Hearthlist Digest #274 - Friday, March 12, 1999 Where is everyone by "Craig Issod" <[email protected]>
(back) Subject: Where is everyone From: Craig Issod <[email protected]> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 13:01:30 -0400 First, I'd like to welcome all the new members to the list. The list is now at over 375, and new requests for subscriptions come in every week. Some of the new members might not be familiar with the way the list works. This list is actually run by YOU, and relies on your input and comments for content. If everyone clams up, then nothing is posted to the list. I occassionally receive comments from people who think the list is broken because of lack of postings. Actually, it's working fine - just waiting for YOU to join in the conversation. I understand that many are "lurkers" choosing to just learn from the few that post, and not sharing thier views and tidbits with us. However,in the end this will make for a very boring list. Press releases covering important topics, such as the purchase or sale of a company...or a completely revolutionary new technology are very welcome. So are released about the HPA show (in general) and other subjects such as Y2K, Fuel prices, Customer Service, Competition..and just about anything else. Since everyone else is so quite, I'll post a recent article I wrote regarding the Microsoft anti-trust case. One interesting note: A Microsoft employee who read this posting (I sent it to our local town email list) stated that he AGREED with virtually all the facts and opinions in the piece. interesting..... Start piece: Start MS Article: The following email contains the authors opinion about the ongoing Microsoft anti-trust (monopoly) case. I feel it is an important issue and would like to shae my views with the list. If you are not into such "geek" type issues, simply delete the email. It might be tough to read for those with no technical background. Thanks.... Why you should care about the Microsoft anti-trust trial Many of you may know that Microsoft is currently on trial for anti-trust violations. The accusation is that MS is acting as a monopoly, with all the assorted evils such as: 1. Destroying Competition 2. Burying Innovation 3. Overcharging 4. Strong Arming Polls show that the "person on the street" is not very interested in this trial, and that most would come down on Microsofts side if they had to decide the outcome of this trial. However, I feel that most people do not have the facts of this matter and might feel differently if they did. Therefore, in the absence of anything better to write, let me spew my views on the subject, gathered from 18 years experience with computers and software of all types. Fist, let me get you up-to-date. Microsoft is doing very badly in the trial, and every indication is that they will be charged with violations. What will be done to them is another story. I doubt the government has the teeth or stomach to do what might need to be done. As you might guess, I think Microsoft has violated many aspects of our nations laws, and in doing so has harmed the industry and consumer in many ways. Where I am coming from: My first computer was an IBM PC running an operating system from Microsoft. I used IBM, Compaq, Acer and other computers for many years, and then "graduated" to Apple Macintosh computers because of their advanced features. I used Microsoft products on my Macs (Word, Excel)- however I stopped using them years ago due to their expensive upgrade policies and the multitudes of "overkill" features (that few people use) in these programs. I am now employed full-time as a computer consultant and internet specialist. I use Mac, Windows and UNIX computer operating systems on a daily basis. The Problem There are many things, both good and bad, that could said about Microsoft. Successful - Definitely Innovative - No, most experts know that Microsoft has bought or copied most of their technology from others..including the entire operating system (DOS) But these qualities have little to do with the problem at hand. The problem is an out-of-control monopoly that threatens the entire computer community and possibly the economy of the country. Let's look at some of the accusations and the explanations: "Killing" competition Microsoft is accused of killing Netscape and other competitiors and technologies. Netscape produced a commercial "browser", which is the program that you use to access the internet. They were going great guns, but MS did not like it. This product undermined the whole Windows monopoly because Microsoft saw the possibility that people would do EVERYTHING through a web browser in the future. TO "kill" Netscape, Microsoft bought an internet browser from another company (Internet Explorer) and proceeded to give it away FREE. Then, they used threats to make certain that ALL computer makers and many internet providers would install this on new machines...and keep Netscape off. They also did this by making a deal American Online to install only Internet Explorer on their disks. But word got out, and they knew the jig was up with this..the Justice Dept warned and fined them. Their answer was to try and make the Internet Explorer a "built-in" part of Windows 98..so it would be really difficult for the customer to use any other program (like Netscape). Needless to say, the strategy worked, and Netscapes pieces were sold to American Online and Sun Microsystems. It's tough to beat the price of FREE, and even tougher to get distribution when other products come pre-installed on a new computer. Remember, nothing is free, so MS is using profits from YOU to fund their