Thursday the company asked Jackson to hold off on those curbs until Microsoft's appeal goes through. And though Jackson is expected to reject the request, the company could then ask for a stay from a federal appeals court, which might be more amenable to Microsoft's viewpoint. However, in expressing Microsoft's desire to settle, Ballmer stopped short of saying negotiations would definitely happen. He also noted that past attempts at a negotiated settlement had failed. Microsoft Exudes Confidence Balmer also reiterated the company's intention to appeal.
Morale is good.
I think everyone here understands it's a long-term process, that we're looking toward an appeal and that we'll be successful on appeal. The district court's punishment, one of the most severe punishments ever handed down for antitrust law violations, breaks Microsoft into one company for its dominant Windows operating system and another for software applications such as Word and Internet Explorer. Just Mark Andreessen, the co-founder of Netscape Corporation, a leading competitor with Microsoft in the Internet browser market, said today he believes the district court's decision to break up Microsoft is just. I think the remedy is very high quality. I think the proposals make a lot of sense.