States' Plan For Windows Is Cracked
Tampatrib | at | by Mike
Nine states that have rejected the federal settlement with Microsoft argue that the Windows operating system should be splintered and degraded. They have concentrated on helping the software company's competitors and not on helping software customers. But the wisdom of harsher penalties in the antitrust case comes down to one question: What would be best for the millions of people who buy and depend on personal computers?
The states contend that if the federal court requires Microsoft to sell various incomplete versions of Windows, customers will have a choice and won't have to pay for features they don't want. This proposal would give birth to a huge, dysfunctional family of unpredictable offspring that not even their genetic mother could love. And because so much effort would go into their creation, they would have to cost more.