The problem of competing with free was probably first foisted onto the high-tech scene when Microsoft began to bundle "free" software such as its Internet Explorer browser with its operating system. This made life difficult for Netscape, which actually tried to sell its browser for money. Similarly, record companies have had to compete with free. They're still reeling from free-for-all file swapping. For them, this means nasty lawsuits and moralizing to a cynical public. The music industry will never be the same. Craigslist appeared in the 1990s offering free classified ads to a growing audience in the San Francisco Bay area. Within no time the site (www .craigslist.org) grew to a massive size, spawning sites for other regions throughout the country.
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