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+<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
+<!-- Parent-Version: 1.77 -->
+
+<title>On the Microsoft Verdict - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
+
+<!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/microsoft-verdict.translist" -->
+<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
+
+<h2>On the Microsoft Verdict</h2>
+
+<p>
+Many
+<a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a>
+users think of the system as competition for Microsoft.
+But the Free Software Movement aims to solve a problem that is much
+bigger than Microsoft: proprietary, nonfree software, designed to
+keep users helpless and prohibit cooperation. Microsoft is the
+largest developer of such software, but many other companies treat the
+users' freedom just as badly; if they have not shackled as many users
+as Microsoft, it is not for lack of trying.</p>
+<p>
+Since Microsoft is just a part of the problem, its defeat in the
+anti-trust lawsuit is not necessarily a victory for free software.
+Whether the outcome of this suit helps free software and promotes
+users' freedom depends of the specific remedies imposed on Microsoft
+by the judge.</p>
+<p>
+If the remedies are designed to enable other companies compete in
+offering proprietary, nonfree software, that will do the Free World
+no particular good. Alternative possible masters is not freedom. And
+competition could lead them to do a &ldquo;better&rdquo; job, better
+in a narrow technical sense; then it could be harder for us to
+&ldquo;compete&rdquo; with them technically. We will continue to
+offer the user one thing those companies do
+not&mdash;freedom&mdash;and users who value freedom will continue to
+choose free software for that reason. But users who do not value
+freedom, and choose a system based on mere convenience, might be
+enticed away to &ldquo;improved&rdquo; proprietary systems.</p>
+<p>
+Splitting Microsoft into separate companies could also endanger free
+software, because these smaller companies, no longer held in check by
+the public readiness to condemn Microsoft, might see fit to attack
+free software more harshly than the present unified Microsoft does.</p>
+<p>
+I've
+<a href="/philosophy/microsoft-antitrust.html">proposed remedies</a>
+for this case that would help free software compete with Microsoft:
+for example, requiring Microsoft to publish documentation for all
+interfaces, and to use patents only for defense, not for aggression.
+These remedies would block the use of the weapons that Microsoft plans
+to use against us (according to the &ldquo;Halloween documents&rdquo;
+leaked from within Microsoft which spelled out how they plan to impede
+development of the GNU/Linux system).</p>
+<p>
+When we see what remedies the judge chooses, we will get an idea of
+whether the case has been helpful or harmful to the Free Software
+Movement.</p>
+
+</div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above -->
+
+<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
+<div id="footer">
+<div class="unprintable">
+
+<p>Please send general FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to
+<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">&lt;gnu@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
+There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
+the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent
+to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org">&lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
+
+<p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph,
+ replace it with the translation of these two:
+
+ We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality
+ translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection.
+ Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard
+ to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org">
+ &lt;web-translators@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
+
+ <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of
+ our web pages, see <a
+ href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
+ README</a>. -->
+Please see the <a
+href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
+README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations
+of this article.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Copyright &copy; 2000, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p>
+
+<p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
+href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/us/">Creative
+Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License</a>.</p>
+
+<!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" -->
+
+<p class="unprintable">Updated:
+<!-- timestamp start -->
+$Date: 2014/04/12 12:40:19 $
+<!-- timestamp end -->
+</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+</body>
+</html>