Microsoft's demonstratie van de .NET technologie Hailstorm is bij sommige mensen in het verkeerde keelgat geschoten. Onder andere AOL/Time Warner en Sun hebben klachten ingediend bij de Amerikaanse overheid over het nieuwe systeem. Hailstorm is kort samengevat een manier om persoonlijke voorkeuren en documenten op internet op te slaan, zodat software op alle computers over de hele wereld zich aan de persoonlijke wensen van de gebruiker kan aanpassen. Ondanks de demonstratie van Hailstorm op UNIX en MacOS zien de concurrenten het project als een poging van Microsoft haar monopolie-positie te versterken. Mogelijk wordt dit punt als bewijs gebruikt in de nu lopende rechtszaken:
On Friday, AOL TW officials had a breakfast briefing with several state attorneys general involved in the government's pending antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft, which is under review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. AOL TW raised concerns that Microsoft's new products could create a choke point on the Internet for e-commerce, instant messaging and downloadable music.
An AOL TW official told TheStandard.com on Monday that Microsoft's latest offerings were an effort "to make sure that eventually there is no reason to use anything but the versions of programs that Microsoft gives you."
In many ways, the complaints surround the same kinds of behavior that prompted the 1998 government lawsuit against the Redmond, Wash.-based company. At that time, Microsoft battled Netscape by integrating a Web browser into Windows and striking deals with computer makers and Web sites to give its own product a leg up.
"We need to review the details, but some of the same kinds of antitrust issues seem to be raised," says Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who listened to the AOL breakfast briefing by phone. Blumenthal declined to comment on whether or how Friday's briefing would factor into the states' tactics in the ongoing case. "We really need to think and learn more about it before we can even reach a tentative conclusion."
CoG wordt bedankt voor de submit.