Q: What are the alternative ways of breaking up Microsoft?
A: Microsoft could be split into three or more equal parts
with each given all the intellectual property and product lines that are now sold by the world's largest software company. Microsoft's monopoly would be ended by forcing the ``Baby Bills' to compete against each other. An alternative would be to divide Microsoft into a company that makes the Windows operating system, another that sells software applications and another that is involved in Internet commerce. Critics of this scenario say it would do nothing to dilute Microsoft's monopoly over Windows.
I agree, so lets divide it into nine companies:
1. Business Operating Systems
Windows Workstation 3.51/4.0/2000 Professional
Windows Server 3.51/4.0/2000 Server Family
2. Consumer Operating Systems
Windows 95/98/CE
3. Miscellaneous Internet Holdings
4. Operating Systems Related Software
Internet Explorer, Windows Media
5. MSN
Hotmail
6. Consumer Software/Hardware
Games, all home productivity products (except office), all mac products (except office)
joysticks, mice, keyboards
7. Business Software
Office 95/97/98/2000, Office for Macintosh
8. Server Software
BackOffice (BackOffice, Exchange, Proxy, Site, SNA, SQL Server)
9. Developer Tools
studio, vb,vc,foxpro,interdev,j++,sourcesafe,ce toolkit
Training and Publishing
|
