The notion that Microsoft is competing unfairly by integrating its products can only be made with a straight face by someone who doesn't really use their computer. The strength of Microsoft products is often not that they have especially innovative new features, but rather that they are so well integrated that they are easy to use together. Anyone who has wanted to use the address book on their computer to easily send out a form letter appreciates the inherent value of integration. Integration of browsing into the Windows operating system similarly allows for reading e-mail messages written in HTML, for saving Web pages for later reference, and a whole host of other advantages. The products do, after all, belong to Microsoft.
Government is at best subject to far cruder constraints.
Microsoft responds to its critics. Microsoft Motion for Summary Judgment Overview of Section 2 of the Sherman Act And Its Application to Microsoft by Charles F. Rule, April 29, 1998. Microsoft , the Free-Market. Net Policy Spotlight on Microsoft and Antitrust. Stan Liebowitz's Home Page provides copies of his papers criticizing the theory of lock-in.