I'm not sure why this thread won't die, but I'll do my part to keep the
nonsense coming.

Regarding all those files that have IE "integration" that are needed in
the "current" Windows operating system -> do they define a public and
supported API for Browser "integration" that other developers can use on
an equal footing with Microsoft? If so, were they published before IE
was developed? Why doesn't Microsoft just update their O.S. instead of
bundling the update with the application?

Just how do "market forces" compete with free stuff? Pricing under cost
has always been a major criteria for unfair, monopolistic competition,
and is generally regarded as unfair and sometimes is not legal.

Suppose Microsoft bought Oracle and required installation of Oracle
RDMBS with an unlimited license on every PC sold with Windows (every
version)? Of even better, if Microsoft also bought Netscape and bundled
Netscape products on every system? Of course, the bundling would take
place after Microsoft's o.s. engineers improved the "integration" of
these products with the system such that it wouldn't boot without them.

IE 4 seems OK to me as a broswer, but all the changes to the desktop
brings confusion to the user interface along with molasses like
performance at times, even on a 233 PII! Think of all those persons just
learning to navigate in Windows 95 after Windows 3.x, now sitting down
and thinking, do I single click or double click? How did I get here? Why
do I have to learn Outlook, I just got used to Windows "messaging". Etc.
Etc. And I still get calls from persons using DOS applications! This is
a major reason why support costs so much and why there is often little
productivity gain from using a PC.

The obvious thing for Microsoft to do in the face of the Judge's order
is simply to redefine the O.S. update files into a Service Pack, leaving
out the broswer and other IE applications. Besides, if Microsoft needed
a "rocket scientist" to figure this out, they can afford one.

Richard Gambrell