Corporations: Too Big to Stop

All we here from Obama and the Left these days is that corporations are evil.  They are too big to fail.  They are only craven beasts intent on profit.  They must be stopped.  And failing that, they must be limited.

For decades now Microsoft has been a target.  Nation after nation has tried to limit the power and influence of the monopolistic mega corporation.  At times, the governments have been successful.  Perhaps not in stopping them, but limiting them.

How many millions of dollars have been spent?  How many government officials have spent near careers tilting at this windmill?  How much productivity has been neglected in search of this mythical state of reality?

All the nations of the world could have simply done nothing.  If they would have stepped away from the abyss and simply let 2 young PhD students have their way.

Wanna know what finally stopped Microsoft?

Microsoft Sees the Light

In the end, Microsoft didn’t change its methods because of government mandate.  It changed its methods because of market competition:

For Microsoft, this is a battle that it cannot afford to lose. Office is a big money-spinner for the company and many corporate users are locked into longer-term contracts that guarantee a steady stream of revenue from the software. Small wonder, then, that Stephen Elop, the head of Microsoft’s business division, has described the launch of Office 2010 as “an epic release”.

Among other things, the new, web-based version of Office will make it much easier for workers to use documents and spreadsheets on a host of different devices, including smart phones. Microsoft has also tweaked its software to make it easier for people to, say, embed videos in PowerPoint presentations and to integrate data from their social networks into online calendars and e-mail services.

For Microsoft, this is a battle that it cannot afford to lose. Office is a big money-spinner for the company and many corporate users are locked into longer-term contracts that guarantee a steady stream of revenue from the software. Small wonder, then, that Stephen Elop, the head of Microsoft’s business division, has described the launch of Office 2010 as “an epic release”.

Among other things, the new, web-based version of Office will make it much easier for workers to use documents and spreadsheets on a host of different devices, including smart phones. Microsoft has also tweaked its software to make it easier for people to, say, embed videos in PowerPoint presentations and to integrate data from their social networks into online calendars and e-mail services.

Wanna know how much Microsoft is charging for this “Epic Release”?

…the company plans to offer a free, stripped down version of its web apps that will compete directly with Google’s mass-market offering.

That’s right.  In an effort to destroy the world in search of that elusive profit, Microsoft has decided to offer its primary money-maker for free.

Go capitalism.

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