attacks. Speaking of pre-installed...just try to buy a new PC without Windows already installed on it - Impossible! So even if you intend to use LINUX, UNIX or another system on your computer, you are still paying your dues to MS. Slowing innovation I can surely vouch for this one. All the wierd things about Windows, like the problems with Y2K, use of short filenames (still a habit in most Windows machines), lack of 32-bit support (a geek term for faster) and many other problems can be blamed on the monopoly. Apple computers have used ALL long filenames since 1984, UNIX computers from before that. Apple and UNIX computers are largely Y2000 compliant. This was designed into the Mac system when it was built in 1984. Yet Microsoft sold operating systems well into the mid-1990's that will croak on Y2000. Of course, Microsoft will gladly sell you an upgrade. There is really no reason for them to sell you one before its time..they would make less money...and then, you also have to upgrade most of your software - a real gold mine for MS and others, but your pockets will be empty. Now, finally after they have Y2K compliance with Windows98, they have announced..guess what?..they will not be upgrading the current Windows software anymore. Instead, they are readying a totally new operating system (based on Windows NT) which will be ready in about 1 1/2 years. Not only will they sell you this new system, but you will need a 350+ MHZ processor to run it, so it's time for you to buy a new machine - AND, you'll need a new version of Microsoft Office, which they will gladly upgrade for $200-$250. I think you get the idea. The computer manufacturers and other software makers have to all compete against each other, which is why computers are so reasonable now. But MS calls the shots and makes the profits - no choice for the others or customers. The Net Makes it Worse Even the above is not too bad. What has compounded this little problem is the explosive growth of the internet. You see, the net is a real revolution, one the Microsoft (Bill Gates even admits) was not ready for. Suddenly, we could all speak to each other and read the same documents, email, etc - whether we used Mac, Windows 3.1, Windows 95 or UNIX - It was like the Tower of Babylon came down. Ah, but this does not please you if you own the concession stand and toll boot on the Tower of Babylon...and Microsoft does. So, they have methodically done everything they can (and continue to do so) to rebuild the Tower...and in the process do great damage to standards and innovation on the net. It's a long, technical story, but the plot goes like this. The internet is largely based upon "open" standards which are agreed to by the many parties involved. This is why it works so well. Innovative products like Java (a computer programming language) and RealVideo (for sound and movies on the net) have evolved and been accepted by a majority of internet users. Even Microsoft embraced both of these programs by investing ($$) in RealVideo and licensing Java for use in Internet Explorer....BUT, then a problem occurred. Like it was with Netscape, Microsoft understood that both of these products were TOO GOOD, and therefor represented some kind of threat to their profits. They responded by dropping support of all kinds for both products, and creating competitive products of their own..which are closely tied to Windows. In other words, they do not want open standards that might allow users any choice. This despite the fact that Industry leaders like IBM and most others have rallied behind Java and other such standards. Now, let's talk applications Microsoft Word and Excel are very full-featured. In fact, I cannot think of many things that Word 3 or Word 4 could not do. Microsoft understands that it is getting difficult to add features to these programs...heck, they already have the kitchen sink. So, what to do to insure future revenue? Microsoft came up with a great answer...change the file format! For the inexperienced among you, this means that it becomes difficult for your friend with that new copy of Office 97 to give you documents that work in your "old" versions of the same program. This makes it certain that you will have to go back to the well for an upgrade..probably before you really want to. The Real Deal Yes, this is a lot of "geek speak", but here's the deal. Remember when long distance costs 50 cents to $1.00 a minute - not too long ago. This was due to a monopoly called AT&T Now, you can get it for 10 cents a minute and lower. Some say that phone service will be FREE in the future, much like the internet. Don't think this would have happened without the breakup of AT&T. Remember the days of High Airfares and high trucking costs? Deregulation, which allows for competition, has created fares that allow most everyone to fly...and freight costs have come down and stabilized. Remember when computers took up an entire room and cost millions? A monopoly called IBM was involved. An anti-trust case was filed against them (I think it was never proven), however you can see that competition and "open systems" in the computer world resulted in an incredible freeing of the market. Make no mistake about it, this is an important case. The results will have a great bearing on how quickly our world enters the next phase of the technological revolution. No one can say what the results of the suit will be, but I surely hope that innovation does not continue to get crushed because of power and greed. Bill Gates must stop with his "revenge of the nerds" mentality and become a PART of the solution...instead of the ONLY solution. And that's my take.