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Right but browsers are a case of the free market working. It turns out no one wants to pay for web browsers but people like building them so we have open source
by jswinghammer 17y ago
Right but browsers are a case of the free market working. It turns out no one wants to pay for web browsers but people like building them so we have open source browsers to fill gaps in commercial offerings. There aren't any serious barriers to entry for web browsers so we have a free market.
- bensummers 17y agoThought experiments: 1) What would have happened if IE had to be bought, or at least downloaded and installed? 2) What if Microsoft had formed a new company to develop and distribute their browser, and this company was expected to make a profit? 3) What would have happened if Netscape wasn't forced to make their browser free because Microsoft subsidised the development of IE using profits from unrelated software? I suppose the underlying question is whether bundling the browser with a monopoly OS allows a free market in browsers, and if it didn't allow a free market, what should the remedy be?
- jamesbritt 17y ago"What would have happened if IE had to be bought, or at least downloaded and installed?" Downloaded using what, exactly? Shipping a modern OS without a Web browser would be like shipping it without a file manager. "What would have happened if Netscape wasn't forced to make their browser free because Microsoft subsidised the development of IE using profits from unrelated software?" Browsers were free before IE came along. Why did Netscape think they could base a business on selling something that users could get for free?