Big Brother Microsoft

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Wed Sep 8 08:59:04 PDT 1999


Microsoft has a website in which it asks visitors about their opinion re. the antitrust suit in which it is involved - and promises to forward the expressed views to elected officials. The "catch" is, however, that each time I write an opinion that is critical of Microsoft, I get an error message and my opinion gets nowhere. Typical Microsoft.

Therefore, I decided to publicize my opinion on that matter myself. BTW, Microsoft is NOT on the recipient list because they do NOT provide thier email address to the public.

Here is the copy of my opinion that Microsoft did not want to forward as advertised.

I wholeheartedly support the government action against Micrsoft and wish the government acted sooner and more decisively. I would like to see Microsoft broken up (as AT&T several years ago) and its main product, Windows, nationalized. Here is why.

Monopoly is not necessarily bad - it can be used to enforce common standards and thus reduce transaction cost (waste) resulting from incompatibility of products. However, Microsoft is NOT using its near-monopoly status to enforce common standards and reduce transaction costs i.e. waste. It is using its monopoly status to force obsolescence and thus INCREASE transaction cost to users.

Therefore, breaking up Microsoft's monopoly in general, and removing Windows from Microsoft's control and placing it in public domain will reduce forced obsolescence and waste it produces. It will thus benefit the consumer.

Wojtek Sokolowski Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 21218



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