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To: re3 who wrote (83619)	11/8/1999 8:23:00 PM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 164684

RPT-Microsoft ruling 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 <MSFT.O> 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." REUTERS Rtr 18:51 11-08-99