Arnie.d said:
Well, this is capitalism, the big company creating a product people have to keep buying. Microsoft has a monopoly position and it is using it. This is how the rich get filthy rich, by playing it dirty.

Capitalism simply means that the means of production and wealth in society are controlled and owned by private individuals. Nowhere does it require anyone playing dirty. In fact, it would be impossible to have any kind of "market" under capitalism without at least some kind of honesty and fairness.

That said, I don't think that what Microsoft does is terribly dirty or anything, I just think there might be a better way for the government to define what is protected under patents. (And even that assumes that the main reason for a lack of any competing OS is due to our patent system [which seems correct to me but I'm no expert].)