Screaming Penguin

The more I watch the Justice vs Microsoft anti-trust trial, the more I wonder what in the world Bill and company are thinking. In a stunning article on MSNBC (see MS held 'secret meeting' with IBM), it is once again clear to me the extreme level of incompetence that Microsoft has displayed in defending itself. Microsoft attorneys seem bound and determined to lose this case. As I was reading, I keyed on Pepperman's quote, "Sorry, your honor, that's what comes from inexperience." Why would Microsoft put its fate in the hands of an attorney that admits inexperience? Microsoft's software quality may be spotty (I am being charitable), but they did not get to where they are by making bad business decisions. Then I remembered a Disney movie I saw when I was a child: Song Of The South. For those of you who might not know Uncle Remus' stories of Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, and Brer Fox, there is one in particular that seems relevant. Brer Rabbit gets caught by his rivals who want to do him harm. He convinces them that the worst punishment they could give him is to throw him into the local briar patch. Being a bit dim, Brer Bear and Brer Fox do just that, only to watch Brer Rabbit scamper away, free as a bird and happy that he suckered them. Is this what Bill has in mind? Did Microsoft decide that conviction for anti-trust violations is a fait accompli, and that really the most important part is controlling their fate after conviction? This implies that Microsoft has an end-game regarding their reorganization. That scares me: You can pretty much guarantee that if they do, it is destined to make them more money... Hmmm...