[geeks] Flicker users u in arms over MS acquisition...

[Mark]

On 4 Feb 2008, at 18:59, Mike Meredith wrote:

>> Nope, they are just a typical organism in an competative environment
>> - they want to be top predator, rather than be eaten themselves.
>
> How does that make their behaviour less evil ?

I guess it doesn't make it good, or even acceptable, it was merely an  
observation that it's only natural behaviour based on instinct. You  
fight to get to a secure position, and once there fight like hell to  
stay there. The only difference is that people used to do it with  
swords and axes, now they use cheque books and hostile takeovers. I  
don't class that as 'pure evil', I reserve that for much more heinous  
crimes. It is, however, a bad way to be, and I hate every ego- 
tripping, wallet busting, cheque writing, employee firing inch of it.

> Using an analogy that
> implies they are behaving like a natural predator ignores the fact  
> that
> the economy has nothing to do with nature.

It's a system where companies hunt each other down and try to kill off  
each other, people go out to 'make a killing', and you are judged on  
how many people you kick over or knock down on the way to the top.  
Don't tell me capitalism has nothing to do with the natural ecosystem.  
They are the modern equivalent of bounty hunters, they go out with one  
thing in mind, and anyone who gets in your way is cannon fodder.

> If the economic system encourages or rewards psychotic behaviour  
> shouldn't the economic system be changed ?

Yes, and thus you have the root cause of why the Capitalist economy is  
such a dire mess. Companies seem to have forgone 'healthy competition'  
in favor of Microsoft-style anti-competitive bait and switch and  
swamping maneuvers. At least that's how it looks to me.

My bottom line is pretty much on Eric Schmidt's. The move is not good,  
it's anti-competitive and takes a major player out from between MS and  
Google. Now, unlike Schmidt, I care because I don't want another one  
of these petty squabbles over computer frontiers (not because I can  
see a red laser dot in the middle of my companies forehead). MS have  
screwed up, they've dropped the ball when it comes to the web. If this  
is the only way they think they can get back then I hope Yahoo roll up  
the offer and ram it in Ballmer's ear. They've done it before. They  
can do it again.

-- 
Mark Benson

My Blog:
<http://mdblog.68kmac.org>
68kMac.org:
<http://www.68kmac.org>
Visit my Homepage: <http://homepage.mac.com/markbenson>

"Never send a human to do a machine's job..."