Re: Do Microsoft?sCopilot+ PCs Require Linux?

On May 23, 2024 at 3:19:39 PM EDT, "Joel" <joelcrump@gmail.com> wrote:

Windows is a *type of* monopoly, in that only M$ controls it, but it
is used as a general OS.

There is no such thing as "a type of monopoly".  Either you are or you are
not. The legal definition is very clear.

You can't have a monopoly on your own product. If that were the case then
Harley Davidson has a "monopoly" on Sportsters and McDonalds has a "monopoly"
on Big Macs. 

But that's not how it works. Monopolies exist is markets. Not products. There
is plenty of competition in motorcycles and hamburgers. Apple can not have a
"monopoly" on iPhones for the same reason.

But macOS isn't really less so, it just
isn't seen as a "monopoly" because of lower market share, but what's
the difference?  It's a proprietary OS.  I can't run native Mac
software without a Mac, unless I have some kind of emulation scheme.

You can't run native Linux software without Linux either, unless you have some
kind of emulation scheme. Is Linux a "monopoly"?

Proprietary has nothing to do with being a monopoly. Monopoly means you have
97% of the market and are actively buying up/shutting down competitors.

Having a successful product does not make you a monopoly. Hell, people are
trying to claim that Apple is a monopoly with 25% of the phone market!  That
is impossible. There is TONS of competition in the phone market.

Hint: U.S. anti-trust laws are in place to protect consumers. Not competitors.
 Epic Games and Spotify whining about Apple means nothing. No one is forcing
either to support Apple. If you don't like the terms of the contracts you sign
with Apple, then you are free to tell Apple to Fuck Off and not sign the
contracts.

If enough companies did this, Apple might change their ways. But whining to
lawyers is going to go nowhere. As the judge in the Apple/Epic case famously
said, "Being successful is not against the law".