The return of FUD
I thought the DOJ agreement forbade Microsoft from engaging in the type of massive pre-announcement they performed yesterday with Microsoft Live. Could it be that the rise of Google has let Microsoft out of their box? Since Google has 50% of the search business and is using their position to dominate EVERY other possible use of software on the Internet, I wonder if MS can now argue that they are no longer in a monopoly position?
The biggest losers yesterday were the new crop of Web 2.0 start-ups. It is clear that they are caught in the middle of a battle between Google and Microsoft to spend billions to capture the next round of applications. One aspect of the DOJ's argument against MS was that bundling represented unfair competition because it allowed MS to undercut competitors on price. Now that MS has adopted the mantra of "advertising will pay for it," they are freed to give away anything they want, even if it "accidentally" crushes lots of little guys.
