Microsoft Corp has woken up to the fact that from an anti-trust point of view, its position would be severely weakened if Apple Computer Inc went away, and the company has decided to do what it can to ensure that that danger is averted. The Wall Street Journal revealed yesterday that it last year formed a new unit whose role is to help and encourage small software companies write Internet-related software for the Macintosh. The unit sponsored a stand at last week’s MacWorld trade show, and told Mac software houses that it is ready to help them in numerous ways, possibly including no-strings-attached cash grants of as much as $100,000. The unit, in San Jose, is expected eventually to have 60 employees, most of them long-time developers of software for Mac OS. It has also helped start the Macintosh Internet Developers Association trade group. It will be regarded as having failed if the Mac stays below 8% to 11% market share. Traditionally, Microsoft has required independent developers working with the company to write software for Windows as well as for Mac OS or other systems – but without software that is available only on the Mac, the latter becomes more and more superfluous. The initiative is two-edged in that it also does Microsoft no harm in its fierce battle with Netscape Communications Corp
