The Microsoft Antitrust Trial

On the eve of the launch of the new Windows XP operating system, The Justice Department and Microsoft have signed a deal -- which means the saga of the Microsoft antitrust trial is nearing an end. Half of the 18 states that filed a separate suit against the company (in addition to the federal suit) have endorsed the decision and are now negotiating a settlement with Microsoft in order to recoup legal fees. The remaining states have chosen to continue their court battle, and are seeking tougher penalties for the corporation.

While Microsoft seemed pleased with decision -- Bill Gates called it "fair and reasonable"-- others have criticized the deal as allowing Microsoft to continue acting as a monopoly in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and many prefer the results of an earlier decision, which called for the company to split into two entities: one based around the Windows operating system, the other focusing on software applications. That decision, however, was quickly appealed, and the case was handed to another judge, the 10th one in all.

Now, under the new deal, Microsoft will be forced to stick to one pricing schedule, and the company won't be allowed to charge more to manufacturers who use non-Microsoft products. Also, computer-makers will be allowed to remove features that come bundled with Windows, and Microsoft will be forced to reveal bits of their programming code so makers of non-Microsoft applications will have the ability to allow their programs to interact well with Windows.

Whether you know which side you're on or are still on the fence, the books below may shed some light on one the biggest trials of the recent history -- one that's sure to have many repercussions in years to come.

Pride Before the Fall
by John Heilemann
Based on a Wired magazine cover story, Pride Before The Fall provides engaging portraits of many of the key figures involved in the suit, from company insiders to the anti-Microsoft legions to justice officials to Bill Gates himself. Heilemann's trips inside the Microsoft "campus" are particularly revealing, illuminating the cult-like atmosphere behind the company's walls. Combining insight, narrative thrills, and tell-all juiciness, Pride Before The Fall is a work of ace reportage.

World War 3.0
by Ken Auletta
If you're looking for a more in-depth examination of the many legal, economic, and technological issues at stake in the battle over the future of Microsoft, then World War 3.0 is your best bet. Here, Auletta distills all the complexities of the story into lucid prose and concocts a true page-turner out of the courtroom drama. A writer for The New Yorker, Auletta has spent years on the Microsoft beat, and clearly knows the many ins and outs of the case. Highly compelling.

Breaking Windows
by David Bank
After being given access to the Microsoft internal email that surfaced in the beginning of the antitrust saga, Banks pieced together the behind-the-walls battle that waged at Microsoft in the 1990s, and continues to be fought regarding the future of the company. At times scathing, Breaking Windows is full of drama and intrigue, as the fate of the company hangs in the balance, careers are made and broken, and Bill Gates reigns at the center of it all.

Microserfs
by Douglas Coupland
Although it's not exactly about Microsoft per se, the characters in Microserfs do spend a good deal of time ruminating about what it would be like to be Bill Gates (who can't relate to that?), and the narrator is an ex-Microsoft programmer who comments extensively, and hilariously, on Microsoft's corporate culture. Aside from that, Coupland's effort is an original, thoroughly modern coming-of-age tale that's sure to strike a nerve with techies and computer-shunners alike.

Fire in the Valley
by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine
Chronicling the early days of misfit entrepreneurs tweaking electronic boxes inside their garages and describing the current era of mega-corporations, Fire In The Valley is the quintessential history of the rise of the personal computer and of the personalities behind it. The PC revolution started with a spirit of giddy experimentation, but that quickly gave way to business savvy and, eventually, out-for-blood greed -- and Freiberger and Swaine capture it all. If you're wondering how we've gotten from the Altair 8800 to Windows XP in hardly more than 25 years, then Fire in the Valley is certainly worth a peek.