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After MS achieved a stronghold on the desktop operating system and office suite market, they made their corporate licensing policies stricter and more expensive -- after they achieved a stronghold. By this, we can be pretty sure of what they'd do to the internet market if they achieved a stronghold there.
Sure, IE is free right now, but if Netscape was muscled out of the business, do you really think your upgrades would be free any more?
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Recently, the US Department of Justice dragged Microsoft into court for anti-competitive business practices. On the testimony of PC manufacturers Compaq, Gateway2000, and Micron (amongst others), we learned the Microsoft refused to let them ship or install Windows 95 on their systems unless they removed all competitive web browsers and installed only MS Internet Explorer. Some people call this free-enterprise business savvy. Most of us call it criminal -- and I'd like to convince you that you don't need to support criminal activity, no matter how pretty it makes your PC hum.
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***New 3/18/98*** The Computers and Communications Industry Association --> alleges that Microsoft is attempting to influence CCIA members to leave the organization. The CCIA recently sided with the US Department of Justice, contending that Microsoft's controlling interests in PC software and operating system contributed to unhealthy competition and development in the computer industry. (Click here for ZDNN article -->)
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***New 2/10/98*** On a similar note, OEMs shipping their PCs with MS Windows pre-installed are prohibited by Microsoft from modifying the pre-defined Active Desktop channels. The 12 channels currently pre-installed are: AOL Preview, Business, Entertainment, Lifestyle and Travel, MS Channel Guide, MSN, MSNBC, Disney, News and Technology, Sports, PointCast Business Network, and Warner Brothers. Hardware vendors want to modify the channel contents for each customer's specific needs (home, business desktops, commercial, financial, etc.). As well, if certain vendors are not on Microsoft's 'Premium Partner' list, they are not provided with abilities to modify the Active Desktop. The DOJ recently subpoenaed several third party vendors to investigate whether this practice may also be considered anti-competitive.
***New 4/15/98*** Microsoft modified contracts with 12 vendors featured on Internet Explorer's preset channel bar. These vendors are no longer required to feature Microsoft's browser exclusively on their internet pages. (Click here for full story from ZDNet -->)
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Recently, Microsoft allegedly broke contract with Sun Microsystems to provide unadulterated Java support in MS products. Sun owns Java technologies, and sued Microsoft over this breach of contract. The significance of Microsoft's move here is that Java is a competitive product to Windows, meaning that it can potentially unseat Microsoft's stronghold on the desktop world. Of course Microsoft does not want to see that happen, and we can't blame them for that. However, it is in your good interests to see that Java technologies develop unhindered as a valid alternative to Microsoft's. Good competition is always good for the consumer. I suspect MS will be found guilty of breaking contract here...and in attempting to break Java.
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Other recent acquisitions by Microsoft show they have an aggressive plan to 'own' the internet (WebTV, Cable technologies (US West Media Group), Video Streaming technologies (VXtreme/Progressive Networks), etc.)
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***New 2/10/98*** Site development is another area of web-aggression on Microsoft's part. Warner Brothers and Disney's web sites (among others) can only be accessed by netizens using Internet Explorer (read: not Netscape). Real nice, huh?
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Microsoft's hosting of Paramount's Official Star Trek site --> provides another example of web proprietizing we don't want to encourage. It goes like this...if you're a subscriber to Microsoft's Internet Service (MSN), you can access the Star Trek site without a problem. However, if you access the site from outside of MSN, you are only allowed to access portions of the site. Real friendly, huh?
***New 2/2/98*** GOOD NEWS UPDATE! (from Sci-Fi Wire -->)
Sci-Fi Wire reported on 1/14/98 that Paramount will be opening it's Star Trek Continuum Site to all internet users. In so doing, Paramount will be dumping MSN as the site's host, and instead will be using IBM. Click here --> for full article.
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Personal thoughts on the DOJ/Win98 thing -- This is in response to several emails I received lately, claiming my page is biased and is doing more harm than good, etc., etc. Here's a quote that invoked this response:
"...It will be a bad day for us all if the government succeeds in stopping the release of Windows 98. Government involvement of the computer industry mean prices will rise, like the telephone company. PC sellers that install Windows on their PCs will have less business..."
Well, I don't know about rising prices, but from what I've read, Microsoft is selling Windows 98 at the same price it sold Windows 95 three years ago. And Win98 is reportedly a mere operating system upgrade (READ: error patches which Windows 95 users can download as system enhancements for free) with the MS Internet Explorer interface embedded. Oh yeah, and it's supposed to boot up faster (whoopee!).
Sorry, I'm siding with the DOJ and the many states on this one. It seems like the only thing Windows 98 is intended to do is wrest control of the browser market from Netscape, and thereby wrest control of the Internet. I'm glad the US government isn't stupid enough to let this happen. [NOTE 7/13/98: Rewording that last statement, I'm sad the US government is stupid enough to let this happen...] See the following ZDNN articles for substantiation:
Did MS execs document their legal missteps? -->
The smoking gun? DOJ's MS memos -->
And if the stalled release of Windows 98 will hurt business of PC re-sellers (and some say it will hurt the US economy in general), then all the more, the influence of Microsoft on the computer and internet industry needs to be checked.
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The (in)security of NT vs. Microsoft claims -- Nicholas Petreley writes about another Microsoft scam in his July 13, 1998 "Down to the Wire" column in Infoworld magazine. This time it involves NT. Reportedly, a primary developer of NT's C2 security claims Microsoft misrepresented, and asked him to misrepresent, the abilities of its C2 security status and its scope. And this mis-truth recently enabled hackers to break into the Pentagon's security system. For the record, C2 security certification for NT is only valid in the following STAND ALONE configuration: NT 3.5 with Service Pack 3 on the Compaq ProLiant 2000 and 4000 Pentium systems, and on the DECpc AXP/150. (NT 3.51 is C2-certified in the UK only.)
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Windows 98 disables competitive software -- Brian Livingston reports in his July 13, 1998 "Window Manager" column in Infoworld magazine that Windows98 installation removes newer DLLs used by Microsoft competitive products. Oh, and you should read about the convoluted process you need to pursue to get the proper DLLs back.
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