Calling In Experts to Fix Microsoft if It's Broken nytimes.com
Then, there's the good gray Times on remedies. I remain agnostic on the subject. Quotes for amusement only, there are serious elements in this story but I will continue to eschew policy debates for the moment.
Another breakup proposal is to carve Microsoft into two to five identical companies, each with the programming code for all Microsoft products. The resulting companies -- the "Baby Bills," after Microsoft's chairman, William H. Gates, and a pun on the Baby Bells formed in the split-up of AT&T -- would then compete with each other.
This approach has been promoted by some of Microsoft's harshest critics -- for months by Gary L. Reback, a former legal adviser to the rival Netscape Communications Corporation, and more recently by Robert H. Bork, the former Federal judge, who is a consultant to Netscape.
Well, I heard it here first, anyway, from the harsh Gerald Lampton. Harsh is a relative term, from my long diversion in the political flame wars here, nobody who's ever posted in this forum counts as harsh by those standards. Except for maybe that guy who followed me here around Thanksgiving, but that doesn't count, it was just political blowback.
Microsoft dismisses the debate over remedies. "It's all academic because Microsoft will win the case when all is said and done," said Charles F. Rule, a former senior Justice Department official who is a consultant to the software giant. "And this talk of structural remedies is the antitrust equivalent of nuclear winter -- just bizarre."
It's beyond bizarre! It's totally random! Rick RUUUUULLLLLEEEEZZZZ! He also seems to have been spending time with his boss lately. Who knows, the next election is 21 months, if the Republicans can get their act together and Bill backs the right horse, Rick might get his old job back and flush the suit down the toilet. I'm not sure if he could deal with the states by fiat, but I'm sure he'd be willing to try.
Cheers, Dan. |
