Judge Wants to View a Modular Windows

WASHINGTON —  The federal judge overseeing the Microsoft Corp. antitrust case said Tuesday that she wants to see a version of the Windows operating system that has removable features.

Over the objections of Microsoft, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said she would allow nine states seeking stiff sanctions against the company to have a computer expert demonstrate a version of Windows he has developed that can be customized.

Kollar-Kotelly scheduled the presentation for May 15.

A modular version of Windows is a key demand of the nine states, which have rejected a proposed settlement of the 4-year-old case as too weak.

The states say a modular version of Windows would level the playing field for non-Microsoft software trying to compete with Microsoft’s continued practice of attaching features to the operating system such as its Web browser and multimedia player.

But the software giant says it would be technically impossible to offer multiple versions of Windows and would create havoc for consumers and the computer industry.

The non-settling states told the judge that Virginia-based computer testing consultant James Bach had built his modular version of Windows using Microsoft’s own technology.

Bach, who has worked as a contractor for Microsoft, created the new version using Windows XP Embedded, a commercial version of Windows designed for specialty devices such as cash registers and automated teller machines.

Bach will testify that his modular version of Windows is “robust and reliable,” Kollar-Kotelly said, citing the states’ submission.

The states named Bach as one of two witnesses they want to call at the end of the case to rebut some of Microsoft’s arguments.

Microsoft attorneys strongly objected, saying the states should have brought Bach into the trial earlier when they were presenting their initial case.