SNIP
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>I agree with you. I dont think MS's implied restriction on using VFP on Windows only has anything to do with subsidies per se but rather has everything to do with simply restricting the field for competing o/s. Standard business practice really.

"Standard business practise"...really???
What other business practises this?... Does Kodak insist that only KODAK film be used in its cameras?... Does General Motors insist that only GM parts be used in their cars?... Does DELL insist that only Windows be run on their PCs?... Does Random House insist that only a Random House produced bookmark be used with its books?... Does Hewlett Packard insist that only HP cartridges be used in its printers?

Jos, it is NOT "standard business practise" to restrict usage of one product to the confines of another product, most especially if the product in question is a "tool", as a PC is just a tool that has many wide and varying uses.
I'm not even restricted by Stanley Tools to use my hammer only on nails. I could use it to smash concrete if I wanted to, or heads as I might somethimes like to < s >. I don't have to buy a different hammer for each thing I might want/need to use it with (nails, tacks, brads, etc). Why is a PC or a PC OS or a PC application any different than any of the above?

I'm afraid that this is yet another case of attributing "business practises" as 'standard' and/or 'moral' and/or 'legitimate' when in fact there is nothing to the 'fact'.

Jim