By now you probably figured you'd effectively heard the last of "Redmond Justice," right? After all, it's been years since the Department of Justice filed suit against Microsoft primarily for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows 95; remember the rush to get the suit together before Windows 98 shipped? Heck, it's even been over a year since Microsoft was found to have violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, and ever since then we've just been waiting for the appeal to proceed-- a process which makes continental drift seem peppy by comparison. So you probably figured your great-grandchildren would be long dead of old age before this case winds to a real conclusion.

Well, maybe so, but don't let that fact get you down, because you may have a completely new trial to follow soon enough. As faithful viewer Nicholas Chapman points out, a ZDNet article indicates that "two of the state attorneys general who spearheaded the antitrust case against Microsoft" are apparently considering filing another antitrust suit against the Redmond Giant-- a scenario that leaves us feeling not unlike being told that we have to sit through all that election debate about "hanging chads" again. In other words, it was kind of interesting the first time through (for the first seventy or eighty years, at any rate), but the idea of going through it again has us wondering if we could drive a pencil deep enough into our own skulls to bring sweet, sweet oblivion.

If it does come to pass, this new case will focus on Microsoft's "very troubling" strategy for Windows XP-- namely, using the exact same "monopolistic business tactics" the company has refined and perfected over the years. (Practice makes perfect, right?) Between "integrated" instant messaging and the "Smart Tags" feature that will give Microsoft a degree of control over how third-party web sites appear to its hapless customers, Microsoft has the art of thumbing its nose at the Justice Department down to a science. If the attorneys general are actually surprised at Microsoft's continued anticompetitive behavior, they should consider that so far, the company's only punishment for past misdeeds has been a temporary stock price deflation (which hurt the rest of the economy more than it hurt Microsoft) and a pile of legal bills which amounts to chicken feed for a company with a Bill-size balance sheet. Why not stay the course? According to all observable evidence, in this case, crime pays and it does pay well.

Thankfully, as of now the attorneys general state that they "have no current plans for a second lawsuit," though they "would never completely rule out" the possibility, either. For now they're content to focus on the existing antitrust case that's still inching its way through the legal system, but if Microsoft doesn't lighten up a little, before long, we may find ourselves faced with "Redmond Justice 2: Electric Boogaloo": the antitrust equivalent of yet another Brady Bunch variety hour. Make those suicide pacts now, kids!