MSNBC: EU: Microsoft’s Vista may break antitrust rules […] He highlighted Vista’s integrated Internet search, digital rights management used to protect copyrights and software that would create fixed-document formats comparable to Adobe’s pdf.
If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: where is the fucking public outcry for oppression caused by Apple’s OSX? OSX that ships with its own media player, IM client, search engine, DRM system, and spits out PDF’s? OSX that has been “guilty” – quotes because there’s no guilt here – of these issues for over three years now? Why is it OK for OSX which has been in the mix for years and not for Vista which hasn’t even been released yet?
Where? Where’s the outcry for it? Where is it? Tell me that.
Tell me.
Now.
I can’t tell you that. Just like there’s no outcry to “eliminate” Paris Hilton.
If you look carefully, there’s never been any outcry about Microsoft in the EU, except for the usual slashdot style Microsoft bashing. Notice that nobody wants to buy the version of Windows with the media player removed.
The outcry is only amongst high level government bureaucrats and politicians. The mere fact that Microsoft has the power and influence that it does is more than they can tolerate. So everything Microsoft does becomes a means to attack them.
Well that’s the bigger problem that I have with this: the EU is all over Microsoft for stuff that their citizens don’t want or at least don’t seem to care about. They forced Microsoft to release Windows XP N (the non WMP XP version), right? Who foots the bill for that? Microsoft. Nevermind that you can disable WMP, if you want to. Nope, they had to take on the cost, time, and process of it all. Did it matter to the people in the EU? I’d LOVE to see the sales numbers. From what I’ve heard from the blogsphere and general media, I agree with you: no one gives a shit. Or even a shite for that matter.
It’s complete crap. Made even WORSE because the same rules aren’t being applied to all the players in the game. Microsoft should sue the EU for unfair business practices or whatever, the EU refuses to enforce the same restrictions on OSX, Linux, Lindows, et al.
this is a culture and religios war.
http://mako.cc/writing/unlearningstory/StoryOfUnlearing.html
No, it’s simply a business war.
It’s Linspire now, Microsoft sued them. No more Lindows. What ever they’re calling it, it’s still a shitty distro. Besides, Linux is free for the most part. You really can’t sue the distributers for giving away free software and not making a profit. With Apple on the other hand, OSX is only supposed to run on propietary hardware. They make software for their own hardware. Its not like the PC market. I dont believe MS should be sued over it, I mean what the hell does the EU want? A empty platform that only runs 3rd party software? Doing that would cripple the MS market in EU.
You can sue distributers for giving away free product: it’s called flooding a market, similar to price fixing. Consider Burger King versus McDonald’s: McDonald’s decides to give away their entire menu. Runs BK outta business. McDonald’s can then charge what they want, since they flooded the market to keep competitors at a disadvantage.
And Apple’s license to only run on their hardware is core to their business: I’ve beat the snot out of them years ago in old Rants but no one seemed to care about that then and most ppl still don’t. Apple fans certainly won’t – no one else cares about it either.
Morale of the story is that the EU wants one thing: Money. As in they want a bunch of it for nothing. Trump up a charge, make it impossible to disprove – much less prove that it’s better for the consumer – and collect the cash. Er, the Euros. So help me if they win I would put up some cash if Microsoft made their payments in pennies and forced the EU to come get it. Let them find a way to move their blood money.
Yeah. I’m still pissed by it.