antitrust law apparently isn't enough to
crush Microsoft the way some people here wanted them crushed

Hmmm... lessee now... There ARE antitrust laws to protect against
behavior such as MS's. MS HAS been found guilty.

Agreed, but apparently it's a law that requires violators to face
forward-looking remedies instead of backward-looking punishment. If I'm right
about this - and I seem to be, given that the trial is still in its remedy
phase and no punishment phase has ever been scheduled - then what basis do
you have for demanding punishment? I'd really like to see a list of Microsoft's
violations for which you think the law's prescribed solution - a remedy - is
insufficient.

MS business scams are in the billions of dollars [...]

I'd like to know what you're referring to here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but
a scam is a fraudulent business scheme. Has Microsoft even been accused of such
a thing? Please list the established instances of outright fraud that have
netted Microsoft billions of dollars.

MS does not need to be crushed (well, probably not..) but they do
need to be controlled.

You may be right, but how should they be controlled? Could it be that there
are simply no laws currently on the books to effectively deal with the Microsoft
"problem", whatever that may be? Many people are now accusing the government of
having sold out; some are calling the settlement an antitrust enforcement
failure. I'm merely suggesting a different possibility - that the Microsoft
"problem" may be something new for which no existing law provides a good
solution, just like the monopoly problem was 120 years ago. Wouldn't it be more
productive to explore that possibility instead of mindlessly lashing out at the
government?

Perhaps those who are thirsty for
Microsoft's blood just need a good dose of reality?

Reality can depend on perspective. [...]

Most of the anti-MS sentiment here comes from people who are angry at
having to deal in their own professions, with MS arrogance, half-assed
software, and 'Highlander' style business practices. This is a reality.

You're absolutely right; reality does depend on perspective. I assure you
that there are plenty of people out there who actually prefer to work
with Microsoft's products and technologies. Could it be that some of the folks
here have trouble separating their opinions from reality?

Were you looking for some kEwL d0odZ perhaps? Wrong venue. Try MSNBC or EZ. As apparently you are unaware, while trotting out trite slogans sans an
iota of research:

No need to sell yourself short, Ashton. You and your buddies are quite the kEwL d0odZ, and only by carefully observing this group did I learn that.

This 'group' coalesced beginning >6 years ago, around the original (working) InfoWorld forums - way back when IW/IWE were making the transition from having been a valuable source of honest technical review to ... mere regurgatation of MS press releases, 'reviewing' of non-existent announced vaporware VS shipping products, and a host of other atrocities.

Wow, you're blowing my mind with the history lesson, d0od. Will there be a
pop quiz tomorrow?

There are quite diverse views here, with consensus perhaps on only one principle: BS will be ferreted out; for the pure Goodness of the exercise.

May I assume then that you're the chief ferret?

Do some homework, read what's already here + on the former location -


[link|http://pub13.ezboard.com/biwethey|EZ-Board]

if you really want to get past naive press-release doggerel and the stuff of Astroturf (perhaps you don't know *that* word either). There's also an archive of much of the original exchanges at IW, being tabulated - as there is among that all technical tutorials and info which some find valuable, for not being time-related.

Ooh, "naive press-release doggerel and the stuff of Astroturf". If I didn't
know better, I'd call that a trite slogan.

Lazy? try aaxnet.com for just one site with one person's prof. 'take'.

Thanks, I checked it out. Pretty standard quasi-religious zealotry, probably
somewhere around the 40th Slashdot Percentile.

Then, if you have a \ufffd possibly someone will debate it.

Either that, or they'll completely ignore my \ufffd and reply with a
generic "don't bother us until you get some schoolin'" form letter.