Microsoft defends frayed PC ecosystem with $2 billion Dell loan

[No Elephants]

Microsoft defends frayed PC ecosystem with $2 billion Dell loan


By Bill Rigby and Poornima Gupta

SEATTLE/SAN FRANCISCO | Tue Feb 5, 2013 10:49pm EST

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is playing defense with a $2 billion loan to help Dell Inc's founder buy back the world's No.3 PC maker as it seeks to shore up support for Windows and beat back the march of Google Inc's Android.

The investment in the landmark $24 billion buyout led by Michael Dell marks the latest step in Microsoft's plan to gain more influence over the hardware supply chain - a departure from the decades-old, software-centric philosophy that helped it dominate the computing world but is now increasingly under threat.

It is far from clear, however, if this strategy will be successful, while the world's largest software maker risks upsetting other computer producers.

"It doesn't mean it's a bad move, but it's definitely defensive. Microsoft is realizing it must be much more engaged in the hardware business than it used to be, it needs to be making bets and forming relationships," said Andrew Bartels, an analyst at Forrester Research.

The company that built its fortune on making high-priced software to go in other companies' computers is inching closer to Apple Inc's belief that software and hardware must be closely integrated for the sake of the user experience.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/06/us-dell-buyout-microsoft-idUSBRE91505R20130206

Trust busting Teddy Roosevelt would have made short work of these efforts to monopolize.

It's amazing how almost every honest historian rates TR, cousin FDR and Harry Truman with Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln as the best Presidents every, yet we blithely skip away from everything they tried to do to make the country work for people.





Then again, there were not many lobbyists in their day. And the success of political campaigns was determined more by speeches given at whistlestops than by media ads.

[Enthusiast]

1. Maybe they can fix my Dell. I do know what you're saying.

I want to preserve the principles and policies of these greatest presidents. And millions of we the people desperately want to enforce TR's goals. However, our wishes no longer matter.

The nation's legislative and electoral process has been completely co-opted by the influence of money. You have seen, since the 2,000 election and 911, we will do anything, no matter how wrong, in the interest of personal financial gain. We will subvert the framer's intent, we will torture, we will agree to lie and we will throw privacy out the window for "we the people" while maintaining the most intense secrecy for those in control of corporations (banks) and government. But we will prosecute whistleblowers as if they are terrorists. I'm sick to death of the nonsense we witness every day.