fiend

Microsoft isn't fine with Europe's ruling (Download Squad)

Oct 7th 2006 3:47AM Actually it is protecting the consumer, from the post "I would prefer not to have to go delete all the cruft on a new PC that is non-Microsoft, like the ISPs, music and photo software I have never and will never use." Well with those ISP's and Computer vendors (like HP,Dell...) you have the choice, if you don't want the crappy software you can buy another computer from a maker that doesn't sell with the crappy, with Microsoft you didn't have that options, Microsoft can have a version with everything (anti-virus/office/media player) but they have to have a version without all those stuff, they are just abusing their position on the market to... in this case destroy the video software market (most people would just stay with windows media player).

Regarding "How the hell is somebody sold a PC without Windows Media Player supposed to get a Media Player if he doesn't have the Internet?", the versions with windows media player are not removed from the market, so someone can still buy a windows xp WITH MEDIA PLAYER, but now you have the option to have one without.

So yeah the European Comission is doing a fine job, and they are looking over the european consumers, and Microsoft should pay for their delays, we are not talking about building a new windows xp, only create copies of a windows xp without windows media player, they delayed now they have to pay.

The news is: In March 2004, the European Commission in the European Union Microsoft antitrust case fined Microsoft €497 million and ordered the company to provide a version of Windows without Windows Media Player, claiming Microsoft "broke European Union competition law by leveraging its near monopoly in the market for PC operating systems onto the markets for work group server operating systems and for media players". The company has made available a compliant version of its flagship operating system under the negotiated name "Windows XP N," though the product has not been very successful.

So Mr Ryan Carter should think twice before starting to make comments...