IP: And I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you meddling : Good Morning Silicon Valley Mon Jul 30 12:00:25 EDT 2001

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3YDYM8RPC&live=true&tagid=ZZZC00L1B0C&subheading=information%20technology

> monopolists... Microsoft is 
> <http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3YDYM8RPC&live=true&tagid=ZZZC00L1B0C&subheading=information%20technology>hell-bent
>
> on preventing rival AOL Time Warner from acquiring AT&T's broadband 
> division. According to "people familiar with the matter," Redmond has 
> embarked on an all-out effort to undermine the acquisition and is willing 
> to reach deep into its pockets rather than see AOL become the dominant 
> player in the U.S. cable market. Microsoft has cause for concern. If AOL 
> Time Warner acquired AT&T Broadband it would control of about 40 percent 
> of the U.S. market, with about 29 million subscribers, and present a 
> significant barrier to Microsoft's .Net initiative. This latest rivalry 
> follows last weeks' sparring between the companies after AOL convinced 
> Compaq Computer to 
> <http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article/0,,12_855691,00.html>replace 
> desktop links to Microsoft's MSN Internet service with links to AOL. "The 
> stuff AOL is doing now is unbelievably egregious," 
> <http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT31JOU8RPC&live=true>Microsoft 
> CEO Steve Ballmer told the Financial Times. "They're trying to get 
> personal computer companies to delete features of Windows and not let 
> people have the choice of using our software." While Ballmer's concern 
> over AOL's behavior is justified, it seems ironic given Microsoft's 
> weekend announcement that 
> <http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2799801,00.html?chkpt=zdnnp1tp02>it 
> will require some computer OEMs to post a prominent link to its MSN 
> Internet-access service when they ship computers loaded with Microsoft's 
> new Windows XP software this fall.



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