Comments on: Replacing A Cheaper Price With More Resources For Linux

By: Robert Pogson

Robert Pogson — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:36:01 +0000

A monopoly is defined as a vendor having more than 50% market share. M$ is a monopoly.

As a monopoly they have to compete on price. They do not do that with bundling.

e.g. Canadian Competition Act section 77(2)

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(2) Where, on application by the Commissioner or a person granted leave under section 103.1, the Tribunal finds that exclusive dealing or tied selling, because it is engaged in by a major supplier of a product in a market or because it is widespread in a market, is likely to

(a) impede entry into or expansion of a firm in a market,

(b) impede introduction of a product into or expansion of sales of a product in a market, or

with the result that competition is or is likely to be lessened substantially, the Tribunal may make an order directed to all or any of the suppliers against whom an order is sought prohibiting them from continuing to engage in that exclusive dealing or tied selling and containing any other requirement that, in its opinion, is necessary to overcome the effects thereof in the market or to restore or stimulate competition in the market.
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Retailers certainly tie the selling of particular hardware configurations with that other OS and that makes it impossible for a purchaser to buy the particular hardware configuration by itself or with GNU/Linux.

By: Chris Lees

Chris Lees — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:23:16 +0000

I’m no fan of Microsoft, and I’d rather see the GNU/Linux machines cheaper (or the same price with better features), but making the lower-spec Windows machines cheaper is not anti-competitive or illegal. “Hiding” the price of the operating system is also not illegal as the computer is being sold as a package with the operating system. It’s like complaining that your notebook vendor “hid” the price of the power adapter that comes with it.

Microsoft is not a monopoly either, bucko.

By: Robert Pogson

Robert Pogson — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:38:58 +0000

The added features are Wintel’s way of hiding the price of M$’s OS, an anti-competitive act for a monopoly. It is universal. I have not seen any seller sell both operating systems on a single hardware configuration. Some even charge a higher price for GNU/Linux. The battle is still uphill on a slipper slope. Filing complaints with competition bureaus might help. If that does not work, talk to your legislator to tighten up the laws. This is the same old stuff. When M$ is caught in one anti-competitive act it innovates another to maintain monopoly illegally. Banning them is about the only tactic that will work.