Re: Free-Market Economics

Bobby Whalen (organix@hotmail.com)
Fri, 11 Jul 1997 10:15:39 PDT


>Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 08:10:53 -0700
>To: extropians@extropy.org
>From: Max More <maxmore@primenet.com>
>Subject: Re: Free-Market Economics
>
>At 05:56 PM 7/10/97 PDT, Bobby wrote:
>>
>>You make a very good point. However, those who have built a better
>>mousetrap invariably get bought out by Microsoft. So little of what
>>they have actually created has been orginal or creative. They have
>>advanced only to the degree necessary to maintain their market
dominance
>>- which isn't much.
>
>Once again I find myself in the untrendy position of defending
Microsoft! I
>note that while most companies are slashing research budgets, Microsoft
has
>recently *tripled* their budget for basic research. They have hired a
large
>number of exceedingly smart people, especially in regard to advanced
>graphics software.
>
>Whatever truth there was a few years ago in the view that Microsoft was
not
>creative (a view that I've found exaggerated) has become ever less true
>over the last few years. In the years to come, as results appear from
their
>labs, I think even the Microsoft haters will have to change their
views.
>
>It's Apple that rested on its laurels while Microsoft relentlessly
caught
>up then, in many areas, overtook. I don't believe it's realistic to
blame
>all of Apple's woes on marketing. I suspect their cultish approach
allowed
>them to get lazy. While Apple was busy enjoying being cool, Microsoft
was
>busy attracting intelligent people and putting them to work at maximum
>efficiency.
>
>Okay, go ahead, call me a corporate lackey.
>
>Max
>
>
>Max More, Ph.D.
>more@extropy.org
>http://www.primenet.com/~maxmore
>President, Extropy Institute: exi-info@extropy.org,
http://www.extropy.org
>EXTRO 3 CONFERENCE on the future: http://www.extropy.org/extro3.htm

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