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I did not advocate "putting a stop to Microsoft". Neither is the EU, apparently. They have given Microsoft a slap-on-the-wrist fine that goes no further than being symbolic, and will hardly sink their business. The most important part of this deal is that people who wish to untrench Microsoft will finally have the technical information necessary to fully interoperate with Microsoft systems. That is the key to competition in the software industry; you must first interoperate with existing products, before you can even dream of replacing them.

It comes down to the principle of substitutes. If you don't or can't interoperate with existing infrastructure, very few consumers will consider your product because it does not qualify as a substitute for the existing product. The requirement of Microsoft to divulge technical information to potential competitors will ensure that Microsoft's products must compete against substitutes on their merits, and not because they have the legal framework in place to prevent would-be competitors from designing substitutes for their products.

Score:2