[ Thanks to Jem
Matzan for this link. ]
“Technically the term ‘Robber Baron’ refers to two separate but
related definitions: that of the late 19th century unscrupulous
businessman, and that of the feudal European landed nobleman who
regularly robbed those who passed through his lands. Both describe
the same situation: using unethical means to acquire unearned
wealth. But let’s take it one step further and say that a Robber
Baron is someone who takes more than what they are due from an
innocent and needy third party.“Working on that more specific interpretation, it’s easy to draw
a parallel between either of the above definitions and many
modern-day software manufacturers. Considering the sickeningly high
prices of most of the proprietary desktop software on the market
and the consumer’s need for this software, you could say that we as
software users are the victims of Robber Barons. But the new era of
Robber Barons is now in its twilight; soon we will have a reprieve
from this unethical taking of unearned money. This article will
show examples of companies currently in danger, identify some of
the signs of impending doom and explain what could be done to
counter them…”