Microsoft demands scrutiny - Editor's Letter - Editorial

Software Magazine, April, 1995 by Michael W. Bucken

Its open season on Microsoft. The federal government - this time the federal judiciary - is charging that Microsoft has used its dominance in the desktop operating system market to employ anticompetitive practices in other product areas. Competitors like Apple Computer charge that Microsoft officials use threats of withholding access to beta operating system copies to get their way. Still others express fears that Windows 95 will incorporate access to the Internet and Microsoft Network, which will eliminate most competitive products in those areas.

Meanwhile, Microsoft carries on with the refrain that it has done nothing wrong and that any investigation is uncalled for.

Are these merely arguments from competitors resentful of Microsoft's success, angry at its arrogance, and/or hurt by its business tactics? That's certainly part of it.

Has Microsoft engaged in any illegal activities? The Justice Department thought so, but its punishment is widely viewed as hollow outside of Redmond, Wash. Federal Judge Stanley Sporkin rejected the Justice Department's settlement with Microsoft, charging it neglected Microsoft's proclivity to announce products years before they ship.

Microsoft is arrogant. But, while arrogance eventually comes back to haunt companies (witness the IBM of the mid-1980s), it's not illegal. The vaporware argument, however, is valid, and the practice should be halted. Microsoft was wrong to make impossible delivery promises about Windows, Windows NT, Windows 95 and all the other operating systems promised by the firm.

The case deserves more investigation. Microsoft clearly earned its dominant position in the desktop operating system space. But that dominance should not be used to gain a similar monopoly elsewhere. If Microsoft is playing fair, so be it. If not, the firm should be reined in. The latest federal investigation is justified and should proceed through to a resolution.

Best regards

Michael W. Bucken