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No!
This is not the same situation, because the car companies have not told you that you can't do it. The car companies could really give a flying leap where and how and when you buy the car, because it doesn't leave their hands until someone pays for it (usually on credit). The car dealer doesn't care, either: he got paid. And the customs agent who tells you that you're not bringing that car over the border is just doing his job. In this case, the *government* has stepped in and said "you can't do this".

But that isn't what happens with a foreign edition of Microsoft's software. The respective governments really do not care whether you carry a CD over their borders, and you can install and use the software pretty much wherever and however you want. But Microsoft knows that if it lets you buy the software for $50 on one side of the street and $500 on the other, you're going to go buy it on the cheap side. So they essentially put in their license terms that you can't cross the street with the software. So we have one company charging two prices for the same software, and telling some customers that they can't pay the lower price even if the software *is* identical.

But while I agree that this is not the nicest thing in the world to do, the fact remains that in a free market... Microsoft has every right to do this. They can set their own prices. Just like the open source community can invest thousands of hours in producing software and hand it out for free, Microsoft can carry a Windows CD across the street and write whatever price they like on it. And if you don't like that price, you don't have to buy it.
Posted by: CDarklock   Posted on: 03/04/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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dictate procurement practices that disadvantage proprietary software  NemesisNL | 03/02/04
Commodities  wploger | 03/02/04
Err... Hmm. Cost Savings?  Max Llamaton | 03/02/04
I have three computers....  wploger | 03/02/04
I think the point he was making...  Mark Miller | 03/07/04
Re: Err...Hmm. Cost Savings?  Mack DaNife | 03/09/04
my post...  wploger | 03/02/04
I Agree  coffeenite | 03/03/04
you're right  ryusen | 03/03/04
A bit late to the party...Proprietary == Open Source  Fred Fredrickson | 03/08/04
Let them eat straw?  Robert Crocker | 03/02/04
I *agree* with John's points, I think?!  jim_oflaherty_jr | 03/03/04
I disagree with one aspect  Chad_z | 03/02/04
If Windows was value for money MS wouldnt be giving local discounts  jellyclock | 03/02/04
John doesn't want to admit that  Bobby Sskcat | 03/02/04
Local discounts  Ardian Daka | 03/02/04
yes  Hanover Phist | 03/02/04
No!  CDarklock | 03/04/04
You describe drugs very well  voska | 03/04/04
This is called "capitalism".  CDarklock | 03/03/04
Software has a differnt angel though  voska | 03/03/04
Lock-in  CDarklock | 03/04/04
That's not really the Lock In I'm thinking of  voska | 03/04/04
I don't call that lock-in.  CDarklock | 03/05/04
Is it just me?  Mack DaNife | 03/09/04
Well this article really takes the cake  Aphelion | 03/02/04
The King's taster...  techboy_z | 03/02/04
Fallacy of Four Terms  rp518dan | 03/02/04
Very well done!  John Le'Brecage | 03/02/04
Why it isn't so  OleAndersen | 03/02/04
I couldn't have said it better!!!  nachokb | 03/03/04
The GPL is Just Plain Bad for the Computer Industry  P. Douglas | 03/02/04
But that's exactly the point  rapson | 03/02/04
Wrong industry  Robert Crocker | 03/02/04
Re: GPL Bad or Good for the Industry  criderja | 03/02/04
In the words of Ed McMann.....  Ployd_Farker | 03/02/04
So, I agree the GPL is bad for that small segment of the computer industry  NemesisNL | 03/02/04
Re: GPL Bad or Good for the Industry  P. Douglas | 03/02/04
You answered you own question  voska | 03/03/04
as the innovations just wouldn?t be there  NemesisNL | 03/02/04
Re: Biggest drive for MS to innovate there is  George Jay | 03/02/04
innovation?  mdibergi | 03/02/04
It's one reason I don't use IE  voska | 03/03/04
Odds that this person never used a tabbed browser?  hlampert | 03/05/04
I have.  CDarklock | 03/05/04
This is the reason for my initial interst in Linux  k12linux_z | 03/02/04
Innovation comes from need  voska | 03/03/04
Very insightful  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 03/04/04
intellectual property...  Not average Joe | 03/02/04
ibm's doing just fine, so's hp  hipparchus | 03/02/04
Myths, Fallacies and innacuracies  k12linux_z | 03/02/04
No competence??  nachokb | 03/03/04
Are you as upset with people posting free recipes on the net?  voska | 03/03/04
Open source is PC Industry's Father  NoDough | 03/03/04
Re: Open source is PC Industry's Father  P. Douglas | 03/04/04
Re: Re: Open source is PC Industry's Father  NoDough | 03/04/04
You don't understand the GPL  Fred Fredrickson | 03/08/04
Re: The GPL is Just Plain Bad for the Computer Industry  Mack DaNife | 03/09/04
Re: Cake analogy  criderja | 03/02/04
Cake is essentially zero  voska | 03/03/04
John, why don't you write a piece on...  ordaj@... | 03/02/04
I'm not a programmer, but I take advantage of source code.  Michael Kelly | 03/02/04
John Carroll - too much money-care to see a bigger picture.  Vily Clay | 03/02/04
Yawn, not this again John  hipparchus | 03/02/04
Extremely boring  zd-spam | 03/02/04
Preaching to the bakers?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/02/04
Not really  Robert Crocker | 03/02/04
Doesn't makes sense  voska | 03/03/04
Hey I used to be a baker  voska | 03/03/04
Newsflash: Carrol allegory ignores history.  John Le'Brecage | 03/02/04
Poor analogy  dcarrera | 03/02/04
A Better Analogy  CT_z | 03/02/04
Even cake is open source  billmason | 03/02/04
Ingredients are not the recipe  voska | 03/04/04
Like it or not  qu1j0t3 | 03/02/04
Excellent  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 03/03/04
Good luck!  John Le'Brecage | 03/03/04
Yes...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 03/03/04
that explains alot  ryusen | 03/03/04
man i bet your dying....  JoeMama_z | 03/03/04
Me too it seems  JoeMama_z | 03/03/04
nog...  ryusen | 03/03/04
Man, that was painful  Eggs Ackley_z | 03/04/04
Analogy applies to RMS only - NOT to open source  Eggs Ackley_z | 03/03/04
What is going on here?  r0ckflite | 03/03/04
A very workable analogy  voska | 03/03/04
couldn't agree more  fosterd42 | 03/03/04
Open Source Vs. Proprietary  JoeMama_z | 03/03/04
More like civil disobedience....  NemesisNL | 03/04/04
Very nearly.  CDarklock | 03/04/04
John Le'Brecage is correct, but John Carroll means well...  awaretek | 03/04/04
The Passion of RMS?  hlampert | 03/05/04
Yes, intersting comments...  awaretek | 03/05/04
To those who care  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 03/05/04
Moving the goalposts again?  Robert Crocker | 03/08/04
only from john (NT)  JWatson77 | 03/05/04
Using a bad analogy doesn't prove your point  hlampert | 03/05/04
Good analogy happy  Mark Miller | 03/07/04
Open source radicals  msulli27@... | 03/12/04

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