Bill on Capitol Hill news.com
The other esteemed ilk sister weighs in on yesterday's circus.
It would appear that merely getting Gates to attend the hearing, even if Chairman Bill did choose half the speakers, was a coup for Hatch.
Despite all the back-patting and good feelings in the room, Gates--and McNealy and Barksdale, for that matter--may soon rue taking their troubles to the principal's office. Looking out for all the world like that smooth old Grinch soothing Cindy Lou Who, Hatch patted the panelists on the head while making two things clear: 1) Microsoft is a monopoly, and 2) The software industry isn't exempt from antitrust law.
"With over 90 percent market share, you seriously dispute that Microsoft Windows has monopoly power at least [in] the PC operating system or desktop market?" Hatch pointedly--but politely--asked Gates.
Gates didn't answer, but he didn't have to. Hatch had already answered the question for him. "We have no disagreement with anyone who says antitrust rules apply to us and our industry," Gates said later in the hearing. That's what Hatch seemed to have in mind.
Of course, Bill also said he wasn't a legal expert, unlike the local expert in this area of the law, as in so many other areas. Reggie has quite a problem with anyone who says antitrust law could possibly apply, but that's another story.
Of course, Chairman Bill surely was using the hearings for his own motives, too. He refused to testify until after he had met privately with Hatch and padded out the panel with Microsoft-friendly witnesses. And Gates is chronicling his trip in self-conscious diary entries in his online magazine, Slate.
There's a link to the "Mr. Bill goes to Washington" chronicles in the story, I'll have to go check it out before Slate goes private. I'm sure it'll be good for a chuckle, extensive elaboration on the "I'm just a software engineer" theme no doubt.
Cheers, Dan. |
