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To: Gerald R. Lampton who wrote (22703)	2/17/1999 4:14:00 AM
From: Bearded One	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 24154

Just as a side note, I monitor the "How High Will Microsoft Fly" group. They were actually somewhat excited about the idea of Microsoft being split up--- they viewed this as another "Standard Oil," which made more money after being split. I asked the group for their views on the effect releasing Windows source code would have on Microsoft. They simply refused to acknowledge the possibility that it would happen. The seminal quote was "What if an asteroid crashed into Earth," as in the possibility of such a disaster was so remote as to not be worth thinking about. I think that hidden down in many of their minds, they know Microsoft control over the code is the key to success. They used to talk happily about their 'proprietary lock,' ignoring the implicit assertion that it is not Microsoft's software abilities that keep it successful. The term no longer comes up in the group, as if Mr. Boies was monitoring their group, waiting for them to say it so he could use it in court against Microsoft. I don't know what open source would do in the long run to Microsoft. In the short run, it would startle and horrify many of the smaller investors.