To All: And another liberal news source chimes in in favor of MSFT:
Consumers: Breaking Up Is Wrong To Do
Quick Survey Shows Support For Microsoft
Customers Think Gov?t Should Stay Out Of It
Others Disagree?Software Giant Was Too Big
FREEHOLD, New Jersey
CBS
(CBS) Regardless of what they said at the Justice Department or at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, folks in a computer store parking lot were overwhelmingly opposed to a government plan to break up the software giant, Third Age Correspondent Fred Fishkin reports.
"I don?t think they should be broken up at all," said one man. "I mean, the man had the intelligence to build a dynamo of a corporation. They should leave him alone."
Some cite history for their opinion.
"They shouldn't break it up, that?s for sure," opined another man, "because the same thing will happen with Microsoft as happened with AT&T."
"Bad idea," said another man. "I just think it?s a bad idea. I worked for Western Electric until they broke up the Bell System. I thought it was a bad idea back then."
"I always go back to what happened to the telephone system in this country when they broke up AT&T," said another man.
"I can?t imagine in my foggiest dreams that this is going to be good for consumers," said Roger, a software developer. "What consumers want is ease of use, and that?s what Microsoft provides."
But counters Neil, who also has a high-tech job, "Microsoft should be broken up?They?re an overbearing presence in the software industry."
About three-quarters of the people interviewed outside the CompUSA in Freehold, New Jersey, sided with Bill Gates, who thought a break-up of Microsoft was a "radical" solution. But some agreed with the government.
One woman said she supported a break-up because, "I think it?s been a monopoly and I think it?s probably a good thing for competition."
Of course, not every average Joe or Jill can be objective when it comes to Microsoft. One woman said she opposed the break-up plan simply because she owns stock in the company. |
