Microsoft's probation period extended

Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly made the ruling, saying that she could not be sure that the software giant would not re-offend if let back into the community without being watched.

She said that she wants to make sure that Vole meets the terms of its antitrust settlement.

Kollar-Kotelly noted that the Vole had not responded very well to the punishment doled out by the court. She said it had made "disappointing" progress by Microsoft in helping rival software makers link with Windows. She urged the outfit to get back on the straight and narrow and do all it could to expedite the process.

To its credit, Vole had seen that its probation needed to continue. It had asked the judge to continue overseeing one central provision of the 2001 settlement through November 2009.

That provision gives competitors access to the Windows source code so their server software can communicate smoothly with desktop computers using the Microsoft operating system.

Judge Kollar-Kotelly said the provision could be extended for three years, beyond 2009, if necessary. µ

L'Inq
NYTimes