Nintendo caves. It was only a matter of time. It's a familiar picture played out on a different stage. Microsoft decides they want some market share. All of it. They build something and either give it away or sell it at a loss to get their feet in the door. Then They nail the door shut behind them. Video game boxes this time around. Nintendo held out for a long time now - their box is old and the manufacturing lines mature so they could still crank them out for a while at 1999 prices. But eventually the Xbox will win. Microsoft is sitting on that 40 billion in cash. They could send one to every mailbox in the US for free. And if they have to they will - it's not about the hardware. It's about controlling the software.

But now I'm puzzled. The way we usually react to corporate crooks is to demand that they be thrown in jail. That's also the remedy in the Netscape case. I don't care if they split the company or publish the source code. They're criminals. Lock 'em up. That's what the public is asking for the Enron and Andersen execs. Why should Gates and Balmer be treated any differently? They're thieves and thugs. Maybe it's because they tend to prey on other corporations and not directly on the public.