News in View: Microsoft, innovator or inhibitor?

This week's News in View programme examines Microsoft's effect on innovation in the IT industry.

Judge Jackson's findings of fact in the anti-trust trial are harsh in their assertion that the company's business practices have inhibited innovators such as Netscape.

But Microsoft business development manager, Oliver Roll, insisted that the company has an impressive history of innovation.

"This is the most competitive industry in the world. Today, Microsoft is competing with free software, such as Linux. It's competing with middleware suppliers such as AOL, Netscape and Sun. And it's competing with new pocket PC suppliers such as Palm and Psion. If we stopped at any time that rate of innovation, very soon one of our competitors would take away our leadership position," he said.

However, others feel that innovative or not, the time has come for the government to apply the brakes. As Frank Coyle, IT director with John Menzies, put it: "Microsoft is without doubt a great innovator, but because of its size and attempted dominance, it is also becoming a great inhibitor."

It's also apparent that many users do not have confidence in the government's ability to curb Microsoft's market dominance. Labour MP, Derek Wyatt, noted that even now the company is expanding towards telecoms and media.

"What worries me is the power that Microsoft has to buy next-stage technologies and take a monopoly position in those as well," he said. "I'm not sure that's a healthy situation."

The full News in View programme is available in the Enterprise OS Channel (http://www.silicon.com/a34209 ).