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Okay, I know a lot about what went on but am really sketchy about how it ended.

I know the guys over here at SD.net almost always know more than me about these things, so I was wondering if someone could clarify it before I misinform someone somewhere.

And yes, I tried Google first.

Okay, so Microsoft was in the courts, right? This resulted,
http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f3800/msjudgex.htm

And the DoJ ordered them split up.

What happened to prevent that?

I've found two or three sites claiming it was George Bush...

"In a dramatic shift, the Bush administration on Thursday abandoned the Clinton-era effort to break up Microsoft." "Microsoft is a top contributor to the Republican Party, and company executives have been frequent guests at the White House."

http://www.fred.net/tds/bushfail2004.html
http://www.thebatt.com/media/paper657/n ... 2862.shtml



I've seen other sites claiming that another DoJ was appointed that let Microsoft off the hook.

What actually happened?

...anyone?

My memory is vague, but I believe that MS appealed the court decision and won, and the case was retried. A new court decision was then handed down which basically gave MS a much more minor penalty. A wikipedia article is easily accessable that elaborates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_anti-trust_case

PS: If google fails, wikipedia should be your usual 2nd option for finding information.

I thought MS appealed and the whole thing is still hung up in The System (they BSOD'd the legal system!). Or maybe that was some other thing. Microsoft has seen lots of court rooms.

EDIT: Or what HyperionX said.

As I understand it for the US antritrust case microsoft appealed and was given a fine(most people would see it as a huge find, but it wasn't huge to microsoft). The guilty verdict wasn't overturned though.

Im not really sure about whats happening with the anti-trust case in Europe though

As I understand it for the US antritrust case microsoft appealed and was given a fine(most people would see it as a huge find, but it wasn't huge to microsoft).

The fine was only part of the punishment. Being found guilty meant they had to REALLY watch their step. If they had been found not guilty, that would have been de facto permission to do even MORE to control the marketplace.