Microsoft still can't take a hint.

[kingjoshi]

Well, did you see the bit about "497 million-euro fine" previously?

It's been paid. Microsoft has complained, of course, and appealed, and generaly tried to weasel out of it, but they have paid two weeks' earnings.

That's a slap on the wrist for the abuse they did. With the money they get from the EU, they can afford to continually break the law.

 

[superisis]

but atleast the EU will get some back. And they can always apply larger fines.

 

[Kozmos]

Yes like the american supply of xbox 360 consoles

 

[History_Buff]

I don't know, it really has no remove option?

Yeah, a good number of MS stuff works that way, WMP included. IE is the same IIRc, though Windows Explorer may use the same code. I don't think Messenger or Outlook can be removed either, definitely not easily anyway.

 

[gmanne]

News Flash : MS punishes the EU by witholding sales of the new '360' game console. 'Until they get their game together and let us play in their backyard, they can damn well play without the greatest gaming machine on the planet!', stated one MS employee from the mail room of computer giant's head office in Seattle. When asked if the enormous loss in '360' sales would unduly hurt Microsoft's new quarter figures the spokesperson replied, 'Yes. It will hurt. But it will all be worth it just to watch European console gamers trying to play Oblivion on PC'. Microsoft will make a decision by April 1.

 

[crabapple]

yes increse until microsoft gives in, they will give up eventually

 

[skadistic]

Why doesn't the EU just go the AirBus route and make a government owned corp. to compete? Its not the euros are capitalists, I'm sure the citizens wont mind an extra tax to further the socialist programmes of fairness. No ones makeing them buy MS. They could always get Apple on Linex. Maybe if the kids in france weren't rioting and instead started a a company in thier garage with the vision and buisness sence that Billy boy had They could make something to compeat and some new jobs at the same time. As it is now in europe why should they bother when you get everything handed to you by the gov.They've been pampered for so long instead of getting off thier rumps and doing some thing they cry about it and demand compitulation.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

You do realize that the American DoJ has found Microsoft to be an abusive monopolist too, right?

I should have made it clear in the original post: The US Department of Justice found that Microsoft was abusing its monopoly, before the EU did.

skadistic, go and read Groklaw for a few hours. It'll do wonders for your arguments. Right now I don't even feel like shooting the rest of them down.

 

[GinandTonic]

Why doesn't the EU just go the AirBus route and make a government owned corp. to compete? Its not the euros are capitalists, I'm sure the citizens wont mind an extra tax to further the socialist programmes of fairness. No ones makeing them buy MS.

MS came to play on our court. Didnt obay the rules (or US rules even) so it got its nose smacked for a weeks prophet or whatever. No biggie.

 

[CIVPhilzilla]

This propabably won't hurt Microsoft much if at all. A compromise will be reached between EU and Microsoft, and things will go back to the way they were. There is too much invested interest in boths sides to lose the other.

 

[superisis]

Why doesn't the EU just go the AirBus route and make a government owned corp. to compete? Its not the euros are capitalists, I'm sure the citizens wont mind an extra tax to further the socialist programmes of fairness. No ones makeing them buy MS. They could always get Apple on Linex. Maybe if the kids in france weren't rioting and instead started a a company in thier garage with the vision and buisness sence that Billy boy had They could make something to compeat and some new jobs at the same time. As it is now in europe why should they bother when you get everything handed to you by the gov.They've been pampered for so long instead of getting off thier rumps and doing some thing they cry about it and demand compitulation.

Is this sarcasm? You do know that two of the biggest wellfare states (Sweden and Finland) have produced some of the most widely used software out there? Ever heard of Linux? Kazaa? Skype?

 

[h4ppy]

Yeah, Linux is really widely used. HAHAHAHAHA

 

[Erik Mesoy]

This propabably won't hurt Microsoft much if at all. A compromise will be reached between EU and Microsoft, and things will go back to the way they were. There is too much invested interest in boths sides to lose the other.

Uh, what "vested interest" does the EU have in seeing their data controlled by a fundamentally American company who claims to have the right to prevent the EU from reading their own documents unless they pay for it?

 

[Kozmos]

Worst case scenario we use James Bond to pirate your software.HAHAHAHHHA

 

[Rik Meleet]

This will be interesting to follow. The EU has used strong enough words to not be able to back down easily if Microsoft does offer Vista with the prepacked features.
I can't believe Microsoft is so stupid to not have designed a Vista version without those features.

 

[Sidhe]

Do what I and all my friends did, pirate every bit of crap microsoft churns out untill they produce something stable i.e XP. Microsoft should not be rewarded for making crap software, nor should anyone give them the time of day when they try to maintain a monopoly. Competition is good, fine MS repetatively until they get the message. Didn't someone sue MS for stealing their source code wholesale or was that the other way round? Either way MS is a pile, only competition will stop their sordid machinations, end PC suffering now, pirate everything they do that is sub standard. I would like to point out I bought XP because it is stable and works, if it hadn't I would of pirated that just like I did all the other operating systems, and I would have felt no guilt about it either.(give me liberty or give me death ) Thinking about it amongst all my friends I am one of the few people who actually bought XP most of them have cracked versions of it.

MS is due a vast amount of coffee soon, if it doesn't change it's monopolistic tactics, I'd imagine it'll be the biggest company for the next 20 years, but I'm predicting that it will face stiff competition in future, actually it's more hoping but I can but dream

Moderator Action: Don't pirate anything !!! CFC is against software piracy in any shape of form !! - Rik

 

[kingjoshi]

This will be interesting to follow. The EU has used strong enough words to not be able to back down easily if Microsoft does offer Vista with the prepacked features.
I can't believe Microsoft is so stupid to not have designed a Vista version without those features.

They have Vista versions without it. They have like 9 different versions.

However, all vendors will offer those with and without for the same price. And Vendors will probably not even let the users know that there are versions without it (not that customers would choose that option anyway).

 

[azzaman333]

If you destroy MS, youre half way to taking over the world

 

[Sidhe]

I dont buy crap and considering they give me no other choice I will not pay for a sub standard product. let me make this clear though I'm certainly against software piracy(in fact MS is the only piece of PC sofware I have ever pirated) but IMO MS deserve to have there software pirated, it's often crap and we have no choice of OS. Give me freedom to buy a different server or a decent bit of sofware and I'll pay for it, churn out crap and I wont. If I go to a shop and ask for the best loaf of bread in town and it's mouldy, I take it back and ask for more bread. The problem is with microsoft is your stuck with there abysmal mess of code because of their monopolisitc misdemeanours. I can't take the bread back it's the only mouldy old crap on the market. I'm sorry but big business with no consideration for it's customers should get what's coming to them, if it's illegal so be it. I personally know of no one outside of my large circle of friends who bought the operating systems from 5.01 to millenium(XP is different, but we're still mad it took them 7 years to release anything not worthy of contempt) Consumers have the right to vote with there cash, unless one company deliberately attempts to give them no rights, then they will cheat said company in the same way they feel they have been cheated. If that's imoral then I am imoral, I can live with that.

 

[Red Stranger]

Why doesn't EU just let the consumer speak with their pockets. If they don't like Microsoft, don't buy it. But by buying it, you're agreeing with Microsoft's policies. I don't understand why EU wants to become a Leninist state.