[thelist] More Smart Tags

[aardvark]

> From: Erik Mattheis <gozz at gozz.com>
> >
> >i completely disagree with that... how is that abuse of monopoly?
> 
> It's illegal in the US to use dominance in one market to increase your
> market position in another ... looks like dominoes to me: OS > Browser
> > Web sites > [...] > a license to breathe air

you're taking it a step back, though... i'm looking at is as the 
browser, independent of the OS... if it weren't part of the OS, they'd 
do the same thing...

my point is that adding 'features' like that is just part of business... 
and since none of this discussion has mentioned the OS up until 
now, i'd say that this is pretty independent of the legal wrangling 
over bundling the browser with the OS...

> This isn't from a impartial source but is a further answer to your
> question:
> 
> http://www.procompetition.org/headlines/062101.html

this article takes it well beyond the SmartTags issue...

> There was a great article I read from some SW US newspaper ... but
> can't find it again - this is similar though:
> http://www.zdnet.com/enterprise/stories/main/0,10228,2778871,00.html

this is primarily about the OS, bundling, and security issues... 
SmartTags is ancillary to their point...

> >have you seen all the other browsers out there that users can get?
> >free ones?  that easily do what IE can do?
> 
> Uh, I donno ... I guess I'd point you to a good synopsis of Justice
> Dept vs. Microsoft.

again, you're talking OS/browser bundling... i'm talking browser 
features here... SmartTags is not inherently a monopoly issue, it's 
a feature that is unfortunate at best...