Technology Advisory Board

Technology Experts Favor Microsoft Settlement

Dallas-Fort Worth – Technology professionals working in the computer industry (both software and hardware) approve of the settlement agreement reached by Microsoft and the U.S. Government, according to a national Internet survey conducted by Decision Analyst, Inc. among 5,700 technology professionals from its Technology Advisory Board™. Almost 56% of the respondents said they “approve of the settlement,” compared to 33% who said they “disapprove of the settlement,” as shown below:

Microsoft Settlement

Approve/Disapprove

These computer technology experts were shown a summary of the major terms of the agreement and then asked, “Do you approve of this settlement agreement, or do you disapprove of this settlement agreement?”

The settlement agreement's main terms are:

Microsoft must:

· Disclose the application protocol interface for future products to rivals so they can make products that are fully compatible with the Windows operating system.

· Give full access to the Windows source code to a government-appointed oversight team that would be installed at Microsoft's offices for five years.

Computer makers such as IBM, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard have the freedom to:

· Substitute non-Microsoft applications, including Web browsers, email software, media players and instant-messaging applications.

· Include a competing operating system that could be accessed as easily as Windows and could even launch before Windows in the boot sequence.

· Install icons or shortcuts for non-Microsoft software on the desktop or in the Start menu, even if Microsoft sells a competing product; future versions of Windows cannot automatically alter shortcuts or icons placed on the desktop by computer makers.

“What our survey reveals is that the individuals who are most knowledgeable about the computer and software industries are solidly in favor of the settlement agreement,” said Jerry W. Thomas, President/CEO of Decision Analyst, Inc., the firm that owns and manages the Technology Advisory Board™. “If these experts favor the agreement, perhaps the holdout states (not all individual states have agreed to the settlement proposal) should fall in line and support the agreement reached by

Microsoft and the U.S. Government, since technology professionals in all parts of the U.S. favor the settlement agreement.”

The graph below details the reasons why the technology professionals favored the Microsoft Agreement.

Reason For Approval of Microsoft Settlement

The graph below details the reasons why the technology professionals disapproved of the Microsoft Agreement.

Reason For Disapproval of Microsoft Settlement

The Technology Advisory Board™ is a panel of technology professionals who help shape the future by participating in scientific, technology-related surveys. The panel has over 40,000 members who come from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, India, and Australia.