Just a quick update on the long-running "Redmond Justice" courtroom drama, folks; the nine states who refused to settle their antitrust beef with Microsoft finished up their collective say in court yesterday, and now it's Microsoft's turn at bat. So who did the Redmond Giant call to the stand today as its very first witness? One W. J. ("Call me Jerry") Sanders, the CEO of AMD. Apparently in reaction to the states' demand that Microsoft make available versions of Windows without Internet Explorer present, Jerry got right up there and dutifully testified that "fragmenting the Windows operating system would set the computer industry back twenty years." That's good stuff for Microsoft.

Unfortunately, Jerry proved to be a fine lap dog but a lousy witness. According to a Reuters article, upon cross examination, Jerry admitted that he had never actually bothered to read the states' proposed sanctions; his entire notion of the remedy being sought by the states (and therefore his testimony) was based purely on Bill Gates having called him on the phone and told him that said sanctions were "crazy" and would "fragment the Windows operating system." (Insert sound of a dozen Microsoft lawyers all smacking their foreheads in unison.)

Oh, but it gets better! According to an Associated Press story, Jerry also admitted that, in addition to agreeing to testify that the states' proposed penalties were harmful without ever having heard what those penalties actually were, when Gates phoned to ask him to testify, Jerry had been hoping that Bill was calling to say that Microsoft would support AMD's new chip. Apparently there had been prior discussions about working support for that chip into Windows, support that Jerry calls "the single most important thing in AMD's future." Jerry was also hoping that Gates would "withhold support for a competing chip from market-leader Intel."

So let's get this straight, here: Microsoft's first witness is a guy named Jerry who admits that his entire business hinges upon whether or not Bill Gates decides to support his product or his competitor's. (Nope, no monopoly there.) Jerry gets a phone call from Gates and desperately hopes that it's good news about support for his processor. Instead Bill asks him to testify in court that the states' proposed sanctions are harmful. (Hint, hint.) With the all-important question of support for his product still unresolved, Jerry jumps at the chance to do Bill a favor-- despite the fact that he's never even seen these proposed sanctions that are supposed to be so gosh-darned evil.

Say, has anybody seen this guy's credibility lying around? Anyone? Nope, us neither.