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Non-Tech : Bill Wexler's Dog Pound -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RockyBalboa who wrote (4775)	11/9/1999 4:27:00 AM
From: BelowTheCrowd	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10293

IS, I'm not surprised that the Germans, lacking any better guidance from this side of the Atlantic, would dump MSFT hard. They have a much greater ingrained respect for government (and generally for being told how to behave) than we do. When they heard "Microsoft declared a monopoly," they saw the end. When we heard that, we said "big deal, Gates will still have his job long after Reno has vacated hers..." Which is actually some of the more interesting dynamic around this. Reno, Clinton, Gore, etc., would like to count this as a victory. But if MSFT appeals to the fullest extent of their ability, it'll last longer than the current administration. The next one may not care so much. So while the findings favor the government, politics favors declaring victory and going home. Then Al Gore can stand up as the "technology guru" in the administration that stood up to Microsoft. The politics could be the biggest factor in MSFT's favor and could result in a much sweeter deal than could be obtained otherwise. mg mg