Microsoft showcases "Smarter Retailing" retail tradeshow

windowsfordevices ^ | 1/17/2005 | windowsfordevices

[KwasiOwusu]

"None, now that Microsoft has destroyed them."

They had non to very little to start off with, so they didn't have any market share to lose.

[antiRepublicrat]

DR-DOS failed because Gary Kildall was a very LOUSY busniessman.

Despite not hitching onto the IBM wagon early, DR-DOS was doing quite well, and was a popular replacement for MS-DOS because it was better. Gates killed DR-DOS with Windows by insinuating that Windows would only run on MS-DOS (as I said, even asked the engineers how to make Windows not run on DR-DOS), and by the previously-mentioned per-processor license.

"We are pushing [Hyundai] to sign the amendment on processor based license. This will block out DR once signed."

That, from an MS employee, refers to Microsoft charging for its OS for every computer sold, whether Microsoft's OS is on it or not, leading to double-pricing if a customer chose another OS.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Close, but not quite. You forget DB2"

No I didn't.
Even with DB2, Oracle was charging these stunningly high prices.


"but you seemed to think his bad actions were okay because Ellison is worse."

Nope.
I am saying Gate's "bad" actions pale into insignificance as compared to his good deeds, and as compared to over 90% of the CEO's or Fortune 500 companies over the past 15 years.
Lets just take a look at some of the corporate corruption and outright stealing cases that are being tried now or have been tried in the past 3 years.
Global Crossing, Enron, WorldCom, Adalphi,Tyco International, and it goes on and on and on and on.
Compared to any of these guys, Bill Gates looks like a saint.

I don't remember Gates using company money to hold a $2 Million party for his wife in Corsica in France, replete with naked and toga clad busty young women and Adonis style young men, together with plenty of debauchery like Dennis Kozlowski of Tyco International did.

The open source nuts would work their butts off to have you think Gates is the most evil CEO on the planet or "the great Satan".
Nothing could be further from the truth.

[KwasiOwusu]

"DR-DOS was doing quite well, and was a popular replacement for MS-DOS because it was better"

Kildall continued to charge much higher prices for his DR-DOS than MS-DOS, even when IBM was offering both for the original IBM PC.
Naturally MS-DOS won out.
He's got himself to blame.

[ShadowAce]

Anyone who funds abortion the way Billy-boy does is the Great Satan, as far as I'm concerned.

[KwasiOwusu]

"There's a difference between failing and being destroyed"

Yes, and Microsoft's competitors kept making these incredibly stupid mistakes all the time.
The way they continued to run their businesses, they were going to fail, sooner or later, and they did.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Anyone who funds abortion the way Billy-boy does is the Great Satan, as far as I'm concerned"

Another one for the FREEP DUMmy award.
Where do you keep digging up these gems from ?

[ShadowAce]

Where do you keep digging up these gems from ?

Here
and here, and the Gates Foundation itself.

Are you seriously claiming that you don't realize the millions of dollars they contribute to Planned Parenthood every year?

[KwasiOwusu]

I meant THESE gems:
" Billy-boy does is the Great Satan, as far as I'm concerned"

That's what I am talking about.
Do you have one of those books for madmen and the totally deranged (you), where you keep digging them up and depositing your lil gems here?

[ShadowAce]

So you don't think that someone who contributes to the deaths of millions of innocent babies every year is evil?

[KwasiOwusu]

"So you don't think that someone who contributes to the deaths of millions of innocent babies every year is evil?"

I think you are not normal, that's all.

[ShadowAce]

Why? Because I equate financial support of abortion to be equal to abortion itself? Or is it because I believe that abortion is evil?

[antiRepublicrat]

I am saying Gate's "bad" actions pale into insignificance as compared to his good deeds

Just because Gates does evil in the computer marketplace doesn't mean he can't run his business with financial ethics and give a lot to charity. But his good deeds, or lack of other bad deeds, doesn't excuse the practices that have resulted in probably over a billion dollars in settlements and an antitrust judgement against his company.

Of course, Gates sees that lost money as polluters often see government fines: you can make more money by paying the pittance in fines than by actually fixing your behavior to avoid the fines.

[antiRepublicrat]

The way they continued to run their businesses, they were going to fail, sooner or later, and they did.

We're often talking about perfectly healthy businesses that Microsoft wants. Often Microsoft makes an offer to buy, then if refused Microsoft destroys the business through use of its monopoly power or vaporware announcements. Microsoft then buys the company cheap at the resulting fire sale.

[KwasiOwusu]

"We're often talking about perfectly healthy businesses that Microsoft wants"

We are talking about really badly run businesses, that had fundamental issues, that were not showing up because they didn't have any real competition.
Nothing "perfectly healthy" about that.
It's like an athlete who is doing "perfectly healthy" but is in realty suffering from a potentially killer condition, that has not been diagnosed by any doctor yet, then falling dead all of a sudden one day (its happened at least 5 times when I was in Europe with soccer players, and lots of times in Africa).
Firms like Digital Research were going to fail anyway.
Gary Kildall just had no idea how to run a business.
Of course he was going to be successful for some time, until a real competitor came along.
Same thing with Wordperfect, Lotus etc etc.
They had monopoly power for some time, and got fat and lazy and arrogant, thinking no one could ever dethrone them
The scrap heap of history is full of people who thought that way.
Great thing about Microsoft is, they NEVER think they are immune from being beaten by some other companies or start ups.



"Often Microsoft makes an offer to buy, then if refused Microsoft destroys the business through use of its monopoly power or vaporware announcements"

Dragging out that same old rubbish again are you?
This is not 1995, it's 2005.
Microsoft's rivals make more vaporware announcements per product than Microsoft does (again look at Oracle). In is particular case of PDA's on this thread, Microsoft has beaten palm fair and square.
Get over it.
You bitter Microsoft haters have to keep fighting World war Two don't ya?
Good thing Microsoft just keeps rocking and conquering new markets.


"Microsoft then buys the company cheap at the resulting fire sale"

LMAO!
You are indeed a bitter screwed up fellow.
Microsoft has paid more than full price for every company they have bought in the past 10 years at least, like Hotmail, Visio, Bungie, Great Plains, Navision etc etc.
Name me even just ONE company that Microsoft has underpaid for in the past 10 years will you?
You just gotta keep spewing out open source propaganda don't ya?

[KwasiOwusu]

"Just because Gates does evil in the computer marketplace "

Gates does not "do evil" in the computer market place.
Its already been well documented that practically every single rival to Microosft in the computer business, big and small, has done the very same things Microsoft was accused off, if not even worse.
The mistake Microsoft did, was not paying enough "protection" to the Slick Willie Mafia outfit, while Microsoft's rivals simply pumped money to the depraved, decadent Kilnton protection racket.

"probably over a billion dollars in settlements and an antitrust judgment against his company."
Anti-trust action by the US Government led to NO fines.
"Class action" suits by greedy trial lawyers have for the most part, led to manly settlements and not judgment's.
Microsoft had at least even chances of winning most of these frivolous lawsuits. Microsoft basically wanted to clear the legal decks, get things behind them, so they could pay out that huge special dividend.
Thats why the second Bush administration is going flat out to clobber the ambulance chasing, frivlous law sit making, trial lawyers who are crippling American business.
Th fine by the EU is under appeal and the money is in escrow.