You're right. Add in $10M for marketing, $60M for Bill's house, another $10-20M for political bribe^H^H^H^H^H campaign donations, another $100M to build Microsoft Campus, and we haven't even made it to the 20% mark. George Carl Parrish wrote: > > George, > Not that I really know (or even care) one way or the other on this just > wanted to remind you not to forget to add marketing (do you remember the > Win95 rollout?), testing (uhh.....), maintance and other misc cost. I > mean it has to cost *something* to ship a lawyer on a plane to threaten > to blow a company our of existence for daring to compete with them, > right???? Anyways my point is if even just half of the cost for M$ > products went into their development I think it would have a *much* > better product than it has now. > > Carl P. > > On Wed, 2002-03-06 at 20:24, George Toft wrote: > > Hi Doc, > > > > Do you have a reference for this claim? Here's my math: > > Number of copies of Windows sold by Microsoft by 1999: 200 million > > Average licensing cost disclosed during Anti-Trust trial: $50 (about) > > Total revenue: $1 Billion. > > > > I really don't think MS paid that much for their OS development. > > Windows 95 was built by 100 people (based on an Easter Egg embedded > > in Windows). Let's say they averaged $60K per year, and it took 3 > > years to build: $60K * 100 * 3 = $18,000K. So it cost about > > $30Million (had to adjust for overhead, SS taxes, benefits, etc). > > > > Here's a link from MS that shows they sold 1 million copies > > of Win2K Server (which they get about $750 each): > > http://www.microsoft.com/nz/presscentre/articles/2000/Mar15-03-OneMillionPR.stm > > So that means they made almost $1 billion in about 1 month time, > > on just Win2K Server. > > > > Somehow, I'm not convinced they are selling it at a loss. Surely > > it is not a profitable as the Server series, but it is still > > profitable. > > > > > > George > > > > > > > > "Dr. Ghastly" wrote: > > > > > > Actually, thier OS software sales sells at a loss. They make money on thier > > > Office and other software, such as MSSQL 2000 > > > > > > So selling thier OS at a substantially lower price would just hurt them > > > more, and is still an anti-trust violation stemming back fromt he days of > > > Rockefeller selling at a loss (on purpose) to drive other companies out of > > > busniess. > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Lee Einer" > > > To: > > > Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 6:08 PM > > > Subject: Re: Steve Ballmer's bogus threat > > > > > > > Hi, Kim- > > > > > > > > They (MS, the Tyrants of Redmond, > > > > etc) could attempt such a thing, > > > > but I think that if they tried it, > > > > even under the present > > > > business-friendly administration, > > > > the Department of Justice would > > > > hand MS their own procreative parts > > > > on a hotdog bun (please God, let me > > > > live to see it...) > > > > > > > > I think there is also a limited > > > > extent to which a business can ask > > > > it's customers to waive their legal > > > > rights- subscription or no, such > > > > things are subject to judicial > > > > review, tests of reasonableness, > > > > etc. > > > > > > > > Anyway, give it six months or a > > > > year, and see. Even if Microsoft > > > > takes it on the chin in this > > > > anti-trust suit, they will still be > > > > selling the Windows OS, under any > > > > conditions they have to abide by, > > > > because it's the closest thing they > > > > have to a stranglehold on the > > > > software market. They certainly > > > > can't make ends meet by selling > > > > their Office suite or their > > > > browser... > > > > > > > > IMHO, anyway. Time will tell :-) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > Lee Einer > > > > > > > > http://members.cox.net/appealsman/ > > > > ________________________________________________ > > > > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail doesn't > > > post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write mail. > > > > > > > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________ > > > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail doesn't post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write mail. > > > > > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > ________________________________________________ > > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail doesn't post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write mail. > > > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > ________________________________________________ > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail doesn't post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write mail. > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss