Apologies

[William T Goodall]

On 19 Mar 2008, at 17:20, Curtis Burisch wrote:
>> For not posting about the monstrous evil of religion lately. I've  
>> been
>> distracted by the new iPhone SDK (which is very nice) and thinking of
>> what sort of software to create with it that lots of other people
>> haven't also thought of :-)
>
> Hah!
>
> http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/11/1216211&from=rss
>
> "Apple's iPhone software development kit is already drawing  
> complaints due
> to the strict terms of service. Voice over IP apps like Skype that  
> attempt
> to use the cellular data connection will be blocked. Competing web  
> browsers
> Firefox and Opera are forbidden. Even Sun is now backpedaling on its  
> recent
> announcement of a java port, noting that there are some legal issues.
> Critics are already comparing Apple's methods to Comcast's anti-net
> neutrality filtering, and Microsoft's Netscape-killing antitrust  
> tactics.
> Could Apple face government regulators?"

Apple has no antitrust issues because unlike Microsoft Apple has not  
been convicted in a court of law for illegally abusing a monopoly  
position and therefore has had no legal sanctions placed on its  
corporate behaviour. Additionally Apple isn't a monopoly anyway so  
even accusing it of abusing its non-existent monopoly makes no sense.

Microsoft has, and has abused, and has been convicted of abusing, a  
monopoly and has had legal penalties imposed as a consequence of that.  
One of those penalties is that Microsoft is more strictly regulated on  
what it can and can't do than its competitors.

Apple does not have a monopoly so it can't have abused it or be  
penalised for that. Apple is legally permitted to do things that  
Microsoft is forbidden to do because Microsoft is 'on parole' and  
Apple is not.


Just the facts Maru.

-- 
William T Goodall
Mail : wtg at wtgab.demon.co.uk
Web  : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk
Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/

"I wish developing great products was as easy as writing a check. If  
so, then Microsoft would have great products." - Steve Jobs