Once again, the court filings bring to light the heavy-handed tacticsMicrosoft uses to get its way. This is no surprise to people in the industry who know thatthe software giant is prone to playing dirty; the real question is whetherany of specific acts of bullying are illegal.
But while the courts ponder the weightier antitrust aspects of the case, the DOJ has also asked for a quick decision on its proposal that Microsofteither unbundle Internet Explorer (IE) from Windows 98 or include rival NetscapeNavigator with the operating system so that users can have a choice ofbrowsers.
Microsoft has decided to attack the latter proposal with some novel analogies. Bill Gates contends that asking him to include Navigator withWindowsis like asking Coca-Cola to include three cans of Pepsi in every six-pack.
As long as we're playing this game, allow me an analogy of my own: Comparing Windows to Coke is like, well, comparing apples to oranges.Remember, in technology terms, Windows is a"platform"--so it's more like a store shelf upon which Coke andPepsi cans sit. Hence, it would be more apt to say that askingWindows to include Navigator is like asking Coca-Cola to share shelf spacewith Pepsi.
If Windows is the store shelf, then consumers should be able to avail of thechoices and decide whether they want Navigator or Explorer, depending onwhich is better suited to their taste.
Bill Gates has always espoused the virtues of a free market. Hehas contended that consumers vote with their pocket books--buying MicrosoftWord or Excel or Office products, for example, because they perceive themto be better.
In the case of Explorer vs. Navigator, he has said that IE did not start tomake major headway until version 3.0 of the browser was released. Hispoint: People started to take to IE 3.0 (and 4.0) only because theyconsidered it superior in features and function to the corresponding versions of Navigator.
According to Gates's logic, IE gained market share not because OEMs had tooffer it in every box or that it was free or that it was closely tied tothe operating system, but simply because users found it more appealingthan Navigator.
If this is what he truly believes, then what does Gates have to fear byincluding Navigator with Windows and having the Netscape icon sit on thedesktop? If he believes that Explorer is the better product, then he should have noproblem letting users decide for themselves.
In other words, let Navigator share space with IE on the Windows shelf, er, platform. As the cliche goes, Bill, put your moneywhere your mouth is.
Jai Singh is the editor of NEWS.COM.