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What's the difference between Facebook in 2015 and Windows in 1998 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
by johansch 11y ago
What's the difference between Facebook in 2015 and Windows in 1998 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Cor...)?
Both are software platforms bound by network effects which have reached monopoly situations and then abuse(d) their situation by attempting to use their dominance in one area to reach dominance in another area.
- oneeyedpigeon 11y agoIt used to be said that it was impossible for a website to have a monopoly because the cost of switching is zero. I rather think that facebook's dominance has disproven that rule, though; in the world of the social network, switching is actually much more difficult than we ever expected.
- johansch 11y agoGoogle was the champion for that idea, regarding their Google Search product. That is still valid - there are no (strong) network effects involved with a web search engine.