From the Dark Side--Microsoft Bisected

as expected in US District Court Judge Jackson's penalty order in Microsoft's antitrust trial according to this digitalMASS article. Jackson followed the government's recommendations and discarded key Microsoft alternatives in decreeing that the split would last 10 years, that business restrictions begin in 90 days, that more access must be provided to the Windows source code and that a plan for the bifurcation will be submitted in 4 months. The operating system will be split off as a separate company from the rest of Microsoft. The breakup itself will not occur until appeals are exhausted according to Judge Jackson's order. When Microsoft files its appeal, the Justice Department will ask the Supreme Court to directly hear the appeal as provided in the Sherman Antitrust Act (I erroneously ascribed this function to the Judge in previous reports). Here is this morning's Washington Post analysis. [Dana Baggett]