Jackson's unprecedented and welcome decision to issue his findings of fact before the final verdict may shorten the trial and avoid the unnecessary expenditure of taxpayer dollars on a lengthy appeals process. Because both parties in the case know where they stand before the verdict has been issued, they are able to make an informed decision about whether and on what terms to settle the case.
If the parties can settle, they will not only avoid the costly and arduous process of appeals but may also avert the possibility of a new, and possibly ideologically different, administration assuming control of the government's side of the case should it continue past the 2000 presidential election. Microsoft's political lobbying efforts have intensified over the past year, and it would be disappointing to see the judicial process interrupted by politics.
Monopoly power isn't good for the American people, and Jackson's findings are a welcome step to eliminating the Microsoft monopoly.