Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 13:17:46 -0500
From: Steve Smith <sgs at aginc.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Bill Gates, Boogieman
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

"Strong, Lee" wrote:
>
> No one
> is forced to purchase Microsoft goods and services, and refering to
> Microsoft as a monopoly is inaccurate to say the least.

Oh?  The recent antitrust trial ruled otherwise.

Not forced to use Microsoft goods and services?  Try telling your boss
that you want a Macintosh, or that you want to install Linux on your
current computer.  The U. S. Government is a Microsoft- only shop.

Essentally, if you want to do business nowadays, you *must* use
Microsoft Office.  And Microsoft does not publish their data formats.
(In some cases they do, but the information is wrong or years out of
date.)  As other outfits figure out these formats (a process of
questionable legality, BTW), Microsoft changes them.

You want to do business, you buy Microsoft.

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