Microsoft Ruling

Re “Judge Orders Microsoft Broken Into 2 Companies,” June 8: I find it ironic that, for years, the government has issued patents and copyrights to Microsoft--and no doubt continues to do so--and now it wants to take all of those protections away in one ludicrous ruling. If the ruling stands, then anyone who has ever been issued a patent or copyright is subject to the whims of the government taking those protections away.

My suggestion to Bill Gates is to pull a “John Galt” (the hero of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”). Just shut down Microsoft for two weeks--support, product sales, the Web sites, everything. Let’s see how long the world can exist without it. Certainly the government cannot prevent Gates from doing this. And Gates certainly has the money to pay everyone not to do anything or to take a vacation for the time. I think it would be rather fun to watch.

RICHARD AUDD

Shadow Hills

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Your article speaks of the “stringent punishments” imposed on Microsoft by the court’s decision. Actually the proposed breakup is not a punishment but rather a remedy by which Microsoft’s operations can become compliant with the laws of the land (and with the tenets of capitalism as defined by Adam Smith). During the time that Microsoft was operating illegally it accumulated enormous wealth using those illegal means. If a convicted thief were told to go forth and stop stealing, that would hardly be called a stringent punishment. So where’s the real penalty in this case? Why isn’t Microsoft being made to pay damages?

GEORGE FRANCO

Pacific Palisades

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Build a better Microsoft (mousetrap) and the U.S. Justice Department will elbow you at the door.

JESSIE G. DeMASSA

Huntington Beach

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Ancient mythology was a metaphor for the human experience. In Greek mythology, the worst sin was hubris, which was always punished by the gods. It seems that Bill Gates may realize that little changes over the ages.

PAUL G. JOHNSON

Long Beach

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At last, a judge who does windows.

GORDON MASON

Los Angeles

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Re Michael Ramirez’s June 8 cartoon: While much is wrong with public education in the U.S., California and Los Angeles in particular, the equation of a social service with the monopolistic behavior of profit-maximizing Microsoft is the kind of vicious and preposterous analogy that makes solving problems impossible. Public school teachers are not there for profit; Microsoft employees are. To equate their motivations or those of management is the kind of misrepresentation which will guarantee further declines in education before someone wakes up to recognize that education is not just personal, but a social product which supports the basic degree of social and civilized behavior on which all of us ultimately depend for our lives and livelihoods.

Microsoft only cares about its employees; public schools are responsible for all of our children.

DAVID STEIN

South Pasadena