Open Source Software vs. Microsoft Empire Essay

According to the Department of Justice, Microsoft used its resources and technology to drive other companies out of business, thereby eliminating the competition and creating a monopoly. Without competition, Microsoft was able to set prices and consumer conditions in a way that exceedingly benefited the company while ensuring a decreased amount of new competition because of the proprietary software installed in most PCs. (Competitive Processes, Anticompetitive Practices and Consumer Harm in the Software

Microsoft has developed into an inescapable force within the technological field. Coming from a delayed humble beginning, it has had to devote large sums of money to approach the levels of the founding technological companies. Today, Microsoft controls the market in computer software. How they have achieved this status is what some have come to question. Through “bundling” software programs, manipulating other computer companies, and packaging deals with personal computers, Microsoft has managed to eradicate nearly all competitors in the computer software market (Love, 1997). This near monopoly affects the entire spectrum of classes, including the consumer, other networking providers,

In more recent years, the Microsoft Corporation has repeatedly been accused of having a monopoly on the software market (Rise of monopolies 1996). Microsoft

Unlicensed software use continued to be a major problem in 2013. Indeed, 43 percent of the software installed on PCs around the world was not properly licensed, an uptick from 42 percent in 2011. The commercial value of the unlicensed installations was $62.7 billion. (The Compliance Gap, 2014). As we can see piracy of software and other digital media is a global problem that adversely affects many businesses and the welfare of employees and consumers.

Based on Davidson and Kumagai’s (2008) article, list three advantages and risks associated with open source software.

In order to minimize the impact of the syndrome with open source projects, Hayden suggests that it is essential that everyones opinions' are heard and expressed in the way they feel most comfortable expressing. The author also explains that Hayden's mentor was his most effective method in pushing him to meet people and speak up when there are issues that need to be addressed.

Antitrust laws protect competition, which is said to benefit consumers with more and better products at lower prices. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and attorneys general from 20 states has filed antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft), the world's largest supplier of computer software for personal computers (PCs) in the United States.. Microsoft is accused of allegedly violating sections 1 and 2 of The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. Section 1 of the Sherman Act outlaws " every contract, combination…, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade." The Supreme Court has since then decided that the Sherman Act prohibits only those contracts or agreements that restrain trade unreasonably. What

Sacks, M. (2015). Competition Between Open Source and Proprietary Software: Strategies for Survival. Journal Of Management Information Systems, 32(3), 268-295.

Free software is free, users can change code, and source code is available to anyone.

The significant differences in open source and proprietary software are created and supported by for-profit companies which market the licenses for the use of their software is operated to gain profits.

Microsoft and its supporter’s claims that they are not breaking any laws, and are just

Even though we know that software piracy is illegal, we are aware many people still download and access this copyrighted material for their personal use on a daily basis. The following report will weigh up the arguments for and against software piracy. This will give you better knowledge and understanding in determining: Who’s right? The pirates or the government and businesses? Journals I’ve read suggest a variety of facts and opinions, of which will be included below.

Andrew Carnegie, the founder and previous CEO of Carnegie Steel, one of the wealthiest people to have ever lived, and a highly intelligent man once said, “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.” According to the American English Oxford dictionary, open source means,” Denoting software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified.” In turn, something that is open source is a public program, available for everyone to change, edit, modify, alter, or whatsoever the said programmer (or team of programmers) feels like changing. For example, if a programmer where to take the source code from an open source project such as Firefox and rewrite

At no cost or free access to any information brings many benefits to users through online piracy. When anyone downloads a program from an online source they use it as a preview or free trial when none are available. People do this in order to see what they want is worth the purchase or not. For example: Someone has no clue what word processing program to buy and he or she does not want to just waste the money on a word processing program he or she cannot use. This is where internet piracy can come in to play and benefit him or her greatly. He or she can just download the word processing programs they have been looking at from an online source to use as a free trial, find the best one, and later buy it.

software is something to share. Who cares if the people who worked on it get paid? Is this