Computer Business Review Online reports a new antitrust lawsuit. Tangent, a Northern California Microsoft’s Certified Partner, claims Microsoft has caused them “significant harm” through “exclusionary and restrictive” practices.
Examples of anti competitive behavior cited by Tangent include the bundling of Outlook with Office and Active Directory with Windows Server. They also cite the bundling of Windows Media Player and Windows Media Server with its desktop and server operating system is hurting them.
So Microsoft, if you’re listening, I have three pieces of advice. One, stop marketing your products as though they all work together. You’re scaring your own partners. Two, move to Washington D.C. and replace half your engineers with lobbyists. Three, release the source code for Windows 3.11, call it Open Source Windows and give it away now.
Learn more about the Jim Barksdale Effect and Tangent software at wowtechminute.com.
From Aloha Workshops on the Big Island of Hawaii, this is Brent Norris for The World Organization of Webmasters and The WOW Technology Minute.
Related Resources
Jim Barksdale
1997 posting on Interesting-people.org
Subject IP: Wired News on the Politics of Netscape – http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/199708/msg00061.html
Netscape’s New Rules (Wired Magazine) – http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/6.08/netizen.html?pg=5
Netscape information about Jim Barksdale
http://people.netscape.com/jimb/index_40.html
Tangent Software – http://www.tangent.com/explore/index.htm
Microsoft – http://www.microsoft.com
TechRepublic Article and Discussion – http://techrepublic.com.com/2100-10878_11-6041788.html?tag=search#