From: Mike '/m' 


... and the International Herald Tribune is not a second-rate paper.

This is not good for Microsoft.


Why is it that the more we find out about Microsoft's business tactics, the
slimier Microsoft looks?  I am becoming more and more convinced that
Microsoft needs to initiate a Trustworthy Executives initiative.

 /m


On Thu, 15 May 2003 00:06:29 +0100, Adam Flinton
 wrote:

>Joe Barr wrote:
>
>Ouch. So many things come out of this...
>
>A) Linux on the desktop is becoming a real competitor.
>
>B) Free really does play well in the market. Good enough got MS where it
>is & ...live by the "good enough" sword....
>
>C) If you're a monopolist......you can't play by small guy in the market
>rules.
>
>D) Wait for all the comps who've paid top dollar for their s/w & imagine
>how frosty the reception for the MS rep will be next time. "so if we'd
>said we were considering Linux......then I could have bought a yacht?"
>
>E) Very bad news in the EU. We have anti-predatory pricing rules. E.g.
>Supermarkets set up garages to sell petrol at a discount to get the
>punters into the supermarket...quick court case from the normal garages
>re supermarket petrol sales being
"cross-subsidized.....".....no go said
>the EU...
>
>e.g.:
>
> > Allan said that according to European law, discounts should not be
> > exclusionary - "liable to exclude competitors or restrict their
> > expansion," he said. Discounts should also not differentiate
"without
> > objective justification" among customers, Allan said. .
> > "If the European Commission has to take a formal position in
relation to
> > any case," Allan said, "it states quite dogmatically
that market-dominant
> > companies may only offer long-term discount schemes which are
>justified by
> > cost savings or other countervailing benefits." .
>
>Yup.....
>
>
>Adam

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