Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Alan MacHett" <machett AT ibiblio.org>]

David R.Matusiak said:
> The EU may be misdirected, but their monopoly claims are still valid.
> I believe their contention is that once WMP has the market dominance of
> Internet Explorer, they can simply stop making it for other platforms
> and effectively control media distribution software on the Internet.
> This could drive RealNetworks out of business (not many folks will weep
> over that one) and then there would only be WMP and Quicktime.  Its all
> about monopoly.  Its all about control and unfair competition.  It is
> not as simple as "Just don't install it."
>
>> But then again, there's the whole issue ...
>> /snip/
>> ... down to the very few rest of us who are aware of the vast
>> choices and nuances in OSs.
>
> If only a few people know about this, then why is it an issue?
>

C'mon, Dave, you know the answer: because those few (1)want it to be an
issue and (2)are in positions (read: competing companies) to make it an
issue.  Those few are the same sorts of people as are in INW -- people in
the industry -- and it's people in the industry that are making the fuss
(or fighting it, if their part of the industry is M$).
This sort of shit just isn't on the radar for John Q.  He couldn't care
less, until someone more knowledgeable explains to him why perhaps he
should care, until someone else's complaints are loud enough or popular
enough that he thinks he should join in.  John Q. most likely doesn't even
know what an OS is, much less that he has choices in them.

... but I think you misinterpreted my statements.  I agree with you
wholeheartedly; M$ aspires to be a monopoly and largely succeeds from a
certain perspective -- ask any John Q. about computers or OSs and the
answer will most often be Windows.  That is what I meant when I said that
only a very few are aware of anything else.  How many "average" households
are running Linux?  A paltry few.  That Gateway or Dell or HP or whatsits
they purchased came out of the box with Windows installed.

The loss of choice is fundamentally bad.  Even if the "only" choice is a
good or exceptional one, other choices should still exist.  Logically,
functionally, I know that statement is flawed; but from a philosophical,
human, free will standpoint it makes perfect sense.  Sometimes, I
purposefully use search engines *other than* Google for that very reason. 
I like Google, but it's all anyone ever seems to talk about anymore and I
just don't think it should be the only way.

-Alan