Microsoft Ignores Those XP Tacklers
Yahoo | at | by Mike
Time is on Microsoft's side. With every passing day, the odds diminish that the ags will seek an injunction. And once Windows XP ships, any remedy that bars the bundling of features would be harder to justify. Many consumers, already having become accustomed to the new technology, would resist being forced to change. What's more, the damage to innocent parties, such as PC makers and Microsoft's other business partners, would increase. That could make an injunction seem like excessive bureaucratic meddling. And even without an injunction, trustbusters might find it harder to convince a judge to force significant changes on XP as part of any eventual settlement. "Once XP is out, it becomes that much more difficult to devise a remedy,'' says a government source. So Gates is charging ahead, desperate to hit the end zone before state and federal trustbusters can bring him down. It's sure a risky way to play ball.