"Vista Capable" lawsuit loses class action status, relevance

We've gotten some rough chuckles over the internal Microsoft documents produced in the "Vista Capable" lawsuit -- remember when we learned the MS lowered the system requirements for Intel, resulting in management infighting? Such good times! -- but it looks like it's all over: Judge Marsha Pechman stripped the case of its class-action status yesterday, which basically takes the teeth out of it. Microsoft managed to convince the judge that people's confusion over the meaning of the Vista Capable stickers didn't "predominate over individual considerations," which is pretty remarkable, considering that even a VP of Windows product development was "personally burnt" by a bad purchase influenced by the program. Consumers who feel similarly duped can still sue individually and the case goes on, but we're guessing this means a quick settlement is coming and we're never to hear about this again. Everyone involved learned a valuable lesson, though, right?

[Via CNET]