Microsoft_s rivals "delighted".

"Hallelujah!" Such was the reaction of Ransome Love, chief executive of Linux operating system seller Caldera Systems, after hearing of Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson_s finding that Microsoft misused monopoly power. "No one wants to see Microsoft go under--we all just want to see them play fair," Love said. Love_s response represents the thoughts of several companies who have found themselves at odds with Microsoft. For them, it indicates that there may come a time when they_ll have a clearer shot at nabbing Microsoft_s customers. "My basic reaction is I_m delighted by the findings," said Jim Barksdale, the former chief executive at Netscape and one of the central figures in the case. "I thought my team worked so hard at Netscape to overcome a lot of this. I_m glad the judge understands this and agrees with it. "I don_t think anybody knows what it is to be in the direct onslaught of Microsoft until they_ve been there," he added. Jackson_ findings cite the Linux operating system as well as BeOS from Be Incorporated as examples of just how hard it is to dislodge Microsoft from its position of dominance. "Several [software makers] have announced their development of (or plans to develop) Linux versions of their applications. To date, though, legions of [software makers] have not followed the lead of these first movers," Jackson said in the findings."Similarly, consumers have by and large shown little inclination to abandon Windows, with its reliable developer support, in favor of an operating system whose future in the PC realm is unclear." Microsoft didn_t back down from its position that Linux is a competitor, though, arguing that the government defined the competitive landscape too narrowly and therefore excluded Linux."The government has defined a very narrow market, one which we think doesn_t reflect the realities of the competition we face," said Bob Herbold, chief operating officer of Microsoft, in a news conference.