this comment is hilarious:
How’s this for a suitable pnuishment? Microsoft should be required, by law, to ship only bug free products. Think about it — fixing all those bugs will require an enormous amount of work, and be very expensive; it’s a suitably tough penalty. Further, this action will benefit Microsoft customers (who have been shafted for years by being forced by monopoly considerations to buy defective products). Plus, can you imagine Microsoft’s appeal? What is Gates & company really going to say, “We demand the right to continue shipping defective products?” The specific details can be worked out (how much of a per bug fine will Microsoft have to pay, whether Microsoft can “sell” their current stock of existing products under a 100% revenue fine, etc). I sure wish I was a friend of the court right now. (Anyone from the Justice Department reading this?)