Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 13:03:39 -0500
From: Steve Smith <sgs at aginc.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: equal pay
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

"Strong, Lee" wrote:
>
> Lee,
>         <Seriousness alert>  What is so bad about Bill Gates and/or
> Microsoft?  I've heard a lot of hostile comments but I've never heard any
> real evidence of wrongdoing.  Please provide specifics.  Thank you,
>
> Lee Who's Opposed to Witchhunts

You might start with the records of the antitrust trial.

Microsoft had a rather imaginative legal strategy -- piss off the judge
so badly that he makes unfortunate statements to the press, thus
allowing a claim of bias.

Note that the "findings of fact" and "findings of law" in this case have
never been challenged.  What *has* been challenged is the penalty.
Basically:

1.  Microsoft is a monopoly
2.  They abused their power
3.  This is illegal

However, the Government basically abandoned any attempt to penalize
Microsoft for this.

As a reference point, in the 2000 elections, Microsoft donated about
half again as much money as Enron.

--
Steve Smith                                           sgs at aginc.net
Agincourt Computing                            http://www.aginc.net
"Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense."