Re: [school-discuss] MS Schools Agreement anti-competitive UK

["Mark Evans" <mpe@st-peters-high.devon.sch.uk>]

On Tue, May 06, 2003 at 11:38:21PM +0100, ian wrote:
> On Tue, 2003-05-06 at 22:54, Paul Tietjens wrote:
> > They have a choice, and it's real, and it's easily discovered, if they but 
> > took the to time to look (like... pick up a newspaper or a trade magazine 
> > once in a while). 
> 
> Hm, how many of these advertise anything but Windows based solutions?
> Certainly not even 10% of the advertisements. In the UK a monopoly is
> defined as 25% of the market so whatever the reasons, Windows is a

Best example I can think of was an article in a computer
magazine of the form "what you can get for X amount of
money". Which went on about how there was so much choice.
Whilst there was plenty of choice of processors, case
style and colour, bundled peripherals, bundled applications,
etc, etc. All of the reviewed machines came with the 
same version of MS Windows. It's probably a reflection
on common attitudes to the lack of choice that the magazine
didn't even comment that in one area there was "Hobson's
choice".

> monopoly by definition. The utility companies that enjoy this level of
> monopoly in this country at any rate are all subject to an independent
> regulator who determines fair prices and profit levels to prevent
> consumers being ripped off. BT would not get away with an optional
> pricing structure that effectively paid them if the customer installed a
> NTL phone line even if there were alternative plans.

It would be as if BT were paid line rental and call charges
even that related to non BT lines. Which would mean that
the only way anyone else could compete would be not to
charge at all. Since even if their charges were less than
BT's customers would still be paying more to use there
services.

This is the basic problem with the MS schools set up
Microsoft get paid as if their software is being used,
regardless of if it is or is not. 

> >  I would suggest that the blame for what they understand 
> > does not lay with the company they feel is the only choice.
> 
> Well blame isn't the issue, the law is and I think MSSA breaks UK law
> and it seems the OFT think it is likely that it does too. Only way to
> tell for sure is to take it to court. I'm sure the judge will take
> previous offences into account as with any other prosecution ;-)
> 
> I'm sure MS can afford the legal bill but do they want to stand the
> negative publicity when they are very likely to lose anyway?

Depends who they are fighting. The EU undoubtedly 
has deeper pockets than Microsoft, the British 
government most probably does.

-- 
Mark Evans
St. Peter's CofE High School
Phone: +44 1392 204764 X109
Fax: +44 1392 204763