Microsoft Sued
<div class="IPBDescription">...by the EU</div> <a href='http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3550013.stm' target='_blank'>Linkywinky</a>
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Abusive monopolist</b>
The EU believes that it has a duty to offer some protection to smaller rivals - at least in its own yard - with the aim of promoting competition and the interests of the consumer.
It has already described Microsoft's actions as those of an "abusive monopolist".
Mario Monti believes Europe's consumers will thank him
More than nine out of 10 personal computers worldwide are thought to run on Microsoft's software.
After last ditch talks between the EU and Microsoft in Brussels failed last week, the Commission signalled its intention to press ahead with an anti-trust ruling against the firm.
As well as being handed fines in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars, it is widely expected that Microsoft will be forced to share proprietary details with rivals and provide a second, stripped-down version of Windows.
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Well this sure was random, yet a good thing if it somehow affects in the prices of them damned OS's of today. The whole thing was brought up by European Union which is rather rare since, well, it's an American company. So that means if they do drop prices, it'll only inflict in "Yrop" <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Abusive monopolist</b>
The EU believes that it has a duty to offer some protection to smaller rivals - at least in its own yard - with the aim of promoting competition and the interests of the consumer.
It has already described Microsoft's actions as those of an "abusive monopolist".
Mario Monti believes Europe's consumers will thank him
More than nine out of 10 personal computers worldwide are thought to run on Microsoft's software.
After last ditch talks between the EU and Microsoft in Brussels failed last week, the Commission signalled its intention to press ahead with an anti-trust ruling against the firm.
As well as being handed fines in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars, it is widely expected that Microsoft will be forced to share proprietary details with rivals and provide a second, stripped-down version of Windows.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well this sure was random, yet a good thing if it somehow affects in the prices of them damned OS's of today. The whole thing was brought up by European Union which is rather rare since, well, it's an American company. So that means if they do drop prices, it'll only inflict in "Yrop" <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Comments
"YOU HAVE MONEY AND WE WANT A CUT!"
Typhical socialist logic.
Since when did they ever start cracking down on other "abusive monopolists"?
For example :
"Why should we devote our time to running applications designed for that lesser Windows system?"
Because you're the minority. If you want to increase in popularity, you need to draw the masses from what they're on already. This is achieved through ease of use.
Second, MS got their stranglehold through the much vaunted capitalist methods, so throwing around socialist accusations doesn't exactly hold true. If anything can break that stranglehold, it should be the development of user to convert & use alternatives.
The EU is currently being headed by conservative parties and politicians.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Since when did they ever start cracking down on other "abusive monopolists"?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
T-Online and the German railroad company are the two first examples that pop up to me, mostly because I sent prayers up for both of them to be prosecuted. I'm sure non-German Europeans will be able to supply further names.
The company would be a Monopoly sure, but they would be rich enough to branch off into other fields, maybe spend some of the trillians they would make on finding ways to create better things for the consumers!
Its time that Microsoft had an army of uber soldats to take on these ppl who would wrong them!
<!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif' /><!--endemo--> .............................................. EU
<!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif' /><!--endemo-->
It's not so much putting them in second place - if it was just them being the leader that was the problem, you'd have the same problems if anyone else took over the top spot. It's just the extent of how <i>far</i> they are ahead. All we really need is for other options (Apple, Linux, etc.) to be able to stand up with a reasonable amount of force. As long as the gap closes, Microsoft being on top isn't a problem - other options mean increased competition, which means things like lower prices and possibly an actual emphasis on being better than the competition. If Microsoft remained on top in a more competitive system, things would still be better than they are now, most likely, and if another company managed to somehow climb their way over Microsoft, it's likely we'd just benefit even more.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> maybe spend some of the trillians they would make<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Damn... my IM client is a form of <i>currency</i>?? /me checks current exchange rates. <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Damn... my IM client is a form of <i>currency</i>?? /me checks current exchange rates. <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
You pendantic git KFS, you knew he meant trillions. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
"YOU HAVE MONEY AND WE WANT A CUT!"
Typhical socialist logic.
Since when did they ever start cracking down on other "abusive monopolists"? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
In other words
"YOU HAVE MADE A GOOD DESCISION AND I WANT TO CAUSES CHAOS!"
Typ<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>h</span>ical facist neo nazi logic.
Since when did they like competition?
"YOU HAVE MONEY AND WE WANT A CUT!"
Typhical socialist logic.
