“The decision is certainly unsettling the competitive landscape,
and there is an additional focus and spotlight on Microsoft’s
competitors,” said Hambrecht & Quist analyst Christopher
Galvin. “We don’t know how they will be affected until a final
determination is made….”
“Red Hat Inc. , the largest distributor of the Linux operating
system considered an alternative to Microsoft Windows NT, database
software maker Oracle Corp. , and computer workstation developer
Sun Microsystems Inc. were seen as possible beneficiaries of the
U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled Friday that
Microsoft is a monopoly that has bullied competitors and harmed
consumers….”
“I’m not cautious on the stocks themselves — we recommend
Red Hat on the merits of Red Hat,” said David Readerman, analyst
with Thomas Weisel Partners. “I’m cautious about investors pouring
into something based on an initial decision which could end up
being a very long process.“