Books: Why Microsoft Crashed

Heilemann also pounded his share of pavement. The payoff is a compelling account of what he calls the "secret history" of the trial, including the clandestine maneuvering of Sun Microsystems, Netscape and other Microsoft enemies, to persuade the Justice Department to bring a lawsuit it didn't want to pursue. In the end, Heilemann draws on the Bible--as his title suggests--rather than Jesuitism to reach much the same conclusion as Auletta's: Gates' arrogance led him to run Microsoft, and the trial, like an "aspiring god."

Of course, World War 3.0 still rages. Judge Jackson's sweeping ruling is now on appeal. And President-elect Bush has not yet revealed how committed he is to this Clinton-era case. At this point, only one thing is certain: both authors will have a lot of revisions to do before the paperbacks come out.