The Register: US demands MS split, open up APIs, liberate PC OEMs

“But although the two-way split is the most dramatic of the
proposed measures, the “conduct remedies” further down the document
are most likely to be effective (and, indeed, workable) in the
short term. The government hasn’t gone as far as asking for
the creation of a third company running Internet activities, and
the two units will still be huge monopolies, dominant in the
operating systems and applications sectors.”

“The company’s hold on the PC manufacturers is therefore to be
tackled via numerous restrictions. Microsoft won’t be allowed to
interfere with PC OEMs’ ability to bundle and promote other
software products, and will be forced to charge standard prices for
Windows; these prices are to be published on Microsoft’s Web site.
It will be prohibited from entering exclusive deals with other
software and Internet companies, and isn’t allowed to sabotage
other companies’ products.”

“The government terms this “Knowing Intereference with
Performance,” and says that “Microsoft shall not take any action
that it knows will interfere with or degrade the performance of any
non-Microsoft Middleware when interoperating with any Windows
Operating System Product without notifying the supplier of such
non-Microsoft Middleware in writing that Microsoft intends to take
such action, Microsoft’s reasons for taking the action, and any
ways known to Microsoft for the supplier to avoid or reduce
interference with, or the degrading of, the performance of the
supplier’s Middleware.”

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