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To: HairBall who wrote (32581)11/6/1999 10:02:00 AM
From: bobby beara  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 99985
 
So LG, your a chevy man and i'm a ford man, i won't try to sway you, but i will tell you that your engineers snuck into my shop and stold all my innovations (they even stold my bumpers -g-) then did a great job of implementing and marketing them - kind of like the japanese did in the 70-80's

Microsoft is a Mac clone, and they have done a nice job with their clought in implementing it.



To: HairBall who wrote (32581)11/6/1999 10:09:00 AM
From: Robert Rose  Respond to of 99985
 
Friday November 5, 8:42 pm Eastern Time

Microsoft verdict prompts Internet chat frenzy

By Michael Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Internet pundits and online punters agreed on Friday that the federal ruling against Microsoft Corp. threatened
the firm's lofty stock price, but some saw a predicted drop as a fine chance to snap up cut-rate shares of the software giant.

In a major setback for the world's largest software company, a U.S. federal judge ruled on Friday that Microsoft (NasdaqSC:MFST - news) wields
monopoly power in personal computer systems.

But where government lawyers saw a Microsoft plot to crush its rivals, end-users of the software firm's products worried more about their own stock
portfolios.

``It is all over but the crying,' one writer nicknamed ``fishingfreak' posted on the Yahoo! bulletin board (http://messages.yahoo.com/index.html). ``Turn
out the lights, the party is OVER.'

Rumors and predictions swirled through Internet chatrooms and bulletin boards for much of the day as investors, lawyers and industry competitors
awaited the Microsoft verdict.

``This is more exciting than waiting for the verdict in the O.J. trial,' a chatter named ``strawintogold' wrote on TheStreet.Com
(http://www.thestreet.com). ``What if Microsoft is found guilty? There could be riots in Seattle tonight!'

When the news came out ahead of the scheduled 6:30 p.m. EST decision, the electronic information mill became swamped.

``Here's the beginning of the bad news,' Microsoft watcher Michael Voorhees fretted on SiliconInvester.Com
(http://www.siliconinvestor.com/stocktalk).

But not everybody saw the judge's ruling as a bad thing, even if it did send Microsoft's stock price falling in after hours trading. Instead, many said they
would happily keep investing in the stock, which they saw falling due to panic instead of rational decision making.

``SELL SELL SELL, so I can BUY BUY BUY,' user ``CPA-101' wrote on Yahoo! ``All the idiots will be selling...now we can add to our
positions,' another wrote.

While the stock did not sink like a stone as some had predicted, shares of Microsoft still fell more than three points in after-hours trade Friday
following U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's ruling.

The stock dropped to 88-3/16 on the Island ECN compared with its closing price of 91-9/16 during the regular session on the Nasdaq. Microsoft was
trading at 89 on Instinet and the stock had climbed as high as 93 after the bell ahead of the report's release.

Aside from the worries about their investments, Internet chatters also tried to determine what the ruling would mean for the company and its co-founder
Bill Gates -- icons of the computer age alternately admired and reviled by the rank and file.

``Gates the most hated guy in the world,' fumed AlexYamaha (Eds: correct) on the Yahoo! site.

During the trial, which started over a year ago and ran 76 days, the Justice Department and 19 states alleged Microsoft used its power to illegally crush
rival Internet browser-maker Netscape. Microsoft argued it had no monopoly in operating systems and always acted within the law.

The ruling sets the stage for a later decision on whether Microsoft's actions constitute a violation of antitrust law.

``Fire Gates and bust this joint up,' one Yahoo! bulletin board message read.

But others voiced support for the Microsoft chairman and saw the case as of one of government meddling in a successful company.

``Bill Gates is an American HERO,' someone wrote on Yahoo!. ``We should all respect Bill Gates and prey (sic) to God for his continued success.'