Before people start cheering the bringing to book of software giant Microsoft in the shape of the decisive findings by a US federal judge that it engaged in anti-competitive behaviour against rivals, bear in mind that the appeals procedure is likely to drag the case out for years more.

Remember too that the prosecution numbers not only the US Department of Justice but also 19 states where political considerations mean the authorities need to find a settlement before other matters take precedence in the public mind.

For these reasons, and with the host of other legal actions pending against the company which are dependent on the ultimate outcome of the present case, one doesn't have to be a die-hard betting man to wager that a settlement will be found between the parties rather than either side dragging the process out to its conclusion, only to risk disappointment.

On a lighter note, isn't it refreshing to see that this brave new world of technology, where the old rules are no longer deemed to apply, is still all too human? The temptation to bully one's competitors out of the market is not, it seems, simply a child of old business. Some things never change.