Where will Microsoft go now?

Legal opinions usually make for tedious reading. Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's decision in the Microsoft antitrust case is anything but. Judge Jackson concluded last week that Microsoft had put an "oppressive thumb on the scale of competitive fortune." The company used its overwhelming position in the market -- 90 percent of personal computers worldwide use its operating system -- to quash competition in the Internet Web browser market. Now the legal fight turns to remedies, which include the breakup of the company, and appeals.

The tone of the ruling was foreshadowed by Judge Jackson's findings of fact, which were released in November. But the sweep of the government victory -- Judge Jackson agreed with 23 of its 26 allegations -- and the language of the decision surpassed most expectations. In the ruling, Microsoft was branded "predacious" and accused of using "incentives and threats," "technological shackles" and "subterfuge" to "mount a deliberate assault" on efforts to bring competition to the market.