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

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 20:59:28 -0400
>To: politech@vorlon.mit.edu
>From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
>
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>>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
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>>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
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>>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)
>
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>>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.
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