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To: Uncle Frank who wrote (7103)	5/11/1998 11:15:00 AM
From: Mark Finger	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 19079

>>I think the browser issue is not with adding a component to the >>operating system; it's the pressure msft put to bear on the box >>makers not to use nscp, leveraged by the OS. This is called bundling >> and is patently illegal if you are dumb or brazen enough to get >>caught. Microsoft was, and rather than acting contritely, they are >>challanging the doj and the states. I hope they get out the knee >>pads sometime soon. And this was the second time they did something wrong. They used illegal, monopolistic marketing tactics against DR DOS and OS/2 in the early 90's, and there was enough evidence to do them in (although it would have taken 10 more years). Microsoft signed a consent decree that said "we didn't do anything wrong, but we won't do anything like that again". What they did to Compaq (concerning the installing of Netscape and removal of the IE install icon) broke the second half of the above consent decree, and that is why they are in hot water now. This is not the first time for them. I have no problem with competition on Excel and Word and Windows being superior after a long development time and multiple versions (having worked for one of the competitive products that was beaten out by Excel--remember Wingz--but that was because of management and development mistakes). No one guarantees equal development resources. But the above two cases (DR DOS and Compaq/Netscape) break laws that were implemented to keep the Rockefellers from monopolizing the oil industry, and Carnegie from monopolizing steel. These laws were applied to IBM and AT&T in the more recent past. Microsoft is trying to do some of the same practices now and deserves what it gets in this area. Let them innovate and use their money to market, but not to use monopolistic marketing and sales practices.