Microsoft's Success Deserves To Be Scrutinized

Boo hoo, poor Microsoft, getting pushed around by that big ol' bully, the American government. I appreciated the "everybody-loves-an-underdog" sentiment of senior David M. Weld's "Booing Bill Gates" commentary (Nov. 18), but he is sadly misled in his Panglossian views on Microsoft's "evil empire."

The utilization of antitrust suits against Microsoft's steamrolling growth has been overdue for years. Any company that holds a near monopoly over a vital aspect of the booming computer industry (the Windows operating system) and continues to grow at a ravenous pace is due for a reality check.

The comment that Gates spent over $100 million to help save Apple due to simply his "good intentions" is ludicrous. The move was one of Gates' most clever. By helping to stave off the demise of Apple, Gates was preserving a market that generates each year many times more for Microsoft than what he paid. And has anyone noticed that Macs no longer ship with Netscape Navigator? That's right, the cheery Microsoft Internet Explorer icon is now the path to the Web for Mac users--many of whom bought Macs out of their hatred for Microsoft.

Yes, Microsoft certainly operates "with what sometimes seems to be relentless monopolistic zeal." Especially when it sees something it wants, like the World Wide Web. Currently, Microsoft is locked in a death match with browser king Netscape over who will control the enormous (and still mushrooming) Internet browser market. Microsoft, fresh from its Apple coup and with untold billions to throw behind its campaign, is giving away its browser for free, a deal that younger, smaller Netscape can't match. Fair competition, indeed.

I'm not a zealot--I use Microsoft Internet Explorer over Netscape Navigator because I think it's a better product--but it seems like most people aren't aware of the ferocious campaign Microsoft is waging on all fronts of the computer revolution. The scariest part is, it's doing a hell of a job.

And by the way--the reason that we hate Barney isn't that he spends all his ill-gotten PBS gains on crack whores and heroin. It's because he's freakin' annoying. Although I have to admit, it was delightful to see the word "peccadilloes" in print. --Josiah J. Madigan '01