[linux-help] In case you hadn't heard

[John Reinke <jmreinke@xxxxxxxxx>]

The Final Ruling: Judge Orders Microsoft Breakup

U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ordered the breakup of
Microsoft  into two companies on Wednesday, in a ruling that closely
resembles a plan recommended by the plaintiffs in the landmark
antitrust suit.

The decision is grand slam for the U.S. Justice Department and 19
attorneys general who prosecuted the antitrust case against Microsoft.
Jackson accepted virtually all of the plaintiffs' proposed remedies.

"Microsoft as it is presently organized and led is unwilling to accept
the notion that it broke the law or accede to an order amending its
conduct," Jackson wrote in the decision.

If upheld on appeal, the 17-page decision would create one company
that sells operating systems, and another company that comprises all
of Microsoft's other business, including the browser and applications.
The judgment also includes conduct remedies which Microsoft has
described as "draconian," requiring Microsoft to share its APIs and
other intellectual property with other software vendors, and
prohibiting the new Microsoft companies from collaborating to force
out competitors.

--Mitch Wagner

For the full story:
http://www.internetwk.com/story/INW20000607S0007

And for more background:
http://internetwk.com/microsoft.htm



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