Ayn Rand "types" (Objectivists) not satisfied by mixture of freedom and controls
"Microsoft does, though, plan to compete against Oracle ... so, rest assured, there is some red-blooded, meat-eating competition ahead for all you Ayn Rand types"
I realize this was in jest, but Objectivism is a principled philosophy and not an interest some people have that's appeased by throwing it a bone or two. But this isn't even a bone.
Competition is not a value by itself. The right to dispose of one's property (and thus build and sell a competitive product) is a profound moral value. But two companies competing isn't necessarily an indication of something good (if they created completely different products with the same resources there would often be more net value!)
Anti-trust, on the other hand, is always a bad thing. It's a violation of the rights of business-owners (including shareholders) who wish to make and sell the best products they're able to.
"If a small group of men were always regarded as guilty, in any clash with any other group, regardless of the issues or circumstances involved, would you call it persecution? If this group were always made to pay for the sins, errors, or failures of any other group, would you call that persecution? If this group had to live under a silent reign of terror, under special laws, from which all other people were immune, laws which the accused could not grasp or define in advance and which the accuser could interpret in any way he pleased—would you call that persecution? If this group were penalized, not for its faults, but for its virtues, not for its incompetence, but for its ability, not for its failures, but for its achievements, and the greater the achievement, the greater the penalty—would you call that persecution?
If your answer is 'yes'—then ask yourself what sort of monstrous injustice you are condoning, supporting, or perpetrating. That group is the American businessmen."
That's Ayn Rand's start to her essay "America's Persecuted Minority: Big Business." There were two pieces of news being addressed by the "Ayn Rand" comment: an example of competition in the marketplace and Europe raping a company it sees as not having competition. All this demonstrates is that competition is being upheld by law, whether you want to or not. The principle underlying these news stories is not the right to property (which is the natural law underlying the stories) but rather the enshrinement of competition--whether or not anyone wishes to compete.
Compete, darn you! If you can't find someone to compete with, you can't remain in business. That's not individual rights, it's statism, something Rand consistently opposed.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
