Microsoft Deals Itself Out

Today, Microsoft and the United States Department of Justice announced the signing of a settlement of the government's antitrust case against the software giant. If approved by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly and signed off on by a group of state attorneys general, the agreement would guarantee PC manufacturers more flexibility in choosing which products they can pre-install and configure on their Windows-based products. Plus it would create a technical committee to monitor Microsoft's compliance with the agreement, and examine Microsoft source code to arbitrate complaints from software vendors.

Things Have Changed

Of course, it's a different world than it was three years ago. The Internet, Java, Linux, Palm and a host of other shifts in the computing landscape have made the case's original motivations less compelling. AOL-Time Warner doesn't generate the sympathy that scrappy little Netscape did. And let's face it, we've got bigger bad guys to deal with. Still, the case did change Microsoft's behavior for the better, (as even Bill Gates acknowleged in his press conference), if not as much as some people might want. CRN and VARBusiness reporters are on the scene in Washington and Redmond, and talking to channel executives nationwide for reaction. Follow all of action in our DoJ vs. Microsoft News Center.

Talking Talk Backs

If nothing else, the DoJ/Microsoft case generated two years of good Talk Backs among ChannelWeb readers. But Microsoft wasn't the topic of concern this week, when a number of postings raised the temperature around here.

Normally our Talk Back discussions run with little intervention on our part. Our readers are serious and informed, and while we get our share of "Company X Sucks" comments, our signal-to-noise ratio far surpasses that of other discussion sites, and posters generally provide pretty good perspective about just why Company X sucks.

From time to time, though, we'll be asked to edit or delete a Talk Back. As I explained several times this week, there are only three circumstances under which we'll consider it: assertively offensive language, libeling an individual, or a writer claiming to be someone else. They're boundaries our readers rarely touch, fortunately, so feel free to weigh in.

Best of the Week

More news from Microsoft this week. The company announced a reorganization of their partner program, including the departure of channel veteran Ian Rogoff. Meanwhile, VARBusiness' Rob Wright talked to PC makers and vendors on the prospects for Windows XP.

In this tough economic climate, CRN's Joe Kovar and Marie Lingblom look at consolidation among solution providers, while VAR's Joy Russell offers some tips on how to sell when times are tough. And CRN's cover story looked at which technology vendor certifications are in most demand.