Color us surprised... The Computer Reseller News reports that Mac developers are "wary of the direction the Mac software market will take" while Apple's being led by Steve Jobs (poster boy for the word "mercurial"). Apparently some folks are a little skittish about his "sometimes unpredictable leadership," and this has led to a perception among some customers that Apple is-- of all things-- unstable.

Corporate Mac-only software sales are in a slump right now, having remained below the $2 million-a-month since last July. Of course, it isn't entirely fair to blame that on Jobs' flighty reputation alone; uncertainty over the future of the Mac OS in the looming face of Rhapsody, and the constant lurking fear that Apple could go under at any second (whether that's actually possible or not) certainly play their parts. The question is, can Steve persuade existing Mac developers to keep writing quality software for the platform? And can he lure new developers to start growing the market again?

Well, if the recent MacWorld Expo is any indication, he's got a fighting chance. According to Steve himself, more than 50 companies at the Expo were showing new applications. The biggest of these is certainly Microsoft, who introduced Mac versions of Internet Explorer 4.0 (now available) and Office 98 (shipping in March). And if a company as large and successful as Microsoft actively develops for the Mac, we've got to assume that other developers out there will sit up and take notice.

And speaking of Microsoft's wild success, if you're rubbing your hands together and cackling with glee over Judge Jackson's probable upcoming ruling against them, you might want to read this Computer Reseller News article just to put the whole "Redmond Justice" thing in perspective. Financial analysts expect that the ongoing legal battle's effect on Microsoft's earnings this quarter will be negligible. (Picture, say, a mosquito dive-bombing a rhino to get the general idea.)

Analysts expect Microsoft to post a record-breaking 35% increase in net income. Basically, since their operating costs are so high already, the additional legal costs of the Department of Justice battle only constitute a tiny percentage increase. In fact, even if Microsoft is found in contempt for violating the preliminary injunction, we'd guess that the million-dollar-a-day fine still probably wouldn't have all that large an effect on Microsoft's financial picture in the short term. (One analyst notes that legal costs may be an issue in the future, if Japan and Europe also initiate antitrust cases against the Redmond Behemoth.)

So what's the point of the whole thing, you ask? Well, the long-term effects of the litigation against Microsoft could be substantial. If Microsoft starts to lose antitrust suits all around the globe, it'll have to modify its business practices to comply with antitrust laws. It's also entirely possible that customers and/or Wall Street will start to look at Microsoft with a less favorable eye. However, people looking for immediate results are going to be sorely disappointed; even though the technology world moves quickly, the business world moves a bit slower-- especially when companies this big are involved. (Just look how long Apple's been floundering; many still contend that its death is inevitable, but will still take a couple of years.) It's all a matter of waiting to see...

Meanwhile, at least one netizen is taking the fight into his own hands. According to a C/Net article, Gordon French is protesting what he considers to be Microsoft's "monopolistic tendencies" in a unique way: his Official Lost & Found web site, which is free to users of all other browsers, now charges $4 per use when the browser is using Internet Explorer 4.0. French is quick to point out that this action isn't directed at the users of IE4, but rather at Microsoft.

Needless to say, Microsoft's not too scared. Why would they be? IE4 marketshare is growing at a rampant pace, so it's doubtful that anything like this will make any significant difference. A spokesperson from the company goes so far as to say that "one web site doing this is not going to make an impact on Microsoft's or the industry's position."

Now, we'd tend to agree-- but that one web site has already been covered in a C/Net article. There's always the chance that others will hear about French's move and implement similar protest methods. Who knows? It could even turn into a whole grass-roots web campaign, like the Mac OS 8 Web Campaign that was so successful in spreading the word about Apple's latest operating system update. Hmmm, we're getting ideas... The wheels are turning...