Monopoly vs. Monopoly -- Redmondmag.com

Barney's Blog

Monopoly vs. Monopoly

Billionaires love to fight. Just look at the old battles between Larry Ellison and Bill Gates. Big companies also love to fight, and just like their leaders, sometimes it just makes them look ridiculous.

The latest case in point is Microsoft trying to block Google's acquisition of ITA Software. ITA lets flyers search for flights, and drives most online travel reservation sites. The argument of Microsoft and other members of the FairSearch.org coalition is this will let Google dominate online travel -- even more than it dominates search. And as with any monopoly, prices tend to go up as the monopolists exert near total control.

I'm not a fan of monopolies, but it does seem odd that the company that dominates operating systems and productivity apps is complaining about another potential monopoly.

What say you? Is too much power concentrated in too few companies, or does the free market let the very best rise to top? Opine away at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/17/2010 at 1:18 PM

Featured

Microsoft Office to Build a Network Diagram 2

Now that we've set up our process, let's dig in with the actual execution.
Microsoft Graph 'Activity Logs' Feature Goes Live

Microsoft announced the general availability of the "activity logs" capability in Microsoft Graph, giving administrators more options to track user activity and identify patterns of potential misuse.
Fallout from Microsoft's 'Midnight Blizzard' Saga Hits Feds

When the Russian attack group Midnight Blizzard successfully breached Microsoft corporate e-mail accounts late last year, it apparently managed to steal U.S. government agency e-mails, too.
PowerShell Script Used in Phishing Attack May Be AI-Generated

A PowerShell script being used in a novel malware campaign may have been created by AI, according to security researchers at Proofpoint.
Using Microsoft Office to Build a Network Diagram, Part 1

Keeping documentation is a great way to ease your future hardware refresh and have what you need for insurance purposes.