Microsoft fined $613million by EU Court

[gertsy]

Does it really matter? Install Windows, download favorite browser, set browser to default :p

That's way too complicated...Microsoft should include all popular browsers in their Windows updates. This is anti-competitive behaviour.

[Lurch]

LOL Prefer IE10 Windows 8 app version at the moment. :-)

Now if I can get a good classic 68k browser :-)

[asymetrix]

The core browser technology is embeded in windows, even in explorer. you may find a way to uninstall IE but its core web technology cannot be removed.

explorer itself has FTP, desktop connects to the internet for live site this core web tech is what IE also uses and all windows web technology uses.

If IE can be uninstalled it meant - great they allowed the decoupling from the core web technology.

The reason why Windows is bloated - because a 1000 different people want and need 1000 different things in an OS.

Multi user, parallel IEs, multiple versions IE, embedded IE, automated apps, automated install, automated silent install on 1000 systems, automated updates included, lite version installed, virtual OS, multiple VOS etc.

People are never happy they always want something different and you cannot please all.

Bill G quote 'it doesn't matter if their technology is better, if they dont know how to sell it'

[gertsy]

The core browser technology is embeded in windows, even in explorer. you may find a way to uninstall IE but its core web technology cannot be removed.

explorer itself has FTP, desktop connects to the internet for live site this core web tech is what IE also uses and all windows web technology uses.

If IE can be uninstalled it meant - great they allowed the decoupling from the core web technology.

The reason why Windows is bloated - because a 1000 different people want and need 1000 different things in an OS.

Multi user, parallel IEs, multiple versions IE, embedded IE, automated apps, automated install, automated silent install on 1000 systems, automated updates included, lite version installed, virtual OS, multiple VOS etc.

People are never happy they always want something different and you cannot please all.

Bill G quote 'it doesn't matter if their technology is better, if they dont know how to sell it'

Yeah, little bit of urban myth going down there that stems all the way back to Windows 98 when IE WAS integrated with the Desktop, not the OS, the desktop.
Since then maybe people have confused iexplorer.exe with explorer.exe. 2 different programs doing 2 different things.  The core browser technology is simply a 64 bit executable not some nefarious operating system imbedded mystery. Sure with shared DLLs but that makes perfect sense.

Not sure what you're saying about the FTP thing.  Again I think iexplorer is being confused with explorer.
 
As to bloatware yes agree 100% on that one.  But that's the reality of todays OSs. And yes agree it's a case of trying to be everything for everybody all of the time. If only it was 1000 people.
Windows 8 requires 11 GB to install, Mac Lion around 6GB, Redhat 5GB. Ubuntu 3GB. Workbench 1.3, well a 4Mb System Partition is heaps. So there's no contest there.

[Reiknir]

Didn't anyone commenting on this actually read upon anything relating to the fine before they started commenting? :huh:

Microsoft is not being fined for anti-competitive behavior, they are being fined for breaking an agreement they made with the EU that Microsoft themselves proposed so they would no longer be under the scrutiny of the EU.

or in other words

1) After complaints from companies in the early 00's the EU starts looking into anti-competitive behavior on Microsoft's part. Note that eh EU ACU cannot start an investigation unless it receives a complaint, it is not a political unit but a legal one.

2) Rather than facing a longer process and possible fines Microsoft makes an offer to the EU that they will set up a browser ballot in their operating systems shipped in Europe and by doing that they escape any potential actions from the EU anti-competition authorities.

3) For 14 months the company breached the contract.

4) The EU commission fines the company for a breach of contract, this is not a political move, they have to, by law.

5) Lots of whiners on some bulletin board moan about people in other countries actually fining good ol American companies, stupid foreigners do not understand technology, etc.

I presume when companies breach other contracts such as the ones they make with you, you are all fine with that ?
 How about drug dealers not living up to plea bargains, that OK too?

[haywirepc]

Microsoft has claimed in the past that its browser is integrated into windows for technical reasons and can not be separated. Every other OS in the world can apparently separate their os from the browser but them. Its bull****.

They should be fined. They should be shut down for their constant attempts to stop anyone else from competing with them. They truly are the "evil software empire" that richard stallman and others warned against, making software that controls the user rather than the user controlling the software.

[Amiga_Nut]

I personally hope they win the appeal. they are just a easy target to jealous companies who could only wish to make as much cash as m$ do.

Are you mentally challenged?

[Amiga_Nut]

They should be fined. They should be shut down

Only people who are ignorant to every dirty trick they got away with since the 80s would disagree. Even the Xbox 360 CPU is a real pi$$take. Incompetent corrupt American courts should have broken their back but those tax dollars were too valuable to the deficit.

Like Al Capone going down for tax evasion the reason doesn't matter. They stifled progress and shouldn't have OS or console market built on suspect activities to make massive profits, end of discussion. My god a 1980 VIC-20 had a more advanced screen editor than MS DOS and double the filename length.

Vista and Windows 8 should have destroyed them if the US had done their duty in the 90s.

Microsoft supporter=mentally disabled.

