Vincent Fernando

Will Adobe Scream 'Anti-Competitive' in the Face of a Microsoft Attack?

The EU's decision media player was not about choice. It was about protecting Real Player and other redundant programs. It is MSFT's choice what they wish to put in their own product. It is then our choice to accept their product. Its that simple. We don't any inalienable right to have an operating system. MSFT creates one as they think makes the best business sense and then we decide if the pros and cons balance out to a buy decision. If MSFT does it wrong, then little by little people will get turned off and will try to find an alternative. If an enterprising business sees this, then they can create a competitor. Such as Apple's OS. It has gained ground. Or Google's challenge to MSFT as more and more computing moves online.

But to force MSFT to drop features actually reduces choice, from MSFT. Thats the key issue. Imagine if you owned a pizza restaurant and the government came in and forced you to drop pepperoni from the menu. Made you have customers go find their own "choice" of pepperoni somewhere else and then add it to your pizza. That would be a massive violation of your right to do business. Its the same thing with MSFT. We are not entitled to an operating system. And it is not MSFT's "duty" to provide one. MSFT chooses to do so, because it wants to make a profit. People then choose (or don't choose) to use windows, because it can help them do things in life.