There is hope. Ten years (or so) ago when Adobe bought Aldus Corp., they weren't allowed to aquire FreeHand. It was subsequently sold to Macromedia.

The same antitrust issues are at play here. The question is if the Bush Administration's FTC sees competitiveness as a worthy goal for regulating aquisitions. Given their lassaiz-faire attitudes towards corporate behavior (except when it embarrasses them), there is reason for pessimism. On the other hand, it seems like they wouldn't be doing their jobs, I think, if they didn't consider history in this case.