Microsoft Lawsuits/NBA Rage

Excuse us for saying so, but who cares whether anyone sues Microsoft? Just about everyone thinks that the Boys in Redmond engage anti-competitive practices, but what's the point of bringing suits against the company if they don't amount to a hill of beans? It's like expecting referees to call fouls on Shaquille O'Neal when the NBA finals are getting their best TV ratings since Michael Jordan was playing in 1998. Whether it's TV ratings or tax dollars, money talks, boys and girls. Whether you see the foul or not, if it's not called, it didn't (officially) happen. The latest fruitless lawsuit brought against Microsoft, pitched by ProComp , an alliance that includes Oracle and Sun, says Microsoft is trying to monopolize PC media by making multimedia functions and utilities, such as Windows Media Player, a part of the OS. According to PC World , Microsoft is also putting its own instant messaging service in the OS - a direct foul to AOL. Microsoft's comments are as cocky as Shaq promising to "punish" (read: foul) defenders. Jim Cullinan, a Microsoft spokesperson, reportedly said "It's disappointing, but not surprising, that our competition continues to use time and resources to press lawmakers rather than innovate." Ouch. You can watch the story unfold but, like watching the NBA finals (if you weren't a Laker fan), all you'll get is frustration.