Silicon valley cheers ruling

PALO ALTO: Entrepreneurs, start-ups and high-technology veterans in Silicon valley cheered a Federal judge8217;s ruling yesterday that software juggernaut Microsoft Corp wields monopoly power and used it to cripple competing firms.

quot;It8217;s a big day for the whole industry,quot; said James Barksdale, the former chief executive of Netscape Communications Corp, the pioneer of the web browser and one of Microsoft8217;s biggest internet rivals that was later bought by America Online Inc. Now that the US justice department and the 19 states that brought the epic antitrust case against the world8217;s most valuable company have won the first round in a long legal battle, employees of Silicon valley stalwarts such as Oracle Corp, Sun Microsystems Inc and companies throughout the United States not only feel vindicated, they8217;re elated.