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: 2002-05-25 01:12:21 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.icl.net!kibo.news.demon.net!demon!diablo.netcom.net.uk!netcom.net.uk!news.tele.dk!small.news.tele.dk!128.39.3.168!uninett.no!ntnu.no!not-for-mail From: Preben Randhol Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: OT: Microsoft takes on history Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 08:12:21 +0000 (UTC) Organization: Norwegian university of science and technology Message-ID: References: <3CED2E66.DD15C13D@despammed.com> <2TvH8.1710$Np5.1619@nwrddc01.gnilink.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: kiuk0156.chembio.ntnu.no X-Trace: tyfon.itea.ntnu.no 1022314341 2673 129.241.83.82 (25 May 2002 08:12:21 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@itea.ntnu.no NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 08:12:21 +0000 (UTC) User-Agent: slrn/0.9.7.4 (Linux) Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:24733 Date: 2002-05-25T08:12:21+00:00 List-Id: On Fri, 24 May 2002 15:51:35 -0400, Marin David Condic wrote: > The concept of a "Free Market" is not quite up there with "Total Chaos" and > those who espouse free markets do not generally condone criminal behavior. I meet with some Americans from the oil industry and they said. Nobody (in USA) is willing to pay more for a more enviromental oil production. The goverment would need legislate a restriction for the oil companies so they have change the production. I don't say it is criminal behavior at all, I just want to point out that there are other things to take into account than just economy. That is why you need somebody who can steer the market. > Fortunately, they don't usually control the army and police force. :-) > But that doesn't mean that we therefore need governments deciding what > should be made, how it should be made, when it should be made, to whom > it should be given, etc. etc. etc. That is a "Command" economy and > every one ever created has either already collapsed or is on the verge > of collapsing. See above. But there are actually people out there building theories on how one could have everything private, police, army, judges etc... > Word. (Star Office is making inroads to the market is it not?) I think it is due to: 1. Microsofts new licensing policy 2. It can read/write Word files. Although I haven't tried it lately. 3. It is cheaper. 4. It is available on several platforms. In this order of importance. > And if the choice of Word is irrational, what substitute would we have > to make the "choice" of word processors more rational? A committee in > Washington deciding what the current best offering is for word > processing & then mandating it be used by all computer users? I'd > rather leave it to the irrational market. :-) No I was saying a standard open file format, like HTML is for the web. (Only something much better than HTML though) XML seems to be making inroads. > Who said everyone who votes in the United States is a Milton Friedman > Free Market Advocate in good standing? Voters here run the gammut all > the way from Pure, Unadultrated Fat-Free Capitalists to Absolute > Totalitarian Command Economy Communists and every stripe in between. > Politicians who want to buy votes will cater to the desires of the > interest groups out there who want all sorts of stupid things - > including the right to pick the pockets of their neighbors to buy the > stuff they want. Just because an idea is *stupid* doesn't mean you > can't convince a bunch of voters to back it. Are you having elections for congress or something now? Preben