DOJ vs. Microsoft: Make the tough decisions zdnet.com
Back in press scan mode, this is another analysis piece from the Senate hearings I missed. It's thoughtful and more balanced than my excerpt makes it sound. It doesn't question the validity of antitrust law though, so I'm sure it's not balanced enough for many here.
One of the more telling moments, however, was when senators asked Dell whether they could get Netscape's Navigator installed at the factory on a Dell PC. Dell admitted that an ordinary consumer could not ask to have Navigator bundled on a Dell PC, although a large corporation could demand it. The reason, according to one of the Dell sales reps senatorial staff members spoke to, is that "Microsoft won't let us."
Dell claimed, instead, that customers were not demanding Navigator, even though Navigator still has the largest market share. I believe the sales rep.
Consensus seems to be that poor Michael doesn't seem to have helped Bill's case much. Maybe someone less obviously beholden would have been better. Hard to find anyone like that on the OEM front, though.
That Microsoft can turn what should be a highly competitive PC clone industry into what amounts to its own franchise is, at least, odd, and I think even Gates (in his most secret thoughts) must realize that the situation isn't particularly good for the economy.
Maybe somebody else noticed that "OEMs have to ship the machines the way we build them" story.
Gates isn't losing any sleep lately over operating system competition, for example. Ironically, the only thing pushing Windows 98 out the door quickly is the DOJ investigation.
"Quickly" is highly relative here, of course, referring to the OS formerly known as Windows97.
Cheers, Dan. |
