Microsoft, monopoly or hero?

Our quiet shores are just as dependent on computers as the bustling offices in the mainland U.S. are. The federal government’s plans to break up Microsoft are something that will certainly impact us out here.

Not all monopolies are opposed by the U.S. government. The diamond cartel, for example, wields a lot purer monopoly power than Microsoft does. So does OPEC, many member nations of which enjoy all sorts of support and aid from Uncle Sam. And when it comes to the American media, I’d be hard pressed to find a field with more obnoxious monopolies. And what about Boeing, the only producer of large airliners in the United States? If that’s not a pure monopoly, then what is?

So why the double standard? Well, let’s just say that selective prosecution always mirrors the agenda of those behind the scenes. If Microsoft had been cozy with the right people and organizations, the monopoly gig would be a non-issue.

I, for one, am not a knee-jerk critic or supporter of Microsoft. Much of their software is pure garbage, masterfully marketed to semi-skilled consumers who like bells and whistles and slick features. These folks–sort of the lowest cyber common denominator–would rather have something jazzy looking than something that is actually powerful. Microsoft has a genius for selling sizzle, not steak.

That being said, I’ll admit I use some Microsoft products. Windows, of course, along with Microsoft’s browser, and I also use Front Page, a web page writing program.

But that’s it. I don’t use their email program (Outlook Express), I absolutely loathe their spreadsheet (Excel), and their word processor (Word) is a hateful beast indeed.

The free market is free enough, however, to cater to my tastes. Eudora Light is free (yes, free) email, and I’m happy with it. Corel produces Quattro–the best spreadsheet ever made, and I’m a spreadsheet guy–along with WordPerfect, which is pretty good for word smithing. None of this stuff is perfect, mind you, and I still pine for the good old days when the old Quattro for DOS and my beloved WordStar were state of the art. I still run them on an old computer of mine.

Back to modern times. We as consumers still have a lot of choices. And, given my aversion to most Microsoft products, I, for one, hope their stranglehold on operating systems doesn’t squeeze out the other guys out there who are catering to our diverse tastes and needs as end users. On the other hand, I marvel at the standardization that allows us to benefit from the World Wide Web. It rules, it’s cool, and it’s powerful.

And I’m just speaking as a PC man. The Apple disciples are yet another camp that have asserted their needs in the marketplace.

To my mind, Microsoft–a big, arrogant, bureaucracy–is heading the way of IBM–a big, arrogant bureaucracy that gored itself in the PC market. Exhibit A: Linux. Linux is an alternative operating system that–so say some experts–holds the promise of allowing us to shed the yoke of Microsoft if not entirely, then substantially.
In other words, the creativity of the market is still out there, and will assert itself eventually.

Which brings me back to Corel, the folks who make WordPerfect and Quattro. Corel has announced it’s jumping into Linux with both feet, and has developed WordPerfect and Quattro programs that run in Linux. This is gonna’ be interesting.

I’d like to hear from anyone in the CNMI who tries this Corel/Linux match. If it works well, maybe we can get a few steps further away from Mr. Gates’ empire. Consumers–not government–are the solution to this situation.