[plug] Microsoft is asking us for our opinion!!! 8-)

[Buddrige, David]

It seems that microsoft is asking for the public's opinion of their legal
issues... they have set up a web-site whereby you can post your opinion to
them (and to the US Congress)...

http://www.microsoft.com/freedomtoinnovate/

Naturally I felt compelled to oblige them with this letter (sent both to
congress and to M$)...

I think Microsoft deserves a full disclosure of our opinion - especially
seeing as they have so graciously asked us for it??? hmmm??  (unfortunately,
it seems to only work with Internet explorer - netscape users will find
their is an error when you try to post using netscape - but heck, _this_ is
a good reason to boot up IE - one last time... 8-)

Cheers

David.

Here is the text of the posting I have sent to M$ and congress.. 8-)

I wish to express my delight with the DOJ lawsuit against Microsoft as it
has been conducted so far, and wish to urge that Microsoft is not allowed to
escape serious penalties for it's misconduct in the Computer Industry so
far.

Microsoft has (as the DOJ has well proven thus far) consistently, and
persistently pursued a tactic of abuse of it's monompoly power, and has
consistently circumvented any (minor) legal attempts to restrain it's
actions within the industry by non-compliance with the spirit of legal
agreements - and very often - certainly running extremely close to
non-compliance with the letter of the law as regards it's legal obligations
due to previous attempts at legal restraint.

I think the DOJ is more than justified in pursuing Microsoft in it's illegal
and immoral exercise of market power, to stifle competition.  I applaud the
US Department of Justice for it's excellent work so far, and hope they push
home the successes they have already made in proving beyond any shadow of a
doubt that not only is Microsoft guilty of illegal practices in the computer
industry, but that Microsoft presents a highly significant danger to the
entire Computer industry - and to industry as a whole, if it's past and
present practices are allowed to continue unchecked.  

Personally, it is my hope that the US Department of Justice will force
Microsoft to sell all versions it's Windows source code to at least two or
three other companies as well as breaking up Microsoft into seperate
divisions - one for the Operating System, one for applications such as
Office, and another for Ecommerce and other related Internet products.

It is my hope also that Microsoft will learn the value of ethical business
practice by this episode, and cease - permentantly and totally it's
bully-boy practices which have to date been wildly evident in the industry -
to the detriment, and stifling of that industry.