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DoJ Fights Back (12/17/97)
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Not that anyone didn't expect it, but the Department of Justice is fighting Microsoft's current "compliance" with Judge Jackson's temporary injunction. As you saw in yesterday's episode, Microsoft's idea of not forcing vendors to ship IE on Windows 95 systems consists of giving them the additional "choices" of shipping either a non-bootable system, or one running a two-year-old OS with more bugs than a Watergate hotel room. Which amounts, of course, to the "I'm not touching her" defense, back when your mom threatened to whup you if you didn't stop bothering your kid sister; putting your fingers within half an inch of her face was technically compliant, but it most likely got you smacked anyway. It's that "letter but not spirit of the law" thing.
So, Techweb's got the details on the DoJ's latest volley in the ongoing battle, which involves filing papers in U.S. District Court claiming that Microsoft's strategy does not meet the terms of Jackson's injunction. This is the equivalent of your kid sister telling your mom that you're still bugging her. Its success or failure depended largely on how tired and/or edgy your mother was feeling just then-- a backfire scenario was always a risk, in which Mom told your sister to shut up and stop bothering her, or she'd turn the car around and take you both home right now. It'll be interesting to see what "Mom" Jackson's reaction will be.
The DoJ is asking for the judge to hold Microsoft in civil contempt for their "flagrant disregard of this court's lawful authority." There's still a chance that the much-hyped $1 million-a-day fine may still be imposed, if Jackson is capable of seeing through Microsoft's obvious flouting of his orders.
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 12/17/97 episode: December 17, 1997: (Sorry—this was before we started writing intro text for each episode!)
Other scenes from that episode: 278: What Pulled the Plug (12/17/97) Okay, okay, we know we're beating a long-dead horse here, but we've got to address the November 10th announcement one last time. You all still remember, we're sure, that Apple originally planned for the circus to last for two and a half hours, when in fact it lasted only sixty minutes... 279: Giving me a SEIZURE!! (12/17/97) And in the "Unrelated But Too Goofy Not To Mention" file today, how 'bout that Japanese cartoon that sent some 560 viewers into convulsions while watching it? That's right-- a slew of folks who tuned into a particular episode of "Pocket Monster" apparently wound up writhing on their sitting-room floors with their eyes rolling back in their heads...
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