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Palm close to gaining VSIP access from MS

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CIOL Bureau
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WASHINGTON: Microsoft Corp. was close to sharing a key programming tool after

learning that Palm Inc. was participating in the antitrust case against the

software giant, an executive from the No. 1 handheld computer maker told federal

court on Thursday.

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Palm executive Michael Mace told US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly the

software giant had refused Palm access to the software development tool called

Visual Studio Integration Program (VSIP) and had set one-sided conditions for

allowing Palm handhelds to work with Microsoft's .NET Internet software.

Mace was the ninth witness called by nine states seeking stiffer sanctions

against Microsoft for findings it illegally maintained its Windows monopoly in

personal computer operating systems. "We are pleased that Palm may now be

offered access to VSIP, but the process by which we go there was very

disturbing," Mace said in written testimony.

Mace, chief competitive officer of Palm's software subsidiary, said Microsoft

had refused to allow Palm into the VSIP, short for Visual Studio Integration

Program, even though it was supposed to be open to the whole computer industry.

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The nine states have rejected a proposed settlement reached between Microsoft

and the US Justice Department and want broad remedies that would also protect

technologies that have emerged since the case was launched nearly four years

ago.

Microsoft argues the sanctions cannot go beyond specific wrongdoing upheld by

a federal appeals court last year, mainly that Microsoft tried to crush

Netscape's Internet browser to preserve its Windows monopoly. Mace said

Microsoft had tried to barter Palm's entry into VSIP in exchange for Palm

deploying Microsoft's .NET technologies, a suite of Web-based services.

VSIP allows software developers who write their programs for Windows to

convert easily their programs to run on Palm's operating system. Palm had tried

to gain entry to the VSIP program for two years and was only now in the final

details of a deal.

"Microsoft sent us the contract only after we had documented clearly

that there was no resource barrier within the Visual Studio team itself, that

Microsoft had been using VSIP entry to get leverage over us in the .NET

negotiations and after it was becoming clear that Palm was participating in the

current court proceedings," Mace said.

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