“In my view, the trial and its potential outcome are two very
different things. The trial has already done wonders for Linux. But
the potential outcome will probably be meaningless, at best, to the
future of Linux. Microsoft already owns the market in office
productivity software. The Microsoft application company would no
longer need Windows to maintain that monopoly. Some speculate that
a post-breakup Microsoft would port Office to Linux, but the
application company would have no reason to do so unless Linux
captured a significant portion of the desktop.”
“Microsoft (the operating system company) will attempt to
capture the greatest server market share by infecting open Internet
standards with proprietary features that only work on Windows. For
example, Microsoft has already infected Kerberos with proprietary
extensions. If you use these extensions, you’ll eventually get
locked into Windows 2000 at the server.”
“If Microsoft gains enough server market share and is
successful at embracing and extending Internet standards with
proprietary features, it will use its server market share to
maintain its hold on the desktop. As a result, Microsoft (the
applications company) will continue to sell its wares only on
Windows, while leveraging its Internet Explorer market share to
make Internet Information Server the standard.”