By Sarah Left, 18 February 1999 17:55
NEWS There is no commercially viable alternative to installing Windows on consumer PCs, a Compaq executive told the Microsoft anti-trust trial yesterday. Defence witness John Rose, a senior vice president at Compaq, told Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson that consumers demand Windows software and Compaq believes the Microsoft operating system (OS) is the best choice for desktops. Unfortunately for Microsoft, Rose's support for Windows only helped to prove the prosecution's point. When asked directly if there is a viable alternative to Windows on consumer machines, Rose said there is not. Judge Jackson also asked Rose if Compaq had considered other OS in the wake of a sharp price increase from Microsoft. He said it had not. An important aspect of the government's definition of monopoly is that raising a product's price does not dampen demand. Rose continues his testimony today.
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