After a trial that lasted nearly 20 months, Penfield ruled that Microsoft will be split into two companies, unless an appeals court grants a ``stay,'' or reprieve, until the case goes to an appeals court.

If the judgement stands, one part of Microsoft will be split off to manufacture operating systems, while the other will focus on applications.

But will a split-up of the software giant really benefit consumers? While Microsoft founder Bill Gates has vowed to fight the ruling, a break-up of Microsoft could actually benefit the company, the company's shareholders, and especially the consumers in the long run, say some.

Computer expert Peter Knaack with the German consumer protection agency Stiftung Warentest in Berlin thinks the court's decision is ``absolutely consumer friendly.''

By encouraging competition, the decision will lead to better products. Knaack also expects that the source code or at least essential components of the operating system Windows will be made public.

And he also believes that many programmers may be amused when they see some of the ``inefficient'' work done by Microsoft.

One of the court's demands is that the two Microsoft companies may not exchange information about programming and communication interfaces of software only among themselves. Such information will also be made available to third-party software and hardware manufacturers, which would mark a change in Microsoft's current policy.

``In the past, only Microsoft's programmers knew all the interfaces,'' says Juergen Kuri with the computer magazine C'T. That allowed Microsoft to optimise its application software for its own operating systems. Other developers, on the other hand, typically were not able to prepare their software for the Windows operating system as appropriately.

Many indicators suggest that the Windows operating system would lose some of its dominance if Microsoft were split up. Even the Microsoft branch producing application software, says Kuri, could market its products for other platforms besides Windows. At the same time, an improved Windows operating system could create new followers, especially in the face of the growing popularity of rivals such as Linux or Beos.

Kuri points out that the new choices would put more responsibility in the hands of consumers. If, for example, Windows no longer included a web browser, consumers must seek out an appropriate browser.

-- (DPA)