Since when did they ever start cracking down on other "abusive monopolists"? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They always have done <span style='color:white'>Be nice.</span>. Why do you think the EU has no mega corps based here like Microsoft or ENRON? Because our legislation will not permit a company to activly obliterate the competition and set up a monopoly. The only real monoplies in the EU are the Banks but thats because they have been trading for hundreds of years. This isn't surprising but what is surprising is the time it took for this to happen.
Let me ask a question here: Where does an 800 Pound Gorilla sleep?
.
.
.
Wherever he wants to. He's an 800 Pound Gorilla.
.
.
.
Microsoft is the 800 Pound Gorilla. Leave him alone.
I think the real issue here is no one makes an OS like Microsoft other than good 'ole Linus Torvalds (sp?) and sadly Linux has shitey application and game support, compared to Windows anyway.
~ DarkATi
~ DarkATi <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Plus I don't see how an OS would ever become used more then in a handful of computers when the consumers would have to know which of the 8 billion distros to use. That alone is the number 1 reason Linux will never work. Windows is bundled up, nice and easy, 100% ready to use. Linux is not.
Plus I don't see how an OS would ever become used more then in a handful of computers when the consumers would have to know which of the 8 billion distros to use. That alone is the number 1 reason Linux will never work. Windows is bundled up, nice and easy, 100% ready to use. Linux is not.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Oh boy. Oh boy. You never tried any of the great distros out there, haven't you? Mandrake is what I'm using, and guess what? It sure looks great. And about your complaint about the "8 billion distros"---that's a self-solving problem; consumers only hear about the well-polished ones, since Aunt Tillie sure ain't gonna dig around for the custom ones. So consumers will be going for the likes of Mandrake and Redhat, maybe Debian. And Gentoo if you're a zealot.
<!--QuoteBegin-DarkATi+Mar 25 2004, 02:10 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DarkATi @ Mar 25 2004, 02:10 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I think the real issue here is no one makes an OS like Microsoft other than good 'ole Linus Torvalds (sp?) and sadly Linux has shitey application and game support, compared to Windows anyway.
~ DarkATi <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'll admit that. I use linux for day-to-day, but for gaming I *have* to use Windows. (don't get me started on Steam on WINE)
And now more on-topic. You hear about the $600+ dollar fine....what you don't realize is that is a BAD thing. By paying off the fine, Microsoft will have won implicit permission to charge royalties for their API's---which means that now they can now lock out open-source projects that depend on interoperability with Windows like the SAMBA "network neighborhood" stuff. And $600+ milion dollars is chump change when they have approx. $49 billion cash on hand (last time I checked)
Naw...I got linux distros that run right off the CD, including office apps. If Windows is 100% ready to use, the distro I have here must be hitting 500%!
I'm all for putting a dent in MS, but revealing software secret codes is such a low blow, imagine Coca-Cola having to give out their recipes or Frank Lloyd Wright handing out all his blueprints in the name of "healthy competition".
It seems that the EU has underestimated the power of the "delete" button for Windows Media Player and the "install" button for Real Player.
Something needs to be done to lower MS's abominable software prices. This is not the solution.
"Thou shall not covet; but tradition,
always favors competition."
-Arthur H. Clough
I mean, come on, EU is acting like a bunch of little kids. It's like telling the Williams sisters to stop weight traning and to start getting out of shape because they are too good at tennis.
Knoppix, eh?
<!--QuoteBegin-Xyth+ Mar 25 2004, 04:24 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Xyth @ Mar 25 2004, 04:24 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I mean, come on, EU is acting like a bunch of little kids. It's like telling the Williams sisters to stop weight traning and to start getting out of shape because they are too good at tennis.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's not just that. Microsoft has been known for unethical business monopoly behavior, etc. And I ain't just ranting; here's a link to a slashdot TODAY and the article it links
to:
<a href='http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/03/25/0429224&mode=thread&tid=109&tid=187' target='_blank'>slashdot article</a>
<a href='http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/24/technology/24soft.html' target='_blank'>NY Times article</a>
Basically, internal letters and other evidence are surfacing in a lawsuit showing that Microsoft violated secrecy agreements, gained unauthorized access to technical documents, and pressured other companies (namely, Intel) to take down a competing OS. Microsoft's behavior is beyond unsavory, it's gone blatantly illegal.
"YOU HAVE MONEY AND WE WANT A CUT!"
Typhical socialist logic.
Since when did they ever start cracking down on other "abusive monopolists"? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
/agree