ms that a vendor had to buy, Microsoft also would sign contracts with the vendors for long periods of time such as two or three years. So in order for a new operating system to gain popularity. It would have to do so quickly. In order to show potential buyers that it was worth something. With Microsoft signing long term contracts they eliminated the chance for a new operating system to gain the popularity needed. Probably the second most controversial issue and the cause of their problems now are Microsoft's practice of tying. Tying is a practice in which Microsoft uses their leverage in one market area, such as graphical user interfaces, to gain leverage in another market, such as operating systems, where they may have competition. For example, Microsoft would use Windows, to sell their operating system, DOS, by offering discounts to manufacturers that purchased both MS-DOS and Windows, and threatening to not sell Windows to companies who did not also purchase DOS. Microsoft did not actually have to admit to any of the alleged charges in the past and more than likely well get away with the latest charges too. On one side of the issue, there are the people who feel that Microsoft should be split up to put a stop to any chance of them forming a true monopoly of the operating system market and of the entire software market. Then there are the people who feel that Microsoft should be left alone. I am one of these people, feeling that Microsoft does more good than bad. I feel this way for many reasons, and until Microsoft does something terribly wrong or illegal, my opinion will stay this way. First and foremost, Microsoft sets standards for the rest of the industry to follow. Microsoft has not gained its enormous popularity through monopolistic and illegal measures, but instead through superior products. I feel that people do have brains, and therefore have the capacity to make rational decisions based on what they think is right. If peopl...
