Could there be a law to protect the free choice of operating system?

[Vicen Rodriguez]

Hi,


> >
> > For example would you pay 100.000 euros for a car where you can replace
> > engine, lights, seats, cpu, software etc, or would you buy a 15000 mass
> > produced one? The example is exaggerated, but consider that even smaller
> > price differences, make a lot of impact to certain people.
> >
> > So in almost every example I can think of, if companies are forced with
> > legislation to break their products in multiple separate parts, prices
> > would go up in the average case, and go down in few (geeky) cases. Do
> > you really believe the average person is prepared to pay more for
> > something that has not any immediate impact visible to him (not everyone
> > is a mechanic or software developer). Most probably he'd just import his
> > product from a country where they don't have those laws.
> Your "analogy" is not analogous to the general purpose computer being
> bundled with software. In the case of Microsoft's dominant market
> position, the bundling actually raises prices. Sure, the users get
> Windows cheaper than they would get it by buying it separately, but by
> being forced to buy Windows they lose out on the option to buy several
> cheaper OSes, many GNU/Linux systems at their zero price among them.
> In case of the car, you are actually free to order the parts and
> assemble the damn thing yourself.
> 
> This has everything to do with the market, which should be free.
> Antitrust laws were invented for a reason.
> 

I agree.


Vicen

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