An anonymous poster on usenet:sci.crypt defends Microsoft's Palladium. He refuses to say whether he works for Microsoft or not, but wants to sell Palladium and TCPA as open and non-restrictive platforms, based on public documents.

"AARG! Anonymous" wrote "In fact, TCPA and Palladium have tremendous potential for enhancing and protecting privacy, if people will just look at them with an open mind."

I thought that the Intel serial number plan had potential for useful applications, until I saw Intel docs describing the serial number as a crucial part of secret Intel scheme to track everyone on the internet.

Forget the anti-Microsoft conspiracy theories. Let's just look at what Msft itself says in conjunction with Palladium:

Microsoft's contends that computer software should be subscribed to as a Web-based service rather than purchased as a product they own and use, as most is today. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/25/technology/25NET.html

Microsoft also warned today that the era of "open computing," the free exchange of digital information that has defined the personal computer industry, is ending. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/25/technology/25NET.html

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that "Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches" http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/19396.html

It seems clear to me that Msft is pursuing all 3 of these major goals with Palladium, and that your examples are farfetched and insignificant. As long as Msft is calling the shots and keeping the details secret, we can only assume that Msft will do everything in its power to use Palladium to promote its business interests, including the above 3 items. And based on the Msft antitrust trial, we should also assume that Msft will use secret and illegal contracts to use Palladium to extend its Windows monopoly to other markets.