When I interviewed IBM's software chief Steve Mills in February, he said something that has stuck in my head, and I couldn't figure out why. Now I understand: Mills was throwing down a gauntlet that could ultimately wrest control of Java from Sun. In response to a question about Microsoft's monopoly, Mills defined the "Windows franchise" as consisting of Windows and Microsoft Office. This franchise, he said, wasn't going to repeat itself. The tone in his voice when he said that was not just one of pragmatism. I had the distinct feeling that it was of also one of commitment and personal conviction.

Besides the Windows franchise, there are a lot of things that IBM would rather not have repeat themselves. Not buying MS-DOS when it had the chance. Allowing the cloning of PCs. The 32-bit OS debacle (when then-OS/2 partner Bill Gates basically gave IBM its walking papers). Once Microsoft's NT dispatched OS/2 as a viable option, IBM was cast adrift in the fast-growing software segment of Intel-based operating systems. Adding insult to injury, the "Wintel" platform became so heavily commoditized that it was now too easy for enterprise hardware competitors like Dell and the now possibly merging Hewlett-Packard and Compaq to carve out their own slices.