To: Reginald Middleton who wrote (20038 ) 6/15/1998 10:52:00 AM From: Daniel Schuh Respond to
Most Regard Microsoft Favorably, a Poll Shows nytimes.com When asked about Microsoft's business practices, 54 percent of those polled said they agreed with the statement that "Microsoft uses legally acceptable business tactics to sell and distribute its products." People are split almost evenly on whether the Government did the right thing in filing suit against Microsoft, with 35 percent saying it was right and 27 percent saying it was a mistake. The remaining 38 percent were undecided or were not aware of the case. Still, many Americans appear to be embracing the information age tentatively, if not fearfully. More than half of all computer users, 52 percent, say they have never installed a software program -- a basic step in computing. While technology enthusiasts never tire of extolling the virtues of computers as personalized tools of empowerment, the Times/CBS poll suggests that a large share of the computer-using public has no interest in tailoring their machines or changing them. The portrait of many people as passive recipients of computer technology may also cast some doubt on one of Microsoft's arguments in its dispute with the Government. The Justice Department, Microsoft says, has overstated the advantage the company enjoys because the main desktop screen that users see when they turn on their machines is Microsoft's Windows. That first screen can be easily changed or modified, Microsoft insists.
