Will my new palmtop computer be tainted by monopolistic evil?(BUSINESS)(Sand & Silicon)

Byline: Dwayne Fatherree

I'm torn this week.

On the one hand, the latest twists in the Microsoft tale make me feel like smirking and yelling "I told you so."

Bill Gates and company -- after getting a shot at another judge to keep the software giant in one piece -- offer a carrot to show what a nice bunch of corporate citizens they are.

Letting resellers alter the Windows desktop to include competing products -- or eliminate core Microsoft icons -- shows the company can be flexible, that it isn't really trying to take over the entire computer industry. The gesture, a large one to be sure, may go a long way toward keeping Microsoft intact for …