The judge in the Microsoft case has asked the DOJ to revise their breakup plan of the software giant. Does anyone who really understands tech think this is a good idea? Does anyone think it can do anything other than harm both Microsoft and the industry as a whole? Microsoft bigotry aside (I'm no big fan of the company either, but lets face facts.. Linux will never be a viable replacement for the population as a whole), they are still the leader in the industry.. and to hamstring them and expect it to help the consumer is asinine.

Well, Microsoft has offered its counter proposal to the DOJ.. I was thinking that the break of Microsoft was a bad idea.. they had learned their lesson.. then I find this offer from Microsoft (giving away software in an attempt to hurt a competitor again) and this story about their attacks on Palm.

Here's a part of the Microsoft issue that is near and dear to my heart.. information that the "illegal monopoly" may have been recently attempting to use its muscle to push its PDAs (some would say sorry excuse for a PDA, but who's quibbling?). With the release of the Pocket PC and the announcement from Palm about integrating wireless communication across the entire product line, the handheld device war is heating up. Who will win? As long as Microsoft plays fair.. the consumer.

Now, admittedly, I am not a huge fan of Microsoft, its products, or its practices, but the talk today about breaking up the company is crazy. You can argue all day about how Linux is a better operating system or how Windows simply stole its interface elements from the MacIntosh. I might agree with you, but bottom line, the first doesn't have the software support from third parties to make it viable and the other is plagued by a lack of hardware support and consumer acceptance. People are using this ruling to further their own dislike of the company for whatever reason. Did they use their muscle illegally to drive competitors out of the marketplace? Yes. Have they forced hardware vendors to accept all or nothing license agreements when shipping their bundles? Yes. There is nothing more that can be done for those companies already damaged. A break up of Microsoft will not fix that. Sure Microsoft has a history of releasing buggy software and security holes, but do you honestly believe a break up will solve that problem? It will make it worse.. and the resulting chaos that follows will make the Stock Market's current problems look like a minor drop.

I am a husband, father, and programmer. My wife and I run a computer consulting company with a number of web sites.. you've probably seen their buttons at the tops of the side columns. Before meeting my bride in the late 80s on an old chat system, I was a military brat and lived in a magical place known as Okinawa.

It is a tale told by an idiot.. full of sound and fury.. signifying nothing.