Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 22:56:28 -0800 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: <jacks@sage-american.com>, <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>, <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: Smashing Bill Gates necessary? Message-ID: <000a01c1610f$ffab3aa0$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.20011029092440.00fa6e38@mail.sage-american.com>
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>-----Original Message----- >From: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG >[mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG]On Behalf Of >jacks@sage-american.com >Sent: Monday, October 29, 2001 7:25 AM >To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG; freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG >Subject: Re: Smashing Bill Gates necessary? > > >This thread is very much like arguing religion and politics... there is >never and end to such debates, and I ignored it until now... > >"...I wouldn't want to harm the guy, but I'd sure like to have seen MS >broken up. You think it would hurt him? I sincerely doubt it...." > >I doubt if Bill ever dreamed he would become as big as he did, but only in >America... But, just to bust him up without any real good reason Whoah there! Your way, way out of line. The court system in this country has passed judgement on Microsoft and they are an illegal monopoly. You can disagree with the judgement all you want but we are a country of laws, and when a court passes judgement you damn well better follow it. If you think that a law is bad then your free to civil disobey all you want and attempt to change it but don't interfere with those who choose to follow the law, and don't bitch when the rest of us get together and toss you into prison. Microsoft has been permitted to appeal and their appeal was reviewed and in fact some of what they wanted was granted to them. They have had numerous chances to present their case, and been allowed to delay and delay for years and years. This is nowhere a case of them being a victim and your statement that there's no good reason is tremendously insulting to those true victims of the justice system, like OJ Simpson's deceased x-wife. > is akin to >the phrase.." I am warmed by the fires that burn others..." When a company >becomes too big is in the eyes of the beholder All civilized countries have laws that govern how much market share a company is permitted to have. You can quibble about how a market is measured but in Microsoft's case, Microsoft didn't argue that they were not the monopoly, as a matter of fact. Instead they tried a host of other arguments that the court recognized as the baloney that they were. >and unlike other monopolies >that force you to use them without other alternative, the software business >is very fast-moving... The anti-trust laws don't account for this. Now, perhaps that's a failing of them but Microsoft is free to line the pockets of the congress like all the rest of them do and get their vews represented there, and the law changed. >things can be changed by that other fellow out there >working on something really big in his garage... and ole Bill could become >little again before he can dream of that too.... In which case he would no longer be a monopoly and the anti-trust laws wouldn't apply to him. >leave the market alone as >long as you have a choice! The anti-trust laws define whether the consumer has a choice or not. In Microsoft's case the law says the consumer doesen't. If you don't believe that then work to change the law. >We shouldn't just complain because some one >became hugely successful... > But, we don't. We complain when someone breaks the law and right now that's what Microsoft is doing. Would you rather we all ignored the laws? Sept 11th showed what happens when we do. Ted Mittelstaedt tedm@toybox.placo.com Author of: The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide Book website: http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com >Okay... I'm bracing for the next shot...!! (I knew I shouldn't have said >anything!) > >At 09:39 AM 10.29.2001 -0500, Louis LeBlanc wrote: >>Ok, yes it is kinda mean. Bill has been thoroughly vilified in the >>open/free software communities. But not entirely without reason, and >>not entirely undeserved. >> >>Sure he has given more money to help educate kids in technology than >>many of us will have made through our whole lives, but he's >>essentially fighting an undeclared war on freedom of computing choice. >> >>Sure I admire his educational charity work. But I like to see a >>little resistance to the 'you must do it my way' mentality. XBill is >>satire, so it must be looked upon as such. No one meant that they >>wanted Bill harmed, just to fan the flames of resistance a little. >>Ok, a lot. >> >>So, like a couple other replies in this thread suggest, just rm it and >>put it in your refuse file so you never have to see it again. >> >>I wouldn't want to harm the guy, but I'd sure like to have seen MS >>broken up. You think it would hurt him? I sincerely doubt it. >> >>I started to run into a rant about opening MS code to the public as >>open or free software, as rumors suggested when the initial court case >>went against them, but realized this would be too far OT, and probably >>start some kind of holy war on the list, so I decided to leave it at >>that. >> >>XBill isn't the only bit of anti MS satire or propaganda in the Open >>and Free SW communities, but I doubt that Gates needs to fear for his >>well being. >> >>$0.02. >> >>L >>On 10/29/01 04:40 AM, P. U. (Uli) Kruppa sat at the `puter and typed: >>> Hi everybody! >>> >>> Perhaps I am becoming a little bit moralistic these days? >>> In the gnome-fifth-toe collection I found a little game >>> called XBill. Its sense is to smash tiny pictures of Bill >>> Gates and some blood will be splattered when you hit him. >>> >>> Of course Bill Gates can pay enough lawyers to take care of >>> this himself, of course I do not have to play this game, of >>> course I do not like Microsofts monopolistic business >>> strategies and of course smashing icons, burning >>> straw-puppets, crosses or flags is not as bad as killing >>> real persons, but still I do not really like the idea. >>> >>> I think it would not be a great loss to take this game out >>> of gnome-fifth-toe. >>> >>> >>> Uli. >>> >>> >>> ************************************ >>> * P. U. Kruppa - Wuppertal * >>> * Germany * >>> * www.pukruppa.de www.2000d.de * >>> ************************************ >>> >>> >>> To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org >>> with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message >>> >>> >> >>-- >>Louis LeBlanc leblanc@keyslapper.org >>Fully Funded Hobbyist, KeySlapper Extrordinaire :) >>http://www.keyslapper.org ԿԬ >> >>Fishbowl, n.: >> A glass-enclosed isolation cell where newly promoted managers are >> kept for observation. >> >> >>To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org >>with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message >> >> > >Best regards, >Jack L. Stone, >Server Admin > >Sage-American >http://www.sage-american.com >jacks@sage-american.com > >To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org >with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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