ZDNet UK: No easy path to an MS breakup

“Compared with this, breaking up the phone company was simple.
If the remedies put forth by the Department of Justice and 17
state attorneys general in the antitrust action against Microsoft
prevail-and that’s a big if-a breakup along product lines would be
a logistically arduous act that many don’t consider
feasible.”

“While the plaintiffs’ proposal broadly sketches out the
dividing lines between an operating systems company and an
applications company, a large grey area exists among many Microsoft
products and features. Active Directory, for example, is
inextricably linked to Windows 2000 but also considered an
application. The same holds true for Exchange and the MSMQ message
queuing product.”

“The entire next generation of server products from the Redmond,
Washington, company-SQL Server, Systems Management Server, Exchange
and other BackOffice components-are more tightly integrated than
ever with the operating system. … The government’s proposal says
nothing of service and support. Moreover, the Microsoft brand name,
real estate and even intellectual property remain question
marks.”

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