Microsoft Corp is getting some very unwelcome publicity about its bullying of people that have been using Windows NT Workstation as the basis of a Web site, writing into the software license that users are forbidden to accept more than 10 concurrent accesses to such a server. Reason for the restriction is of course that Windows NT Server 4 .0 costs about $1,130, NT Workstation costs only $320. The best excuse Microsoft can come up with for the artificial restriction is that it doesn’t want customers to surpass the product’s technical capabilities, which could cause breakdowns that would hurt Microsoft’s image. Yesterday Netscape Communications Corp announced that it has received an intemperate letter from Microsoft’s legal department over its advertising purporting to show that NT with Navigator is cheaper than NT with Explorer by comparing the price of Navigator plus NT Workstation with Microsoft’s bundle of Explorer with NT Server. Netscape has already caused irreparable harm to Microsoft, and further publication of deceptive information will only compound the damage, writes Robert Gomulkiewicz, a Microsoft senior attorney, in the July 30 letter to Netscape. Gary Reback, Silicon Valley lawyer and Microsoft antagonist, representing Netscape, revealed the letter and discloses that he wrote back saying Netscape had no plans to change its marketing materials, and criticized Microsoft for first trying to cripple Windows NT Workstation with a barrier to prevent more than 10 concurrent dial-ins, and then using licensing restrictions to impose the same restrictions. The letter gives Netscape until August 15 to cease and desist but does not say what its or else is; it told the Journal the letter was mainly intended to start a dialogue with Netscape. Netscape also sent a copy of Reback’s letter to the Justice Department.
