Anyone who could co-author a book like FootFall is ok in my eyes. However, his understanding of economics appears self taught by his comments. He essentially admits Microsoft uses its monoploy power (since it has acheived it) to crush competitors with predetory pricing (although he didn't seem at all aware of the long term significance of that). His coments about OS2 and how MS won that COMPETITIVE battle by increasing the quality of its product and offering discount prices misses the point that had there been no competition from IBM in the first place there likely would have been no quality increase or price discount in Windows to begin with.

The computer industry is not "special" or "different" from any other industry so that it can have a monopoly and still have competition. A $250 charge for a "clean install" is ridiculous. The costs for developing Windows spread across the half billion users around the planet should be negligable. In fact, the only reason you have to go for a "clean install" to begin with is because Windows saves everything you ever do and hides it all over your computer. Clearing your cache, history, temp internet, cookies, etc etc will only get rid of what you can see! It's hidden a half dozen other places some of which can only be accessed in dos and others that can only be accessed with special windows codes. Linex at least is a
clean operating system that won't subject your personal documents to unwanted scrutiny.

I appreciate yours adn Tom's opinions on this matter and sorry if I sounded condesending in my prior post, but honestly, there are models and proofs as well as countless historical and empirical datum to show why monopolies undermine the free market system. If ever there was an important task for the government it is maintaining the integrity of the free market system.