[haywirepc]

Microsoft supporter=mentally disabled

Absolutely, they shut down drdos, Desqview, os2, beos and all other competition.

Whats worse than their lack of ethics is their apparently horrible products.

Its one thing if a company makes money because they make great products, but when they make money because they cram inferior products down the throats of consumers and businesses, while stifling competition from people that make far superior products? Thats just wrong, and should be illegal.

[Linde]

I don't see the issue with including a suite of software with an operating system. After all, that's pretty much what an operating system is. OSX does it, the mainstream Linux distributions do it, the major Aros distributions do it, MorphOS does it... Don't like it? Don't buy it. There are free alternatives.

If anything, Microsoft and the computer manufacturers they deal with should be sued for the ****ty OEM contracts they all agree to, and for even suggesting the idea of "secure boot". You should worry about that, not petty browser wars or god damn RealPlayer.

[Linde]

Even the Xbox 360 CPU is a real pi$$take. Incompetent corrupt American courts should have broken their back but those tax dollars were too valuable to the deficit.

Not sure why you think courts should be spending tax money arguing about the technical merits of game consoles.

COURTS FINALLY SETTLE: THE MEGADRIVE DOESN'T USE BLAST PROCESSING AFTER ALL.
EXTRA! EXTRA! THE PLAYSTATION EMOTION ENGINE IS JUST A WAY TO MARKET GAMES

[gertsy]

Microsoft supporter=mentally disabled

Absolutely, they shut down drdos, Desqview, os2, beos and all other competition.

Whats worse than their lack of ethics is their apparently horrible products.

Its one thing if a company makes money because they make great products, but when they make money because they cram inferior products down the throats of consumers and businesses, while stifling competition from people that make far superior products? Thats just wrong, and should be illegal.

Mentally Disabled...
 Well I'm a Microsoft Supporter!  I've Worked (paid employment) in IT since 1984.  I've worked (Really worked) on; Burroughs, ICL, IBM(MVS), DEC (VMS), Wang, HP-UX 9.x and 10.x, Win NT 3.51, NT 4.1, Sun(Oracle) Solaris 7,8,9,10. Win 2000, Win 2003, Win 2008, RHEL 4,5,6.  My roles included Operations, Administration, Development, Systems Analysis, Unix Systems Administration, Technology Architecture, Solutions Architecture to a senior level over 6 Years.  Im HP & Sun Certified, Microsoft Certified, ITiL and TOGAF Certified and obviously Mentally Certified.
In my personal life I've owned and utilised to a level of proficiency and productivity ZX81, ZX Spectrum, C64/128, Amiga 500, 2000, 4000, SCO Unix, BSD, Fedora/RH, Ubuntu 5.1,9,10, Mac System 7,8 & 9, and finally Windows 3.11, 95, 98, 2000 Pro, XP, Vista, 7 and now 8.
Ive touched heaps of other technology but not to a diligent level.

Finally, in this context I'm proud to be accused of mental disability, and not just because of the ill you speak of something beyond your ability to comprehend.  If your idea of normal mental ability is a narrow minded, conspiracy theory subscribing, fatalist, dabbling in moronic high school grade peer pressure, then I'm certainly not that.

 "They shut down OS2.... They cram products down our throats...." Case in point.

End Rant.

@Reiknir, The EU has a contract with Microsoft? Or there is a special law in place just for Microsoft? Which one?  Does the same law apply to Google and Chrome devices?  Or to Apple?  This was the basis of my point BTW.

[polyp2000]

The average pc user doesn't buy any alternative system if one's free with the kit. A bit like 'batteries included'.

Its a common misconception that windows is free. In fact its very much NOT free!  Its not free from a philosophical standpoint nor is it free from a monetary one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundling_of_Microsoft_Windows

Also most "alternative" operating systems are the inverse of this, free in both cases.

It would be more correct to say that the average PC user is not aware of the free alternatives , nor is he aware that they have a choice.

[nicholas]

Microsoft has been a blight on the industry.

I say this as someone who spent his professional life developing software for both Windows and big iron.

[nicholas]

Microsoft has claimed in the past that its browser is integrated into windows for technical reasons and can not be separated. Every other OS in the world can apparently separate their os from the browser but them. Its bull****.

They should be fined. They should be shut down for their constant attempts to stop anyone else from competing with them. They truly are the "evil software empire" that richard stallman and others warned against, making software that controls the user rather than the user controlling the software.

Apple aren't too far behind.

[gertsy]

Here's the EU press release: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-196_en.htm
How's this line:
"Legally binding commitments reached in antitrust decisions play a very important role in our enforcement policy because they allow for rapid solutions to competition problems. Of course, such decisions require strict compliance. A failure to comply is a very serious infringement that must be sanctioned accordingly"
Rapid solutions to competition problems? And from the Spanish as well. LOL.

I feel sorry for EU guys.  If the government in Aust or US tried to STEAL people's money out of their bank accounts as in Cyprus they'd be gone in a month. The middle ages returned. Perhaps they're getting ready to fund a Crusade next.