Money talks, Microsoft walks. Bill Gates lets out a big “Whew!” as the court decides that what’s good for Microsoft is good for America. [Salon.com]
I’m sorta annoyed that Scott Rosenberg makes vague claims that by not messing with the source that the settlement/judgment doesn’t get to the heart of the matter. He ignores all the disclosure/middleware pieces of the settlement, and fails to explain how and what would be gained if something was done (to be fair, the states didn’t bother explaining this either which is why the judge dismissed it), or how it could be abused if it wasn’t done in the frame of the current judgment.

Rivals come up short in decision. In explaining her decision, a federal judge says Microsoft competitors would have unfairly benefited from a harsh antitrust remedy. [CNET News.com]

Microsoft Alternative in Extremadura, Spain. grylnsmn writes “The Washington Post today has a front page article talking about how the Extremadura region in Spain is converting all government offices, … [Slashdot]
Minor difficulties: “The Power of Open Source: Security bugs are fixed with in 1 hour, but it takes 3 months before printing starts to work.”

Sun To Continue To Go After Microsoft. Raiford writes “Sun Microsystem’s has vowed to continue their pursuit of seeking damages from Microsoft in spite of the current ruling. A Reuters feature … [Slashdot]
General feel from the top rated comments is that /. believes that a better product wins against bundling, and that sun’s resources would be better spent making thier stuff better instead of a lawsuit. A few comments actual begin to condemn sun for pushing this route.

The Silica Gel Mystery [jwz]
Turns out you can eat them after all.

Groove Web Services: Web services used as a way to extend groove to the pocketPC. Full Infoworld Article [Jon’s Radio]

Administration’s Position Shifts on Plans for Tribunals. Despite saying last year that it wanted to move quickly to establish military tribunals for terrorism defendants, the Bush administration is now in no hurry to conduct such proceedings. By Neil A. Lewis. [New York Times: Politics]

U.S. May Abandon Support of U.N. Population Accord. The Bush administration has threatened to withdraw its support for a global family planning agreement because of a dispute over abortion. By James Dao. [New York Times: Politics]

• In fact, Microsoft’s alteration or proprietary extension of industry standards more closely resembles conduct for which Microsoft was absolved of liability; the appellate court absolved Microsoft of liability for its development of a Java implementation incompatible with Sun’s Java Implementation.
• The Court concludes that server/network computing has the capacity to function in a role akin to middleware, and therefore, over Microsoft’s objection, the Court addresses this technology in a portion of the remedy.
• Plaintiffs have advanced a remedy that requires the removal of Windows software code. Yet, Plaintiffs’ remedy proposal does not offer a reasonable way for Microsoft to separate the code in order to comply with the code removal requirements therein. More importantly, the evidence does not indicate that the removal of software code is beneficial from an economic perspective. The Court also finds that the forced removal of software code from the Windows operating system will disrupt the industry, harming both ISVs and consumers. […] To the contrary, the evidence presented to the Court indicates that the ability to remove end-user access to any commingled functionality would sufficiently address the anticompetitive aspect of the conduct and would prove far less disruptive to consumers and industry participants.
• …the Court’s order of remedy will not prohibit Microsoft’s practice of awarding “market development allowances, programs, or other discounts” (“MDPs”), provided that the award of such benefits is based upon reasonable, objective criteria, which are enforced uniformly and without discrimination.
• The appellate court could not have been clearer in its admonition that this Court’s decree should be “tailored to fit the wrong creating the occasion for the remedy.” Yet despite this admonition, in their request for relief, Plaintiffs have shown little respect for the parameters of liability that were so precisely delineated by the appellate court. In many instances, therefore, this Court has had little choice but to reject Plaintiffs’ remedial suggestions on the grounds that they are unjustifiably in conflict with the imposition as well as the rejection of liability in this case. Additionally, the Court observes that a number of the remedial provisions proposed by Plaintiffs would require drastic alterations to Microsoft’s products, as well as to aspects of its business model which do not involve illegal conduct. Plaintiffs present little, if any, legitimate justification for these remedies, and in most instances, these proposals are not supported by any economic analysis.[…] Certain of Microsoft’s competitors appear to be those who most desire these provisions and, concomitantly, are the likely beneficiaries of these provisions, while other competitors in the relevant market would not necessarily benefit.
• </li
•  Plaintiffs are correct that Microsoft has a tendency to minimize the effects of its illegal conduct. Yet this minimization, however frustrating, does not require a remedy which prodigiously exceeds even an expansive view of the illegal conduct. The remedy in this case addresses the conduct found by the district and appellate courts to violate the antitrust laws and is imposed without regard to Microsoft’s minimalist view of its own illegal conduct. More importantly, the behavioral remedy imposed by this Court neither bends nor softens simply because Microsoft refuses to acknowledge the extent of its own wrongdoing.

Guns, lies and the Internet in South Carolina. Field & Stream’s Web site was associated with a voter’s guide accusing a Democratic Senate candidate of being anti-gun. One problem: He’s a member of the NRA. [Salon.com]