Wednesday, November 23, 2011
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Gates to testify in $1B lawsuit against Microsoft (AP)
SALT LAKE CITY ? Microsoft's Bill Gates was set to testify Monday in a $1 billion antitrust lawsuit accusing the software maker of duping a competitor prior to its rollout of Windows 95.
The case against Microsoft has been ongoing in federal court in Salt Lake City for about a month.
Utah-based Novell Inc. sued Microsoft in 2004, claiming the Redmond, Wash., company violated U.S. antitrust laws through its arrangements with other computer makers when it launched Windows 95. Novell says it was later forced to sell WordPerfect for a $1.2 billion loss.
The company argues that Microsoft co-founder Gates ordered company engineers to reject WordPerfect as a Windows 95 application because he feared it was too good. WordPerfect's share of the market then plummeted from nearly 50 percent to less than 10 percent as Microsoft's own office programs took hold.
Novell attorney Jeff Johnson has conceded that Microsoft was under no legal obligation to provide advance access to the Windows 95 operating system so Novell could prepare a compatible WordPerfect version. Microsoft, however, enticed Novell to work on a version, only to withdraw support months before Windows 95 hit the market, he said.
Microsoft lawyer David Tulchin said Gates decided against installing WordPerfect because it threatened to crash Windows and couldn't be fixed in time for the rollout. He argued that Novell's missed opportunity was its own fault, and that Microsoft had no obligation to give a competitor a leg up.
"Novell never complained to Microsoft," Tulchin said during arguments Friday. "There's nothing in the evidence, no documents."
Johnson maintains Novell was tricked in violation of federal antitrust laws so Microsoft could monopolize the market.
"We got stabbed in the back," he said.
Microsoft is seeking a dismissal, calling the claims groundless.
Throughout arguments Friday, U.S. District Judge Frederick Motz openly expressed doubts that Novell's claims had merit.
"I don't see why I have to give a product to a competitor so he can beat me," Motz told Novell attorneys.
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How to Clean expensive Leather Car Seats
Leather car seats are a sign of luxury and also an indication that you are doing well in life. If you think about it, not many people can afford leather sofas in their home let alone in their cars as a luxury item. Therefore, in order to upkeep the interior of your car and to keep the passengers impressed, one must clean and care for leather car seats properly.
We do a lot in our cars that we probably shouldn't be doing. We eat and drink in our cars on our way between destinations and food and liquid spillage simply occurs. We alos rest packages on our car seats which unbeknownst to us are leaking. The passengers themselves might be tracking dirt on their persons and leave it behind on the seats. On and on we abuse the car seats.
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Fortunately, to clean the car's interior, all you need is a small vacuum cleaner to lift off the covering dirt. This is the introductory cleaning stage. For leather car seats, you want to get that leather shining and keep it supple and soft to touch. You might be tempted to go with commercial leather cleaner kits but some homemade solutions work just as well. Obviously, with any cleaning spicy leather, you want to achieve a small patch test on an inconspicuous corner first. This goes with commercial cleaning products as well as reading the label will tell you. For a homemade leather cleaning and conditioning solution, use a vinegar and linseed oil mixture. The percentage is one part vinegar and two parts linseed oil. Clean and condition your car seats with a lint free cloth and apply with small circular motions. After you're done, you might even think about applying some sunscreen on the leather seats to avoid discoloration. You can always park in shaded areas but those are hard to come by when you're in a hurry.
By keeping your car clean and the leather seats pristine, you'll be impressing passengers for a long time to come.
How to Clean expensive Leather Car Seats
Should the Euro break up?
Greece now issue government bonds in Euro. Because of the risk of insolvency, the interest rate on these bonds have shot up. If Greece were to leave the Euro zone and issue their bonds in their own currency, i.e. the Drachma, the interest rate will be even higher as the investors have to face the risk of default and depreciation in the currency.
How will having their own currency help the Greek government? I have an interesting observation. The Greek government is not able to collect sufficient tax revenue to pay their expenses - e.g. due to tax evasion. They can continue to fund their deficit with debt in their currency. The interest rate will shoot up and the currency will depreciate over time. The depreciation in the currency is a way of lowering the standard of living for the people, who are living beyond their means. It is also an indirect way of taxation.
High inflation has its other negative impacts but this is a separate matter. It seems to be a good idea for each country to have its own currency, rather than to join a strong currency like the Euro.
There was a similar situation during the Asian Financial crisis. The currencies of several Asian countries were pegged to the US dollar. As this was unsustainable, the pegs were broken, leading to quite severe damage. After the currencies were unpegged, they were able to adjust to their right level and their economy regained their strength.
It looks like the Euro will have to break up.