Re: Score one for Microsoft

["Norm" <normanmo@clark.net>]

On Mon, 7 Dec 1998 16:21:41 -0500, Joel Simons Sys_Admin wrote:

>
>This is an unfortunate development.
>
>
>http://cnnfn.com/digitaljam/9812/07/microsoft/
>
>
>NEW YORK (CNNfn) - South Carolina's attorney
>            general Monday said the state has withdrawn from
>            the federal antitrust suit against Microsoft Corp. 
>               State attorney general Charlie Condon said the
>            recent merger of America Online Inc. (AOL) and
>            Netscape Communications Corp. (NSCP) offered
>            evidence that competition is thriving in the computer
>            industry. 
>               "I can no longer justify our continued
>            involvement or the expenditure of state resources on
>            a trial that has been made moot by the actions of the
>            competitive marketplace," Condon said in a
>            statement. "The Internet economy is the place
>            where the winners and the losers of this competition
>            will rightfully be decided."
>               In May, the Justice Department and 20 states
>            sued Microsoft for illegally maintaining a monopoly
>            in the computer operating systems market and trying
>            to extend that monopoly into Internet software.
>               Microsoft (MSFT) shares were up 2 at 129-3/8
>            in midday trading.  


     IMO all this shows is that Mr Condon doesn't have a clue about
what the real issues are.  Even if we were to *ASS*U*ME* that AOL's
Netscape buyout will increase competition in the browser market (not
that there's any evidence that it will, and depending on what AOL does
with the browser it could just as easily hurt or completely destroy
competition) the so-called 'browser war' is *ONLY* a symptom of a
pattern of behavior.  To borrow from another phrase; "It's not the
browser stupid!".

--
 ...Cheers,

 ...Norm

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