It is true that courts do not want to see the same defendants coming into court time after time.
Should the DOJ prevail it is likely that a permanent solution would be in order.
The Vertical Split: (along product lines)
Splitting Microsoft along product lines would do wonders for the industry.
Separate products will do just fine if they are any good. And, most companies in the industry must find a way to develop and support a single product on its own merits.
But, where do you draw the lines?
The Horizontal Split: (selling NT and 98 multiple times)
Taking the NT and 98 code base and selling it 5 or 6 times to key players in the industry would also make sense. HP, IBM, COREL, SYMANTEC, ORACLE, NOVELL, SCO, INPRISE and others might be interested in submitting a bid for a copy.
A standards board could be established between them to permit each version to remain compatible with a common standard.
But, who would be interested in purchasing the code base if not a monopoly?
Lewis A. Mettler, Esq.