Following Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson’s harsh anti-Microsoft ruling, IT managers said today they’re fearful that the quality of Microsoft’s products will be hurt if the government dictates what functionality can be included in the Windows operating system.

“God help us if the courts tell us what you can and can’t do technologically. You don’t want software designed by the U.S. court system,” said Tom Loane, CIO of GE Capital Transport International Pool. GE-TIP has about 4,000 users with about 95 Windows NT servers and 13 high-end Unix servers.

Jackson ruled that Microsoft encouraged PC vendors and Internet service providers to stifle competitor Netscape Communications, and punished companies that promoted that company’s Navigator browser. Microsoft also worked to minimize portability of Java between Windows and other platforms, Jackson said. And he also found Microsoft in violation of antitrust law in its practice of “tying” the Internet Explorer browser to Windows.