U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson made an initial legal pronouncement Friday, November 5th, declaring Microsoft a monopoly.

According to a recent CNet article, ''Jackson found Microsoft has a monopoly in computer operating systems and used its 'prodigious market power and immense profits to harm rivals'. The U.S. Justice Department has said it would consider a breakup of the company as one remedy if Microsoft is finally determined to be a monopoly.''

My question is, ''So what is so terrible about Microsoft?''

Would the computing industry be where it is today without Bill Gates and Microsoft?

I realize this is a controversial topic. A lot of people hate Bill Gates and see Microsoft as this tyrannical over-grown giant. But I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that we're all highly indebted to Bill Gates and Microsoft. I wouldn't be able to sit at home today and earn a living in a spare office with my PC if Microsoft (or some other company like them) hadn't existed. Here's why...

I've been using computers since 1982. I started out on my little TI99 that hooked up to our TV at home. I also connected to the local university's mainframe from our school computer. There was no software other than a game called Pong. We wrote our own programs using BASIC.

By the time I got to college, WordPerfect, Lotus, and dBase were gaining in popularity. I learned to use these tools there. Every program was different. You couldn't easily move from one program to another. You had to shut one program down before opening another. If you created something in WordPerfect, it stayed there. You didn't drag and drop it over into your Lotus spreadsheet. And you didn't import your Lotus spreadsheet into WordPerfect.

In 1990, I started a computer training business from my home and began teaching people how to use these programs. It took the average person about 4 hours to learn DOS, 10-12 hours to learn the basics of WordPerfect for DOS, and about 10-12 hours to learn Lotus 1-2-3. So, after 24 to 28 hours of one-on-one instructions, my students could have a basic to intermediate knowledge of Dos, WordPerfect and Lotus. But, if they wanted to learn PageMaker or some other program, they had to start all over because each program was totally different. Computer software for my students was seen as powerful, yet difficult and cumbersome.

By about 1993, Microsoft had introduced Windows and it was increasing in popularity. I started teaching Windows-based applications. It took people about 2-3 hours to learn Windows 3.1. Then, I could teach them Microsoft Word or WordPerfect for Windows in 6 hours. If they then wanted to learn Excel or Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows, it only took another 4-6 hours to learn it because they knew the basics of Windows and had learned Microsoft Word. So, in all, they could be proficient in Windows, Word, and Excel in only 10-15 hours. The learning time was cut in half. And, when they were done, they could pick up the basics on almost any other Windows-based program they cared to learn.

If the universal platform of Windows had not been developed that made the basics of software (like printing, saving, underlining, bolding, justifying text, etc) universal, we would not be fast approaching a computer in every home like we are now.

Computers would still be for the technically advanced. My 68-year-old mother would not even attempt to use a computer. But here she is, on the Internet, checking email, doing her family history over the Net. And she's great at it!

As an Internet developer, as more people use the Internet, the larger my market is and the more money I can earn. So this flooding of the world with PC's is the greatest boon to my family's pocketbook there could be.

So, before we slay the Microsoft Giant, let's look back on what Microsoft has given us over the last decade. Sure, Bill Gates is filthy rich. But maybe he deserves to be because what he has helped to develop has made life easier and more lucrative for millions of others!

Ok, now I'm going to go crawl in a hole before everyone slams me with anti-Microsoft letters.

Marnie Pehrson may be contacted at http://www.pwgroup.com webmaster@ideamarketers.com. Click here to view more of their articles.
Marnie L. Pehrson is a writer, content provider and marketing coordinator who helps coaches and consultants get the online exposure they need to turn prospects into clients. She is the author of "10 Steps to Fulfilling Your Divine Destiny" and can be reached at webmaster@ideamarketers.com or http://www.pwgroup.com.