The road ahead - Is this stuff really true?

[Jonathan <j.e.drews@worldnet.att.net>]

Hi:

 I find this kind of incredible:

from:
http://www.aaxnet.com/editor/edit029.html#mspath


Limiting your Choices
Making competing products unavailable is simply a quicker and more
reliable method of helping you avoid "wrong" choices than developing a
better product, and monopoly power gives Microsoft that option.
Threatening software developers with no access to critical Windows
information if they also programmed for OS/2 was typical - and concealed
for years by an NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement). Expect the same
technique to be used intensively against Linux.

Major PC manufacturers have always been under threat by Microsoft to
eliminate products or configurations Redmond does not approve of - to
"assure a Uniform Windows Experience". IBM's PC business, for instance,
was severely damaged by Microsoft pressure to discontinue supporting
OS/2. IBM got Windows 95 much later than other manufacturers, missing
the introductory market, and paid more for it. More recently, Dell
announced availability of Linux on many of it's desktop PCs, but
immediately withdraw the program without explanation.

Microsoft used this method to quickly reduce Netscape's browser share
from 80%+ to nearly nothing. They were convicted of multiple and very
serious antitrust violations in doing so, but the newly appointed
Bush/Ashcroft Department of Justice declined to apply punishment or
effective remedy. Microsoft is thus free to use similar methods to
remove other products from the market.

Microsoft's current push is to have complete control over hardware
design and availability. The practice of issuing joint Intel / Microsoft
PC design specifications came to an end with the PC 2001 issue (J2).
Microsoft alone now specifies PC design, leaving Intel as only a
manufacturer (J3). This control is now made final and all encompasing by
the Athens PC design.

Microsoft has three pressing reasons for seizing control of hardware
design:

      * DRM (Digital Rights Management): Microsoft is assuring the
        motion picture and recording industries it will be the "safe"
        channel for distributing digital content that cannot be pirated.
        Credibility of this claim requires complete control of the
        hardware Windows will run on (see also Palladium and Home and
        Entertainment below).
      * Home Electronics: With XBox, Microsoft has started a move to
        control household electronics and entertainment. This goes hand
        in hand with their DRM efforts - Microsoft hardware will be the
        only means by which much entertainment content will be
        available, and competing DRM schemes can be blocked. The
        "Athens" PC extends this control to the telphone system.
      * Open Source: Competition from Open Source products like Linux is
        being taken very seriously by Microsoft. It is already hindering
        their expansion in the business market, and they certainly don't
        want that to happen in the home market. By controlling the
        hardware platform they can assure that open source products do
        not have access to important hardware features. They have
        already stated that Palladium will not be ported to non-Windows
        platforms.
Athens [Update 9 May 2003]: Microsoft has now specified the "next
generation PC", code named "Athens" (R13) in precise detail. The
specification ties PC design tightly to Microsoft's Windows initiatives
and DRM (Digital Rights Management) plans, leaving no options for
differentiation among PC vendors (R14). Athens is a "Microsoft Branded"
PC in every detail except the label on the front.

Details of the specification raise questions as to whether any other
operating system will be able run on this new machine, which will
include Palladium chip based "security" features. As they now do with
XBox (R15), Microsoft may be expected to pursue legal action against
anyone who modifies Athens PCs to enable use of "unapproved" software.

Of particular concern are open source operating systems like Linux,
which publish under the GPL (General Public License). The GPL forbids
incorporation of code into a GPL'd product without releasing that code
to the public, which would be forbidden by Microsoft's license terms.
While the open source and server markets are alredy large enough to
support their own hardware industry, "forking" the PC would raise costs
for users and prevent use of these inexpensive machines in the consumer
market, raising costs to consumers.

In addition, Athens is designed to take control of your telephone
communications. Once again, Microsoft will use the highly successful
tactic of distributing features to the lower tier users. Once users have
deployed the features for their own convenience, they will force another
uncontrolled Microsoft centric environment on management. [end update]

Phoenix [Update 30 Oct 2003] Microsoft has signed an agreement with
Phoenix Technologies, one of the publishers of BIOS code for PCs, to tie
the BIOS tightly to Windows, adding special features to the PC that only
Windows can access (J7).

The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is a program built into your PC
which translates between the hardware and the operating system software.
By this agreement Microsoft can create new PC features availble ony to
Windows and control the PC's internal programming to the point of making
it a "Windows only" machine.

If AMI (American Megatrends) and other BIOS publishers feel they must
make similar deals to compete with Phoenix, the impact on computer users
will be stunning. This will establish unprecedented monopoly control
over computer hardware and would certainly be grounds for new antitrust
action, but this is Microsoft, so our government will take no action.

Microsoft does not limit its control to the hardware itself. Windows XP
introduces a program of "signed drivers" and a tightly controled
"Designed for Windows XP" logo program (J4). If a hardware manufacturer
does not submit drivers for approval by Microsoft (an expensive
process), Windows XP pops up a warning message that the drivers are not
approved by Microsoft and may cause problems with Windows.

Since Microsoft is the final authority that "signs" drivers and software
packages (J5), it's clear they have the power to drag out the approval
process if they don't favor a software or hardware product, or don't
favor the company (perhaps because they offer Linux drivers too).
Approval could even be denied entirely due to mysterious
"incompatibilities".

The obvious weakness of these programs is that users can become
accustomed to the unsigned driver warning, and products, both hardware
and software, can still be sold saying something like "Works with
Windows XP". It appears Microsoft is now moving to close this weakness
and make unapproved products entirely unavailable to the buying public.
Without sales, unapproved products will quickly disappear from the
market, giving Microsoft complete control of what you can buy.

Office Depot has already issued a letter to suppliers informing them
that products without the Microsoft "Designed for Windows XP" logo will
no longer be carried by Office Depot as of May 2003 (J1, J6). Logically,
this must be a response to pressure from Microsoft, and if other mass
marketers do the same, that will effectively confirm it despite the
nondisclosure agreements (more: Office Depot Aids Monopoly).

Expect Microsoft to continue tightening these programs until unapproved
products will simply not run at all on Windows. The justification for
this, as with almost every anti-consumer and anti-competitive move
Microsoft is making,will be to "enhance security".

These programs clearly tighten Microsoft's already powerful control over
the availabilty of products that support competing environments,
especially the availability of hardware drivers. Even years ago, with
much less leverage, they were able to force Epson to drop printer driver
support for OS/2.

The danger to Microsoft is that their heavy hand may spawn an
alternative hardware industry, just as it spawned an alternative
software industry. Large hardware companies are completely under
Microsoft's control through dependency on Windows for volume, but new or
smaller hardware companies, blocked economically from the Windows
market, may chose to support alternativs.

This is most likely to happen in the relative safety of overseas
locations, especially as overseas governments adopt Linux and open
source. Here again, Microsoft's monopolies threaten to limit U.S. jobs,
opportunities and American technology leadership.



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