In December 1998, America Online (AOL) announced it was to acquire Netscape Communications, and to form an alliance with Sun Microsystems. The state of South Carolina subsequently dropped its anti-trust suit against Microsoft, stating that ‘the forces of competition are working'. Bill Gates remarked on hearing news of the merger, ‘It's hard to believe that the Government can still press their case with a straight face. Three of the biggest competitors are banking together and yet the Government is still trying to slow us down.' Should the AOL-Netscape merger alter attitudes towards the recent business practices of Microsoft?