Quote:
Originally posted by Timber Loftis:
On the other hand, if MS would charge a reasonable rate for its programs ($500 for MS Office is just plain stupid), it might not be in such hot water to begin with.
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I think that you've hit the problem on the head there. It isn't the success of Microsoft that is causing the problems, it is how it uses that success. Microsoft's strategy has been the same for years - crush the competition (often in an underhand way like IE) then, when the competiton no longer exists - shift the prices up and all but stop innovating the product.
This doesn't serve the public's interests in the slightest - and even helps to stagnate the market. Look at how healthy competition between AMD and Intel has brought ENORMOUS benefits. It forced both companies to engage in serious R&D and to keep prices down - which in turn has benefited other industries and the public at large in inmeasurable ways. I doubt very much that there would be such a thing as a 3.4GHz processor had AMD never existed - at least not for another five to ten years and if it did, I doubt that it would be available for under $1000...