Even Microsoft Corp., at times, can play the role of David to someone else's Goliath. With 9 million subscribers to its MSN Internet service, Microsoft places a distant second to America Online and its 35 million subscribers worldwide. It is battling a company that, for many, is almost synonymous with the Internet, from its ubiquitous distribution of free trial compact discs to popularizing the phrase "You've got mail." Still, Microsoft's got a pretty big slingshot. And the Redmond software giant is loading it with its biggest stone yet -- MSN 8. The new redesign of its browsing and Internet access service will launch nine days after America Online rolls out AOL 8.0 on Tuesday, as the two industry powerhouses ratchet up a big-bucks battle to attract new customers -- or steal them away from competitors.
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