Re: Old Computers

[Rick Tarara <rbtarara@SPRYNET.COM>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "John S. Denker" <jsd@MONMOUTH.COM>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2001 10:51 AM
Subject: Re: Old Computers


> At 09:45 AM 7/30/01 -0500, Rick Tarara wrote:
> > What does competition in the office apps get you?  Chaos.
>
> That statement is mistaken and highly misleading.  It is nearly 180
degrees
> diametrically backwards.
>
> Theory: Insurgents have every reason to be compatible with the market
> leader.  If they introduce an incompatibility, you should assume it's
> accidental.  The monopolist, in contrast, has every reason to churn things
> in order to introduce incompatibilities.
You might think so, but we have PLENTY of trouble with WordPerfect and Word
incompatibilities.  In John's perfect world there would be no real market
leader (or it might keep changing), so on what do you standardize?
Regulated monopolies can be quite efficient and effective.  (At least if
they hadn't broken up Ma Bell we wouldn't be inundated by commercials,
mailing, e-mails, and tele-marketers trying to get us to change carriers!
;-)

Rick

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Richard W. Tarara
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Department of Chemistry & Physics
Saint Mary's College
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219-284-4664
rtarara@saintmarys.edu

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