The U.S. Department of Justice has responded to Microsoft's claims that it knew about Windows/Internet integration years ago. The filing, made with the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. this week, quotes a number of internal Microsoft memos saying that Internet Explorer is not integrated with Windows 95. The DOJ also quotes a number of Microsoft documents where the company stated that it had no plans to integrate Internet Explorer with Windows 95.
On December 20, 1996, Microsoft Senior Vice President Jim Allchin and VP of the platform and applications group at Microsoft, exchanged email messages stating that, in order for the company to beat Netscape, it should leverage Windows and "think first about an integrated solution." According to the DOJ, this is a "forward-thinking statement" and it was clearly made after Microsoft signed the consent decree.
In the same email, Allchin declared that Microsoft would never beat Netscape by copying its features and packaging scheme. He suggested that Microsoft "leverage the Windows market share."
When Microsoft licensed Mosaic Web browser technology from Spyglass in early 1995, the companies announced only that "browsing technologies" would be used across a wide range of products. When the DOJ questioned Microsoft about the purchase then, Microsoft said that a Web browser would not be included in Windows 95. ""At the present time there are no plans to include Mosaic in the Windows 95 box that will be available in Aug. 1995," the response read
