=> 5/24/01 8:22:13 AM EDT, spair at advantive.com =>
<< ... I believe this was well established by the first amendment to the US 
Constitution in 1791.  The second amendment gives me the right to defend the 
first.  The seventh amendment ensures that a jury (not a judge) has final 
authority whether or not I have violated common law ... >>

Well, as they used to say, "Tell it to the judge!"

Unfortunately, there is some wisdom in this observation. Microsoft (and 
similar self-absorbed powerful companies) have the bucks to fund a 
substantial (and perhaps unending) legal presentation of their interests. 
And, as the (modern) Golden Rule has it, "He who has the gold, gets to make 
the rules."

Most everyone has a horror story or two about excessive pressures applied by 
Microsoft (and similar companies). I still have a manual on my bookshelf for 
Apple Basic -- an early Macintosh software product deemed to be in too much 
competition with Microsoft's BASIC interests ( and they didn't even invent it 
!#!@!@!#! ). I keep that manual there (it has no other use) to remind me of 
that occurrence.

The real law of what you can "get away with," or "what will carry the day," 
should not be ignored. Intelligent communities of people with similar 
interests can benefit by learning to avoid exhaustion of their energies 
tilting at windmills. Microsoft sees open source as a threat. I certainly see 
open source as a threat, a threat to Microsoft's *total* software picture 
("Resistance is futile!").

Let's hear it for open source!

Additionally it can be observed, as we watched Bill Gates in defense of his 
company in recent federal anti-trust matters, it may be seen that he is his 
company's own worst enemy. He certainly did more damage than any of us could 
do. Perhaps the identification of open source research (Yea Squeak!) and open 
source software (Yea Linux, Apache, PGP, Netscape, etc.!) is the most 
beneficial thing Microsoft can do for these efforts. It tells others what to 
pay attention to -- where to get relief from Microsoft's practices.

Cheers,
Jerry.

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Jerry L. Archibald
systemObjectivesIncorporated
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