What's a monopoly

Strange that the focus is on Google and Apple. It just strengthens my suspicion that the focus is orchestrated.

 

It's not monopolistic... just anticompetitive. Or at least Apple is - they sue anyone who tries to create a similar product. I don't know of Google creating "barriers" per-se but they definitely get people to use their products through things like default engine in Android or home page on Firefox etc.

 

Yeah, & a lot of it seems like 'Do not collect £200 & go directly to jail' these days LOL!

 

Yes, defaults are not the issue, Google allows manufacturers to do what they want with Android, it was Firefox's choices to have Google as the default browser.

IMHO Anti competitive would be not allowing manufacturers to change the default browser or saying to Mozilla, you are not allowed to include search functionality from Google in your browser unless you make it the default.

Legal definitions of Monopolies and anti-competitiveness with respect to software and operation systems are not very well defined or tested in court and as a result its quiet a difficult topic to research and get clear answers to the details of what is when a software/OS/tech monopoly becomes predatory.

Cheers, Nick

 

I'm not so sure that this is exactly the case. For all I know it was tacitly insisted on in the new deal. Unlike SeaMonkey, or even Chrome, switching the default engine in Firefox (as opposed to just changing the homepage) is an 'about:config' job. I know how to change it, but I am betting many normal (not nerdy like me ) end-users wouldn't.

Can you download an alternate browser to the Chromebook? Why doesn't Mozilla make it comparatively easy to change the default engine from Google? Do Google insist that alternatives to its search engine are not obviously or easily changed on Firefox? Could this be a subtle form of anti-competitiveness by Google?

I am sure that there are many grey areas.

 

Search engine not browser. I think you're upset about the Cheryl Cole thing.

 

Sorry ... my bad.

I think I just get excited thinking about Cheryl Cole.

 

In this day and age, there is no such thing as monopoly happening in the stricter sense. Just as the monarchy is passé and instead the rule of the oligarchs, the 1% that controls us the 99%. TPTB or TPTW? Thus, Oligopoly, perhaps? Oligopoly by the Oligarchy bounded together by some strange conspiracy and pacts with the dark cabals? Perhaps, no. There may be no secret deals or collusions, ie, the Bilderbergers or C300. Instead bounded only in spirit or in unison by their pure and simple Greed.

 

Kakocracy?

 

Corporatocracy as what a self-confessed economic hitman, John Perkins, said most often. -http://www.johnperkins.org/

 

John Perkins? Didn't he play for Pontypool RFC?

 

No, not that one. But the economic hitman who wrote this... www.bibliotecapleyades.net/archivos_pdf/confession_economichitman.pdf

 

OK thanks. This may take me a while to digest.