[ Thanks to John
Hinrichsen for this link. ]
“Linus Torvalds, the Finnish programer who created the Linux
operating system, could hold the solution to the Microsoft monopoly
mess.“
“Control of the APIs, Judge Jackson held, meant that Microsoft
could indefinitely exclude any competing operating system, thus
allowing Microsoft to charge higher prices than it would have been
able to charge in a competitive market. To maintain control of
APIs, Microsoft had to eliminate products, like Netscape’s Internet
browser, that threatened to take over some tasks performed by the
operating system. The “browser wars,” Judge Jackson determined,
were part of a larger strategy by Microsoft to use its monopoly
power to protect its monopoly position….”
“To make Linux a full competitor with Windows would require
small changes in Microsoft’s rules for dispensing information about
how others’ programs use the Windows APIs. If those and similar
legal and technical obstacles are removed, Linux-based systems
would be able to run all programs written for Windows computers.
Existing users could switch operating systems without changing the
programs they use every day. As Judge Jackson found, there is no
alternative competitor on the horizon anywhere close to achieving
that level of compatibility with Windows.”