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 07:03:00 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!ra.nrl.navy.mil!dca6-feed2.news.algx.net!allegiance!newsfeed1.cidera.com!Cidera!news100.world-online.no!news100.world-online.no!nntp.newmedia.no!news.powertech.no!uninett.no!ntnu.no!not-for-mail From: Preben Randhol Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Microsoft takes on ACT Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 14:02:59 +0000 (UTC) Organization: Norwegian university of science and technology Message-ID: References: <3CED2E66.DD15C13D@despammed.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: kiuk0152.chembio.ntnu.no X-Trace: tyfon.itea.ntnu.no 1022248979 1624 129.241.83.78 (24 May 2002 14:02:59 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@itea.ntnu.no NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 14:02:59 +0000 (UTC) User-Agent: slrn/0.9.7.4 (Linux) Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:24647 Date: 2002-05-24T14:02:59+00:00 List-Id: On Thu, 23 May 2002 17:21:56 -0400, Marin David Condic wrote: > Ahhhhh, but this fits nicely with the theory of Free Markets. (In theory at > least) In a totally free market, nobody could maintain a monopoly on > anything forever. This is because there are always substitutes and sooner or > later an alternate supplier will emerge. (Of course, sooner or later, we'll > all be dead, too. :-) What is a totally free market? Looking at the "Free" Markets today one see that companies gets bigger and bigger and fewer and fewer. I think 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 been a company, Microsoft would have bought it and dismantled it in order to keep its place. Now they try by spreading FUD. 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 trying to grow up to overturn the "leader". The problem is that the bigger companies won't play fair. The advantage smaller comanies may have is that they can be more dynamic. Another problem is the cost barrier to get into a market which may be extremely high. Preben