MSFT Internet Explorer vs. NSCP Navigator Message Board

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Technology Stocks : MSFT Internet Explorer vs. NSCP Navigator

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To: William Hunt who wrote (21444)	11/13/1998 9:46:00 AM
From: rudedog	Read Replies (1) of 24154

Bill - I am about 8% in MSFT and currently very comfortable with that investment. I think that the DOJ investigation has been beneficial in that it brought to light some of the worst MSFT abuses in the marketplace and has started a real change in attitude within MSFT. It is clear that both sides are drawing pictures that are exaggerations of reality, a lot like those first few visits to the marriage counselor where husband and wife can only remember all of the horror stories. I personally don't think that MSFT's business practices constitute monopoly abuse, but left unchecked they would continue to test the edge of the envelope in pursuit of their business interest, to the detriment of smaller companies and innovative processes like the OSS development that produced Linux. There are a number of weaknesses in the DOJ case from a legal perspective but they have made a lot of points in the court of public opinion. They may already have accomplished their real goal, which is to restrain MSFT business practice and develop a public understanding of what is OK and what is excessive, independent of the outcome of the court case. You can bet that MSFT will have to be a lot more careful about how they do business in the future, and that new incidents like the ones being portrayed here will be a lot harder to explain away than three-year-old events enacted in a climate where the rules were more fuzzy. I think that the DOJ, the FTC and the legal system in general will actually be better off if MSFT gets only minor remedies applied, since the general implications to the rest of the industry of stronger measures would be hard to predict. But I also believe that most people in the industry believe that the DOJ was justified in bringing the action and putting the issues before the public, and that few doubt the general tone of MSFT activity in the market in the time frame under discussion. I am virtually certain that the outcome of the trial will not directly affect the value of my MSFT investment.

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