#reply-16189816
I don't know about the "no brainer" part, but I basically agree with this guy that the Microsoft case is reasonably likely to be rebooted, from zero. With an exceptionally business-friendly administration it's not clear how much momentum for this will remain in the US DOJ. The tech economy stinks and Microsoft's enemies, including Sun, are all in varying degrees of trouble, many of them probably in more serious trouble than they're letting on.
That will leave it mostly up to the states, prompted by the less-rich and more-busy anti-Microsoft cabal that assisted Joel Klein & co. in the first place. I guess you could argue that the anti-M$ faction's problems would make them even more vigorous in their pursuit of the Evil Empire, but I don't know if it will work that way in the real world, I suspect it won't. With the opponents weaker, Microsoft getting a second chance to avoid the imbecilic trial mistakes it made in the first round, and with a new product set already shipping for a year that embodies all the things they were tried for the first time only worse...seems like a long shot to me that anything substantial will go forward on the litigation front.
My prediction: the Supreme Court hears the case, throws out all Jackson findings, and Ashcroft gets Bill & Steve to promise on their sainted Aunt Nellie's photograph that they'll never do anything mean or nasty again, with the definitions of "mean" and "nasty" written by M$FT lawyers. Also, anybody who wants to can license Bob for the same price any time, with no favoritism, and it won't be bundled with anything except possibly Flight Simulator.
Boy, do I hope I'm WRONG on this one.
--QS |
