He said that the functionality of Windows has increased substantially over time. Many years ago, DOS 2.1, containing 3,000 lines of code, cost $150. Today, Windows 98 contains about 20 million lines of code and costs about $70.
"The consumer has benefited from all this," he said.
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He denied that consumer choice has been stifled, noting that he had no difficulty downloading and using Netscape Navigator, an alternate Web browser.
Audience members asked questions after Zittrain and Scherer presented their arguments.
The discussion was a part of the Institute of Politics' "Current Events 101" series, coordinated by M Beth Kytle '02.