Is Microsoft actually doing anything *wrong* ?
Posted February 27th, 2008 by uconntraxtar
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Yet another outrageously large fine by the EU. Everything I've read on this, it seems like it's just the EU being socialist and not letting Microsoft charge what it feels is a reasonable rate.
Have their been any allegations of force or fraud or any underhanded, immoral actions on their part? It seems to me that the EU is saying "Your product is too good. You have to make it worse so that other people can have a chance at selling their crap."
..."BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union fined Microsoft Corp. a record $1.3 billion Wednesday for the amount it charges rivals for software information.
EU regulators said the company charged "unreasonable prices" until last October to software developers who wanted to make products compatible with the Windows desktop operating system."...
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Libertarians believe that
Libertarians believe that you can not have a monopoly without government laws since government is the only one that can force you to use something.
Microsoft is probably the closest thing to a true natural monopoly if one can exist .. however there are some problems with that as we are not operating in a true free market and so we don't know for sure if Microsoft would be a monopoly if they were unable to buy other corporations and use their lawyers in the way that they do.
Microsoft is also NOT a monopoly in the server OS market, only the desktop market.
To answer your question.. I don't like Microsoft products and avoid them whenever possible however I believe they should be able to make whatever type of product they like and sell it to anyone they like, for any price. I wish more people were aware of their unethical business practices. Microsoft's actions have probably set the computer industry back 10 years.