[Am-info] Re: MS and source code

[John J. Urbaniak]

sturde@az.com wrote:

> According to our local newspaper, the Judge is forcing MS to release its
> source code because of the tying or is it bundling issue.  So so much to
> you naysayers.  The paper further stated that MS in its court papers has
> contended (I paraphrase liberally) that civilization as we know it will
> end if it is compelled to release its source code.  In fact, release of
> the source code might destroy MS. HEAVENS FORBID!!!!!! What does MS know
> that we do not know?  MS destroyed if is releases its source code.  It
> must be a far more fragile company than we realized.  Perhaps the Enron
> analogy is not far fetched.

Actually, this is the end of the road for Microsoft.

Because, when the source is examined it will be discovered that all they did
to "integrate" IE was to juggle some DLLs around.  Any competent programmer
will be able to discern that.

But that is in direct contradiction to their entire case.  They will have
been *proven* to have lied all throughout the trial.

Furthermore, they will be found in violation of the 1995 consent decree.

This is very bad news for Microsoft.  And there's nothing they can do about
it.  Judge K-K's reasoning was so simple and so profound - "if one side has
the source, the other side ought to have it too."  There is no possible
argument which can be made against that logic.

They will probably try to delay, maybe to change the code, but it won't
work.  Any competent programmer will compile the source and compare it with
the released versions of the programs.

They might try to get restrictions on who can see the code, but that won't
work either.  The more they try to hide it, the more the Judge will suspect
that they are trying to hide something important.  Her curiosity will just
be whetted by such tactics.  And the dissenting AGs won't let them get away
with crap like that.

Bill Gates won't be sleeping well from this day forward.  I have no doubt
he's yelling and screaming at Ballmer and others.  So they won't be sleeping
well either. But I bet Judges Jackson and Sporkin will be sleeping like
babies, dreaming sweet dreams of Gates and his "thugs" getting their just
desserts.  I bet I will sleep well too.

John