PC manufacturers have been learning about Microsoft's conditions if they choose to place an icon for a rival software offering on the desktop. One company's idea of flexibility can be another company's notion of contortion. A month ago, Microsoft announced that it would give personal computer makers greater freedom to place the software and services of Microsoft's rivals on the desktop screen of the new Microsoft Windows XP operating system. The move, to be sure, came only after a federal appeals court ruled that Microsoft was a monopolist whose past contracts with PC makers illegally stifled competition. But the big software maker characterized its action as a significant, even generous, step. The new software is scheduled to go on sale in October.
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