Firefox Founders: "We want to make money..." 10170

Ah, the Funkenbusch tactic, claiming that I said something different, than calling it back-peddling.

No proof possible, just URLs:

Extortionist prices. In the past, when Microsoft was asked on numerous occasions why it was raising the price of its Windows licenses yet again, the standard reply was that it was necessary to offset the development costs of their latest version. However, after the the Enron and Worldcom scandles, Microsoft decided to overhaul its reporting structure in an effort to achieve more transparency in its earnings information. The results are quite revealing. What people long suspected was the case is now known to be fact: that Microsoft's profit margin for Windows is huge. According to their earnings report filed with the S.E.C for the third quarter of 2002 (Ref: S.E.C.), it was a whopping 85.8% of $2.892 billion in revenues. Their 'Information Worker' division, which includes the Office line of applications, took a 76.8% profit on sales of $2.385 billion. In other words, Microsoft's high prices are mostly 'monopoly tax'. Interestingly, though, while their server division also turned a profit, all the others ones operated at a loss. It looks like Microsoft is using the profits from its monopoly divisions to pay its way into new markets.

New Products and Services. The Company has made significant investments in research, development and marketing for new products, services and technologies, including Microsoft .NET, Xbox, business applications, MSN, mobile and wireless technologies, and television. Significant revenue from these investments may not be achieved for a number of years, if at all. Moreover, these products and services may never be profitable, and even if they are profitable, operating margins for these businesses are not expected to be as high as the margins historically experienced by Microsoft.

You'll have to look at the n

-- Tux rox!