Microsoft monopoly.
If it's always darkest before the dawn, the folks at Microsoft must expect the sun to rise any minute. Things look gloomy. As the government's antitrust trial, hardest punches hitting Bill Gates on the chin with allegations. For example:.
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Antitrust Trial: Pundits say the government is winning in the court of public opinion. .
Courtroom antics have created a throbbing public relations headache for Microsoft. Most .
damning was Bill Gates' videotaped testimony, during which he appeared rumpled and rude. As a ZDNN reporter Mary Jo Foley writes, "All the PR spin in the world won't make the public forget that Gates wouldn't even deign to say 'good morning' to lawyer David Boies."(The New York times) .
Consumer Fraud Allegations: A key issue during the trial is the price of Microsoft's Windows operating system and whether it's unfairly inflated. The Consumer Federation said that Microsoft has grabbed an extra $10 billion during the past three years by overcharging consumers. It threatens a flood of class-action lawsuits, if the DOJ's antitrust charges stick. .
Accounting Fraud, Too? Former Microsoft general auditor Charlie Pancerzewski accuses the company of falsifying its profit figures. Pancerzewski, who was forced to resign in 1996, alleges Microsoft accountants systematically cooked the books in order to trump analyst earnings estimates and keep its stock soaring. Obviously, the Securities and Exchange Commission will flip its lid if these charges prove valid. (The New York Times).
In 1982 Microsoft released Multiplan, a spreadsheet program, and the following .
year, it released a word processing program, Microsoft Word. In 1984 Microsoft was one .
of the few established software companies that had developed application software for the .
Macintosh, a personal computer developed by Apple Computer. Microsoft's early support .
for the Macintosh resulted in tremendous success for it's Macintosh Application software, .
