Reader 2 Reader 2

This is from Planet NT. I don’t remember getting $100 for this like I did here, and it got a bit of editing too.

Reader to Reader – May 1999

RE: The US Government vs. Microsoft

I want to commend Don Jones for getting to the heart of the matter in “The US Government vs. Microsoft” (Reader to Reader, December 1998). However, I think he got the point exactly backward. He says, “If the government wins the IE battle, you might need to give up native vector fonts, memory management, network protocols, and file management.”
As Don pointed out, other companies already offer these technologies. And Microsoft can continue to make the products even if the company loses the Internet Explorer (IE) battle. I believe the real problem is that Microsoft needs to divorce its additional software from the OS and sell it separately. Bundling applications discourages competition: For example, why should a consumer buy Chameleon’s TCP/IP stack if Windows NT already includes one?

If we force Microsoft to sell NT and its related utilities and add-on software separately, we’ll introduce fair market competition. The company will have to produce quality products at reasonable prices. Microsoft will have to abide by good programming practices, using properly documented and controlled APIs and giving third-party companies the same environment in which to write their versions of software. Only then will we have true competition, and only then can we determine whose software is best.
You might argue that this scenario results in consumers paying for software that is currently free. However, the software and utilities that Microsoft provides with NT aren’t free—the licensing fees and upgrades are expensive. We’re paying for software that Microsoft includes. I’d rather have the opportunity to purchase NT as a standalone product and add only the components I want. Microsoft could still offer bundles of products, such as Option Packs or Plus! Packs.

Although I’d probably buy Microsoft’s all-in-one product (for the installation convenience if nothing else), I think consumers need a choice. If the Department of Justice wins, we all win. (For another opinion about Microsoft’s bundling practices, see Mark Smith, “Everybody’s Doin’ It,” November 1998.)

—David Krider
david_krider@arvin.com