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Microsoft made the WRONG CHOICE: Endless litigation!
Microsoft could have chosen to break up like AT&T did into multiple companies with a future. Look at the AT&T offspring. Most are doing very well and a number have even merged. NONE are having serious antitrust problems and NONE faced litigation from AT&T's past practices.

But Microsoft chose to tough it out. And they WON! And the prize is: Endless litigation and withering oversight. And in the end those factors will kill them. They will forever carry the stigma of the monopolist, the accusation of mafia practices by a federal judge, and the crosses of stringent oversight by practically every government agency the face of the earth, and litigation from every direction. By the time the statute of limitations runs out on redress for past sins, Microsoft will begin to face litigation for percieved violation of the DOJ settlement.

But they still haven't learned. With Microsoft, its like a genetic defect. Perhaps they inherited it from Bill Gates himself. They always have to win, even if it means losing in the long term in order to win in the short term.

Now they are pursuing software patents left and right and stupidly doing little to submit those patent claims to any kind of internal scrutiny. This is resulting in their patenting stupid things like sudo functionality, something that Unix has employed practically since the DOS days. Here again they are opening the door to a withering legal struggle with the big hardware vendors who will not take lightly a largely frivolous IP assault. In the past, to their credit, Microsoft has employed patents and copyrights almost exclusively as defensive weapons. Woe to them if they change that policy now. It will likely be their final Armageddon.
Posted by: George Mitchell   Posted on: 08/28/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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That's one way to make up for state revenue shortfall.  Prognosticator | 08/27/04
Exactly! Let's see if we can get some of that multibillion stash ...  P. Douglas | 08/27/04
only  eLurker | 08/27/04
Maybe the U.S. will now join the rest of the world..  Xunil_Sierutuf | 08/27/04
The real irony here...  Christopher McLendon | 08/27/04
You must be poor if you don't use banks.  Xunil_Sierutuf | 08/30/04
Commercial software?  Update victim | 08/30/04
I think this is BS  MMJr | 08/27/04
correction  M_c | 08/27/04
correction  MMJr | 08/27/04
hmm  M_c | 08/28/04
RE: hmm  MMJr | 08/28/04
It is more profitable for MS to get sued  Harry Butts | 08/28/04
so please explain  rock06r | 08/28/04
you are unconvinced MS did nothing bad to obtain or maintain their monopoly  ryusen | 08/30/04
Hey, the govt keeps knocking Corel out of their configs  FilledOut | 08/27/04
You aren't the first. You won't be the last...  John Le'Brecage | 08/27/04
Heard yours before too....  rock06r | 08/28/04
Google is your friend.  John Le'Brecage | 08/28/04
Thanks for the lesson, but you didn't answer  rock06r | 08/29/04
You argue from several miscomprehensions  John Le'Brecage | 08/29/04
the law  gary.douglas@... | 08/30/04
how about this fact?  ryusen | 08/30/04
yes, but  V Sanders | 08/28/04
The government approved settlement is BS  Update victim | 08/30/04
townsend, townsend, & crew  eLurker | 08/27/04
HAHAHA sue microsoft until they learn  M_c | 08/27/04
Monopolies aren't illegal N/T  nowayout11 | 08/27/04
So go and buy it already  rock06r | 08/29/04
So how many $15 coupons  cactuswren | 08/27/04
Time to sue California for not employing "freer" tech sooner  FilledOut | 08/27/04
I wonder about California  rock06r | 08/29/04
With Mr. "Terminator" as governor..  computer_man | 08/29/04
MICROSUCKS is going DOWN one lawsuit at a time...  realitycheck101 | 08/27/04
So why didn't you....  rock06r | 08/29/04
By MS!  WhoIsDaMan | 08/29/04
Not once but twice  The King's Servant | 08/30/04
Message has been deleted.  ObiWayneKenobi | 08/27/04
Yes...  doe_z | 08/28/04
wow - now there is a paid ms supporter - lol  V Sanders | 08/28/04
State? or Calif Counties and Cities?  asky | 08/27/04
ms has always double charged corps and gov  V Sanders | 08/28/04
And govt has always halved the price  FilledOut | 08/28/04
ms called linux a cancer  V Sanders | 08/28/04
"switch in a couple of years"  rock06r | 08/29/04
Microsoft made the WRONG CHOICE: Endless litigation!  George Mitchell | 08/28/04
Any Govy  ParadigmOdyssey | 08/28/04
How is it MS's fault...  compguy_z | 08/28/04
It isn't, persay  FilledOut | 08/28/04
don't play stupid  V Sanders | 08/29/04
Only in California...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 08/28/04
Good point, Microsoft should be responsible for their choices.  DonnieBoy | 08/28/04
Oh how wrong you are.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 08/28/04
What a joke!  George Mitchell | 08/28/04
Current systems in place  Linux User 147560 | 08/28/04
Uh...does ENRON ring a bell?  WhoIsDaMan | 08/29/04
not part of original settlement  asky | 08/28/04
or the title could read  V Sanders | 08/29/04
as any OEM why they do not sell a pc with NO OS  V Sanders | 08/29/04

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