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To: Ann T.M. who wrote (19318)	5/18/1998 5:47:00 PM
From: Daniel Schuh	Respond to of 24154

Sure, Erika. I got to quote that commie rag, The Economist again. Used to be Bill's favorite magazine, till they turned red on him. Editorial of last week's issue, 5/9/98. The question that has been facing Joel Klein, America's top trust-busting lawyer at the Justice Department, is whether to rattle this chain, or even to slice through it. Should the launch of Windows 98 be halted? And, if so, has he both the evidence and the stomach to file a broad Sherman act antitrust case against the world's most powerful software company? The answer is that if he has that evidence, he should act on it. . . The real question is whether Mr Klein has sufficient evidence to justify a full-scale antitrust action against Microsoft. There is nothing wrong with the fact that Windows is a monopoly-it was legally acquired and both the computing industry and its customers have benefited from the product's ubiquity and from Microsoft's commitment to keep improving it. However, there is plenty of evidence already in the public domain of the software giant's systematic use of its market power and vast wealth to destroy a competitor which fleetingly appeared to threaten the dominance of Windows. Netscape may have contributed to its own difficulties, but Microsoft reserves a special ruthlessness for any company that dares to take it on directly. It is a safe bet that the Justice Department and the 13 state regulators have gathered enough material to establish a prima facie case. Of course, Reggie will assure you that The Economist is just trying to sell advertising, like all the press, except the guys that reliably relay the Word from Redmond. And if you go over to the "How High" thread, you'll be informed at great length what a good and desirable monopoly Microsoft is. It's what I always read when network externalities came up, about how the theory proves Microsoft is a natural monopoly and good for all of us. Then I happened to read some stuff about Brian Arthur, he didn't exactly agree, but what could he know? Bill's taking us where we want to go! Cheers, Dan.