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Time:
14:58 EST/19:58 GMT | News Source:
Associated Press |
Posted By: Byron Hinson |
Nine states suing Microsoft tried Tuesday to offer complaints by computer makers as evidence that the company still uses unfair business practices after settling its antitrust case with the federal government. The federal deal required that Microsoft have uniform contracts with computer makers for licensing its Windows operating system. Microsoft had been accused of using its contracts to reward friends and punish companies that displeased it. Howard Gutman, a lawyer for the states, quoted an unnamed employee of Dell Computer writing to Microsoft executives complaining about the new contracts.
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#1 By
2960 (156.80.64.135)
at
4/30/2002 4:30:42 PM
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Somebody was smart here.
They knew this would come up during cross-examiniation, at which point it would be fair game.
By dropping the witness from the list, the emails can never be brought up.
Slick. Clever. And to me it means they have someting to hide.
Unless I understand the article wrong.
TL
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#2 By
1896 (208.61.156.110)
at
4/30/2002 5:08:55 PM
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SInce the industrial era begun bigge rcompanies gets better deals. This is a fact for every sector. I am wondering if other companies will have to act as MS and offer the the same terms to everybody.
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#3 By
3653 (208.175.219.6)
at
4/30/2002 5:44:43 PM
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Fritzly, these rules apparently only apply to companies with a positive bank account balance in excess of $20B.
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#4 By
1896 (208.61.156.110)
at
4/30/2002 6:05:08 PM
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Not at all. I have friend who runs three succesful restaurants in Miami and he gets a huge break in the prices. Also I know for sure that Coca Cola offers you volume discounts and rebate for volume sales.
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#5 By
135 (209.180.28.6)
at
4/30/2002 6:40:11 PM
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I don't think Dell's complaint had to do with pricing. I can't get to the article(link is bad), but I think it had to do with the uniform language with regards to IP rights and so forth.
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#6 By
6253 (64.204.105.166)
at
4/30/2002 7:18:35 PM
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I think the complaint was based on uniform terms but the motivation for complaining was based on pricing.
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#7 By
3339 (65.198.47.10)
at
4/30/2002 7:48:45 PM
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There is little detail, but --shockingly--I agree with soda. It doesn't have to do with pricing; it has to do with MS's attempt to further control the decsions and options of the OEMs (thru things like the IP access clause). If you read the story, there is only one quote--and it says something along the lines of: I thought this was supposed to be a remedy. Not give greater control to Microsoft. It says nothing about prices or costs.
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#8 By
135 (208.50.201.48)
at
4/30/2002 9:40:34 PM
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Ahh, but it was not Microsoft's intention of furthering control...
That's what makes the argument so much akin to whining.
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#9 By
2960 (24.168.201.39)
at
4/30/2002 11:52:23 PM
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I think the Acid test is still in existance.
Call Dell, and order a PC WITHOUT an operating system.
You can't. It HAS to come with a version of Windows on it.
As long as this is the case, something is terribly wrong.
It's really that simple.
TL
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#10 By
116 (66.68.173.16)
at
5/1/2002 12:21:04 AM
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Well by your own acid test you fail. I can call dell and order a computer both without any os and even preloaded with linux. Sorry TL you failed your own test.
Peace,
RA
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#11 By
135 (208.50.201.48)
at
5/1/2002 12:39:38 AM
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But TechLarry, is this Microsoft's fault? This has not been a requirement in their licensing for many years now. However the PC makers prefer to sell with the OS because it increases their volume and as a result lowers their cost.
The fact that you can buy a PC without an OS from any number of other sources means that your choices are not limited in any way.
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#12 By
135 (209.180.28.6)
at
5/1/2002 11:08:18 AM
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First I'm shocked RANT agreed with me.
But, to further support this argument, and do something I used to actually have a need to do. Call up Dell and ask to order a PC without a video card.
They won't do it. The closest you can get is to accept the base card with no upgrades. Yet you cannot possibly argue that this is because ATI has a monopoly in the video card market and forces Dell to sell every machine with one.
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#13 By
4209 (163.192.21.3)
at
5/1/2002 12:04:16 PM
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I would think, and this is only opinion, that not many OEM's would want to sell PC's without an OS. What happens when the consumer installs and OS and then wants service? The OEM would then be in a bind, since they would most likely not support that, but may be entitled to because of there service agreements with the customer. Also it would be like selling a car without an engine, what would be the point? There are really not enough tech people out there that put there own OS on the computer so it is really not a neccesity. Although I think that the OEM's should at least offer a choice of OS's to be installed. Maybe that would help the lesser OS's become more popular and have a higher market share. Maybe the states should force the OEM's to offer a choice of OS's.
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