PC users would face enormous inconvenience and, in some cases, the cost of learning two operating systems. Evidence for this outcome is close at hand. The Unix operating system, which many experts consider technically superior to Windows, has long been hampered by a multiplicity of imperfectly compatible varieties. Most PC users want seamless integration of different software features. For example, consumers insist that word processing programs work with spreadsheets and presentation software.
Consumers now expect easy navigation on the Web.
This demand drove the development of Microsoft's Internet Explorer software and its integration into Windows. The conduct remedies would hamper efforts by the Microsoft successors to integrate new features into operating systems. The government s proposals reflect the odd logic behind its anti-trust allegations. One of the main charges is that Microsoft gave away Internet Explorer for free. Worse yet, it paid other firms to promote Explorer as Microsoft sought to overcome Netscape's early dominance in the browser market.