-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- let's look at the tail of the Reuters newsclip on M$ settling the immediate contempt action --a settlement most of the outside experts say gives the government an advantage in the final determination. what I dont like is that M$ scored a huge PR victory by caving in to the government --it had no choice, but many of the fence sitters are now going to state that M$ is "reforming" --which is pure bullshit; they are playing the Lenin-Stalin game of dealmaking so they can regroup and work around it, then blatantly violate it after they have sufficient strength. I like the comment Maureen quoted the 21st from one attorney who liked M$ to smallpox --"...stamp it out, ...or it will come back." But a poll issued Friday cast doubt on how far the public backs the government's scrutiny of Microsoft. A Time/CNN survey of 1,020 adults Jan. 14-15 found 46 percent thought Microsoft's dominant role in the software industry was good for consumers against 30 percent who thought it was bad. I am surprised they determined only 46% thought it was good as it has made for cheap, almost good enough, and ubiquitous software --if you dont mind settling for mediocrity with most innovations products M$ has either preempted or stolen. what is really surprising is that there really were 30% who acknowledged the danger of M$ as a monopoly! people vote for government with their wallets --voting for "cheaper" commerce-- even more so. Americans are not known for their discriminating choice of products based on quality and function --they almost always settle for "almost good enough" and cheap. secondly, they are truly "sheeple" and must have what everybody else has which is a market driven by positive feedback --in analog amplifiers, that often causes smokeouts-- and controlled are commonly referred to as oscillators. The same poll found 51 percent thought the government should refrain from steps to reduce Microsoft's advantage over other software companies vs. 32 percent who thought the government should intervene. this one is also very telling. the 51% is peanuts against the fact that 30% actually believe the government should intervene! --that is even more impressive considering that most Americans want government to do less and trust federal agencies even less. for something as complicated as antitrust actions, I find the 32% proactive intervention percentage rather warm and fuzzy in that there is a real understanding that M$ is a malignant cancer, and needs to be treated as such. M$ made a serious mistake treating the judge, the DOJ, and the American people with the contempt they have always treated their competitors. gone are the home grown 'aw shucks' appreciation of the American success story --Gate$ and crew have been shown to be the selfish 4 year old brats we in the industry have all learned to "love".... the only danger of this recent poll is that M$ spin doctors will show it as a victory --it's not. 30+% that want to curtail your power is not a victory --the percentage changed from a few hundred or a thousand of in the industry who feel Gate$ has long since passed the acceptable level of control to greater than 30% of the population-- _that_ is significant. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3i Charset: latin1 Comment: No safety this side of the grave. Never was; never will be iQBVAwUBNMmLfbR8UA6T6u61AQH4HQH/TIjc9GJhrJdcPvXtQ1A9CNVRk9zQdCRH YHR5X0OGgEWN+U5cLnMRvEGbhoLiKDRHTklsE7vKmsGSBZc7MwAd0A== =uPBW -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----