Life Books --------------- Time - Life International Time - Life Education Time - Life Music Time - Life AudioBooks Book-of-the-Month Club Paperback Book Club Children's Book-of-the-Month Club History Book Club Money Book Club HomeStyle Books Crafter's Choice One Spirit International Little, Brown and Company Bulfinch Press Back Bay Books Little, Brown and Company (U.K.) Warner Books Warner Vision The Mysterious Press Warner Aspect Warner Treasures Oxmoor House (subsidiary of Southern Progress Corporation) Leisure Arts Sunset Books TW Kids Leisure Arts Time Warner - Cable/DBS HBO --- HBO Home Video HBO Pictures/HBO Showcase HBO Independent Productions HBO Downtown Productions HBO NYC Productions HBO Animation HBO Sports Cinemax Time Warner Sports International HBO Asia HBO en Español HBO Ole (with Sony) HBO Poland (with Sony) HBO Brasil (with Sony) HBO Hungary Cinemax Selecciones Other Operations HBO Direct (DBS) Comedy Central (50% owned with Viacom) CNN CNN CNN/SI CNN International CNN en Español CNN Headline News CNN Airport Network CNN fn CNN Radio CNN Interactive Court TV (with Liberty Media) Time Warner Cable Road Runner (high speed cable modem to the Internet, with MediaOne Group, Microsoft, and Compaq) Time Warner Communications (telephone service) New York City Cable Group (largest cable cluster in world - over 1.1 million) New York 1 News (24 hour news channel devoted only to NYC) Time Warner Home Theater (Pay-Per-View) Time Warner Security (residential and commercial security monitoring) Kablevision (53.75% - cable television in Hungary) In Demand (with AT&T, Comcast and Co Time Warner Inc. - Film & TV Production/Distribution ---------------------------------------------------- Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Studios Warner Bros. Television (production) The WB Television Network Warner Bros. Television Animation Hanna - Barbera Cartoons Telepictures Production Witt - Thomas Productions Castle Rock Entertainment Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Domestic Pay - TV Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution Warner Bros. International Television Distribution The Warner Channel (Latin America, Asia - Pacific, Australia, Germ.) Warner Bros. International Theaters (owns/operates multiplex theaters in over 12 countries) Time Warner Inc. - Magazines ---------------------------- Time Time Asia Time Atlantic Time Canada Time Latin America Time South Pacific Time Money Time For Kids Fortune Business 2.0 Life Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated Women/Sport Sports Illustrated International SI for Kids Inside Stuff Money Your Company Your Future People Who Weekly (Australian edition) People en Español Teen People Entertainment Weekly EW Metro The Ticket In Style Southern Living Progressive Farmer Southern Accents Cooking Light The Parent Group Parenting Baby Talk Baby on the Way This Old House Sunset Sunset Garden Guide The Health Publishing Group Health Hippocrates Coastal Living Weight Watchers Real Simple Asiaweek (Asian news weekly) President (Japanese business monthly) Dancyu (Japanese cooking) Wallpaper (U.K.) Field & Stream Freeze Golf Magazine Outdoor Life Popular Science Salt Water Sportsman Ski Skiing Magazine Skiing Trade News SNAP Snowboard Life Ride BMX Today's Homeowner TransWorld Skateboarding TransWorld Snowboarding Verge Yachting Magazine Warp American Express Publishing Corporation (partial ownership/management) Travel & Leisure Food & Wine Your Company Departures SkyGuide Magazines Under Warner Brothers Label ------------------------------------- DC Comics Vertigo Paradox Milestone Mad Magazine Time Warner - Music Warner Music Group - Recording Labels ------------------------------------- The Atlantic Group Atlantic Classics Atlantic Jazz Atlantic Nashville Atlantic Theater Big Beat Blackground Breaking Igloo Lava Mesa/Bluemoon Modern 1 43 Rhino Records Elektra Entertainment Group Elektra EastWest Asylum Elektra/Sire Warner Brothers Records Warner Brothers Warner Nashville Warner Alliance Warner Resound Warner Sunset Reprise Reprise Nashville American Recordings Giant Maverick Revolution Qwest Warner Music International WEA Telegram East West ZTT Coalition CGD East West China Continential DRO East West Erato Fazer Finlandia Magneoton MCM Nonesuch Teldec Other Recording Interests Warner/Chappell Music (publishing company) WEA Inc. (sales, distribution and manufacturing) Ivy Hill Corporation (printing and packaging) Warner Special Products Joint Ventures -------------- Columbia House (w/ Sony - direct marketing) Music Sound Exchange (w/ Sony - direct marketing) Music Choice and Music Choice Europe (w/ Sony, EMI, General Instrument) Viva (w/ Sony, Polygram, EMI - German music video channel) Channel V (w/ Sony, EMI, Bertelsmann, News Corp.) Heartland Music (50% - direct order of country and gospel music) MusicNet (w/ RealNetworks, EMI, and BMG) Time Warner - Online/Other Publishing Road Runner Warner Publisher Services Time Distribution Services American Family Publishers (50%) Pathfinder Africana.com Time Warner - Merchandise/Retail Warner Bros. Consumer Products Theme Parks ----------- Warner Brothers Recreation Enterprises (owns/operates international theme parks) Time Warner Inc. - Turner Entertainment Entertainment Networks ---------------------- TBS Superstation Turner Network Television (TNT) Turner South Cartoon Network Turner Classic Movies Cartoon Network in Europe Cartoon Network in Latin America TNT & Cartoon Network in Asia/Pacific Film Production --------------- New Line Cinema Fine Line Features Turner Original Productions Sports ------ Atlanta Braves Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Thrashers Turner Sports Good Will Games Philips Arena Other Operations ---------------- Turner Learning CNN Newsroom (daily news program for classrooms) Turner Adventure Learning (electronic field trips for schools) Turner Home Satellite Turner Network Sales

Sorry about the long post, but the point has to be made that owning a bunch of companies and the majority of the market and using competitive pricing is not illegal.