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Technology Stocks : MSFT Internet Explorer vs. NSCP Navigator -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TheRainmaker who wrote (20848)	9/8/1998 3:08:00 PM
From: Charles Hughes	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 24154

>>>This case will be settled in about five years when Microsoft is a completely different company. What do you think? <<< I'd say that's a common MSFT spin and general legal strategy, one that has worked for them before but probably won't play out here, due to the volume of industry opposition, political opposition, and volume of evidence. However, Gates in the world's second richest man, and one of the most powerful. Stranger things have happened to the law in the presence of money. However, using that MSFT victory as a given, one thing that might change is antitrust, because we would be setting up new legal barriers to any antitrust suits involving future technology. Another thing that might change is the industry. I believe that venture capital for software ventures would dry up (except for the well-known MSFT VC spies, maybe.) So would all the real talent go elsewhere, where they would be in the main put to better use anyway, like communications, arts, government, space, biotech, green technologies, environmental recovery... There would be no reason for any hot hands to hang around here anymore, because there would be no stopping MSFT. Microsoft could put NT 20.0 on it's schedule for the year 2100, and that would be that. Most developers, even at this point, got their original training in other areas, know how to do other things, still go to school, and in general are not irrevocably married to this business. Lots go on to other things every year, for a variety of reasons. If MSFT wins, that trend will accelerate. Any progress in computing would have to come in through the back door, or be very slow indeed, ala true progress in the lighting business since Philips and GE took over as a joint monopoly so many years ago. Cheers, Chaz