AP: Microsoft to change licensing agreements because of court ruling. “We recognize that some provisions in our existing Windows licenses have been ruled improper by the court, so we are providing computer manufacturers greater flexibility,” Ballmer said.
Chalk this up to a concession to reality. Microsoft is finally making a change it should have made long ago.
Which is precisely the point. It doesn’t matter anymore. Microsoft long ago got its monopoly. It’s way too late for small changes like this to make much difference.
That seems to be the strategy. Use illegal tactics to get and maintain the monopoly. Then concede, when there’s absolutely no choice, a few small points. By the time you concede, the points are meaningless to real competition.
Keep in mind, by the way, that even these tiny concessions don’t reflect Microsoft’s belief that it has ever done anything wrong. You’ll recall that Ballmer, in a memo to employees right after the appeals court decision, was still denying that Microsoft even has a monopoly.