Memo from Marc
Re: Microsoft

To: Editors
From: Marc Perkel
Date: Nov. 4, 2002

I believe that the Microsoft antitrust decision, letting Microsoft off easy, will have a side effect to spur Linux development.

Linux -- a free open source competing operating system to Microsoft Windows -- may be the big winner in this decision. Which operating system is better depends on what you need to do, but Linux has one feature Microsoft doesn't have and that's Freedom. Many companies like IBM, HP, Sun Micro and others simply do not want to be under Microsoft's thumb.

Microsoft is seen as a predator in the information technology world and that fear of Microsoft is one of the strongest factors driving it's competitors to fund Linux development. With this court decision Microsoft becomes even more of a threat driving their competitors to rally around Linux to defend themselves. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.