based on yahoo price advance, looks like msn internet network will be closed down.
regards
Shares of Red Hat Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc. and other software makers
rose after Microsoft Corp. was declared a monopoly, sparking optimism that
rivals could benefit if it loses its industry dominance.
Red Hat, which distributes a free computer operating system that competes
with Microsoft's Windows, rose 18 1/16 to 104. Sun, creator of the Java
programming language, rose 2 3/16 to a record 111 7/8. Microsoft, the world's
largest software maker, fell 1 5/8 to 89 15/16.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson on Friday said that Microsoft
``stifled innovation' by using its dominance over personal-computer operating
systems to quash rivals. Companies that compete with Microsoft, such as Sun,
Novell Inc. and Oracle Corp., will have a better chance of winning customers and
partnerships as a result of Microsoft's travails.
``If Microsoft gets reined in, (Sun's) ability to compete is enhanced,'
said Art Russell, an Edward D. Jones & Co. analyst in St. Louis who rates Sun
shares a ``buy.' ``They are a beneficiary of anything that limits Microsoft.'
Apple Computer
Apple Computer Inc., a longtime Microsoft rival, rose 8 1/16 to a record 96
3/8. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, makes one of the few computer
operating systems that compete with Windows. Its machines have been picking up
market share since its introduction of the iMac PC last year. The company's
QuickTime software also competes with Microsoft's products.
Other Microsoft rivals in the markets for software and Internet services
and content rose. Oracle, the world's largest database-software maker, rose 3/4
to 59 7/16. Provo, Utah-based Novell, whose software links computers, rose 15/16
to 21 3/16. RealNetworks Inc., the top maker of software to broadcast video and
sound over the Internet, rose 4 to 139.
Be Inc., the maker of a rival computer platform called the Be operating
system, rose 2 11/16 to 6 1/2. Liberate Technologies Inc., which makes software
for set-top boxes and other Internet devices, rose 12 5/8 to 77 1/2.
Yahoo! Inc. rose 13 3/4 to 197 3/16. Dulles, Virginia-based America Online
Inc. rose 4 3/8 to 149 7/8. Both Santa Clara, California-based Yahoo and AOL
compete with Microsoft's MSN Internet network for Internet users, while AOL
competes with Microsoft's Internet access service.
Possible Breakup
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Joel Klein said yesterday that breaking up
Microsoft is among the remedies being considered by the Justice Department in
its antitrust case to promote competition and consumer choice.
Microsoft's situation is essentially unchanged, an analyst said, prompting
him and several others to maintain positive ratings on the Redmond, Washington-
based company.
``What you're seeing is nervous investors getting out of Microsoft,
creating an opportunity for long-term investors,' said Aaron Scott, an Advest
Inc. analyst in Hartford, Connecticut, who reiterated his ``buy' rating on
Microsoft. ``It's good for people who bought stock in Red Hat and Sun Friday,
but Microsoft is still the same company it was Friday.'
Red Hat's Linux system was developed in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, then a
student at the University of Helsinki. The program was created as ``open
source' software, which means anyone can download Linux from the Internet and
tailor it to their needs.
The legal blow to Microsoft could be good news for the U.S. economy, an
expert said.
The Windows operating system is installed on more than 95 percent of new
personal computers. In theory, competing products could improve the efficiency
and reliability of all workers by cutting down on computer shutdowns and
reboots. In addition, rivals may come up with better basic business software,
such as spreadsheets -- or force Microsoft to bring enhancements to the market
sooner.
``This could unleash innovation we haven't seen for ten years,' said
Jeffrey Eisenach, president of the Progress & Freedom Foundation, a Washington
think-tank that has supported the litigation against Microsoft. ``We have not
seen much on that front in quite some time.'
¸1999 Bloomberg L.P. |
