As we head into the arguments in the Court of Appeals, here’s a good article that presents the case for leaving Microsoft alone. A sample:
“STATED SIMPLY: Consumers want computers and applications that work together. They want a platform, and they want integration. Multiple companies have not been able to achieve this compatibility except with the presence of a powerful company to force standardization. Before Microsoft achieved its dominance, the PC industry was populated by vendors willing to forsake compatibility for competitive advantage–customers be damned.
“Computer users voted with their wallets to create a Microsoft standard.
“This has worked well for customers, whose constant dollar cost for software is significantly less than before Microsoft became the dominant player. Further, Microsoft has shown no signs of using this dominance to raise prices or slow the rate of technological change.”
