From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,345c9fcf5a67a99f X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-05-24 19:01:37 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsxfer.visi.net!154.32.99.10.MISMATCH!psiuk-p2!psiuk-p3!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Microsoft takes on ACT Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 10:31:01 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: References: <3CED2E66.DD15C13D@despammed.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dhcp-200-133.miami.pace.co.uk X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 1022250656 21843 136.170.200.133 (24 May 2002 14:30:56 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@news.cam.pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 24 May 2002 14:30:56 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:24709 Date: 2002-05-24T14:30:56+00:00 List-Id: "Preben Randhol" wrote in message news:slrnaesi0h.49v.randhol+abuse@kiuk0152.chembio.ntnu.no... > > What is a totally free market? Looking at the "Free" Markets today one There is no such thing as a "totally free market" and I doubt there ever has been. There are always some parts of any economy that are what is called "command economy". (Police protection, fire protection, public libraries, etc. are all examples of "command" aspects of the economy.) > see that companies gets bigger and bigger and fewer and fewer. I think Not at all true. Actually, quite the opposite. "Free" markets are for the most part driven by small businesses. Generally, the less they tend towards "Command" economies, the easier it is for small businesses to start up, gain a toe hold and become successful. The more an economy tends towards a "Command" economy, the more it tends to breed large, inefficient, politically driven and unaccountable organizations to deliver goods and services. > ideal theory cannot be applied to the current market. The reason why for > instance Linux does well is that it is outside the market. If Linux had How is Linux outside the market? "The Market" is just a word for the means of distributing economic goods. How is Linux not an economic good? How is it not distributed? And just because someone doesn't get paid for the distribution of the razor doesn't mean they aren't going to get paid for the distribution of the blades. Linux is very much a part of "The Market" and it isn't "Free" (beer) - *someone* pays. > been a company, Microsoft would have bought it and dismantled it in > order to keep its place. Now they try by spreading FUD. > You may be right if Linux had been a closed source, proprietary thing. However, Linux *could* have been a company and *still* been in a position to threaten Microsoft. ACT is a company and they build GNAT for fun and profit, yet it is still open source and of some potential threat to Microsoft. > Read: > > GNU.org.pe: Peruvian Congressman's Open Letter to Microsoft > http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-05-06-012-26-OS-SM-LL > > The Free Market revolves around the survival of the fittest which means > you will always get large companies dominating and smaller companies Not at all true. Sure, there is a tendency for successful companies to get more successful, but there is also a tendency for large companies to get "too large" for their own good & they are easily beaten by smaller, more agile companies. History is repleat with examples. IBM? Where did Compaq, Dell and Gateway get the idea they could ever kick IBM's butt when they were just little guys starting out in garages? > trying to grow up to overturn the "leader". The problem is that the > bigger companies won't play fair. The advantage smaller comanies may Where does it say on the admission ticket that existence is "fair"? :-) > have is that they can be more dynamic. Another problem is the cost > barrier to get into a market which may be extremely high. > There are really big barriers to entry and exit in lots of businesses. Power generation, automobile manufacture, shipbuilding, etc. *Software* is not one of them. All you need is a PC, a compiler and an Internet connection. Why is Microsoft in trouble? Because the barriers to entry are low and other players are emerging with products that compete nicely with theirs and they can't come up with something new & fascinating to capture hoards of new customers. Markets work. I'm not against some regulation by government to make sure that companies don't do bad things - like pollute Lake Erie or lie to their investors. However, you really have a kind of a line on which to choose from as to how you want to distribute goods and services: {Totally-Free-Market}.........................................{Total Command Economy} You have to pick where on that line you want to fall. Hint: The closer people have come to the right-hand-side, the more they have generated poverty, oppression and failure. :-) MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com