FYIS.org/estore said:
In MightyKitten posted:
And who the hell are you to judge how much a manufacturer charges for
(and under what conditions) their product of services? Don't like it,
don't buy the product or service! What are you a socialist or
something?
Jobs are created, research & development is promoted, and growth and
expansion accelerated by the income from the sales of a manufacture's
products and services.
I'm not someone who Microsoft and the likes care aboute while they think of
their prices. I just think that if they play it smart and lower prices for
private users, it will be profitable for both parties. Microsoft will sell
more licences, since most people will agree $50 - $75 is a good price for
their software and will pay up for the licences, instead of using kazaa or
the likes to download and burn the software.
I don't see myself as a socialist (or capitalist for that matter), but my
view to the world might indeed be more socialistic as yours. Fortunately,
there are a zillion shades of gray between black and white. I think everyone
is entitled to their whealt, but to do so in (and this might be a a huge
difference of opinion) respect for others.
And in all respect: Being allowed to use bussines licences at home (office
97) to get a larger market share, and then suddenly kill this agreement with
the next version is a great marketing trick, but shows very little respect
for people.
The investments in jobs, R&D and Reserves you speak off are the first to go
when a company makes less profit as previous year. I'm not talking about
companies having a loss or companies who break-even, no about having
somewhat less profit.
Microsoft and other companies are free to sell there software for whatever
price they think it is worth. I'm free to feel ripped of by this. And also,
I have the freedom to express these feelings. I also know I have the
freedom to choose any office package I wish. But this is only theoretical.
Pratically, OpenOffice can do only a part - a very large part, agreed, but
still only a part - of MS-office. Businesses and home users expect from me
to have it and support it. Therefore, buying a MS-Office wasn't a choice,
but a must. Since I'm using is for buiness purposes, I don't complain about
me having to buy it for this purpose. But when I still was an employee, I'd
realy thought of it as a big rip-off.
If MS (and the Gates Foundation) wants to promote, donate, or
otherwise provide a greater benefit to Education enterprises from
their endeavors, why is that any different then Ben & Jerry using
their ice cream products to benefit and promote the Environmental
wackos?
Who said "enviromentalists wacko's" are my idea of good money spend? I do
not realy know what kind of envirometnal groups Ben & Jerry's supports, but
it won't make my fondness for icream any greater or less. By the way, i'n
not complaining MS makes great deals for educational users, I'm complaining
the don't for private users. Not businissed. I have accept it - again still
a bit grumpy - about the prices they quote, but as a business, I think I
should pay up the price.
In my opinion, companies don't matter. People do. This is something most
gouvernments, including solicalist and capitalist countries seem to
recognise less and less. The way how things are established are becomming of
more importance as why these things have been established in the first
place. For example: at this moment there are lots of companies more worried
about how to handle a complaint than actually handling a complaint.
with this in mind, i take a look at those big companies:
most of them will try to make more profit at all costs: fireing people, cut
down quality of their products, as long as they just make more profit in
total. My simple question is why? If you do it for shareholders values,
chanses ary you will get a company that is build on air.
Therefore I think it would be more profitable for humanity (or at least a
large part) of it
I think your "persistant feeling of beeing F**ked" comes from your
gene pool and/or your environmental/ governmental influences, not the
software vendors you encounter.
If I didn't know any better, I'd expect you to be
a) a staff member of the current whitehouses
b) BillyBoy's second in command
c) As stereotypical American as I have ever seen.
hmmm... looking at your sig, i suspect answer a.
I guess we *do* have some political differences then. Alright a diffrent
shade of gray. If everyone had the same opinion as I had:
The world wouldn't be as much fun!
There wasn't enough chocolate in the world for us all.
MightyKitten
