Microsoft isn’t playing fair with its software competitors, so it must be split in two, a judge ordered last week.
What will that mean to the economy, high-tech businesses and you, the consumer? It’s hard to tell at this point, because Microsoft is appealing the decision, and that could take years. But here’s what U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled: Microsoft must split into two companies, one for its Windows operating system and one for its other computer programs and Internet businesses. The judge said such a drastic step was needed because the software company “continues to do business as it has in the past” and has defiantly insisted it is doing nothing wrong.
Jackson was ruling in a case brought by the federal government, along with a bunch of states. The government said Microsoft used its monopoly in operation systems to stifle competition and innovation. The judge agreed, ruling that Microsoft illegally tied its Internet browser to its monopoly product, the Windows operating system. In other words, Microsoft made it so consumers getting Windows had to also get Microsoft’s browser, shutting out other companies’ browsers. Windows handles the basic operations on most PCs.
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates called the judge’s ruling an “unjustified intrusion into the software marketplace.” He has maintained all along that Microsoft is being penalized for simply having a better product than other companies.
READERS, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Is the ruling against Microsoft fair or not? Are you worried it will affect the price and quality of computer products down the line? Are you so sick of this two-year court case that you simply don’t care? Should Gates make more of those TV ads telling the public what a great company he has? LET US KNOW!
