Filed under: News, Windows, Microsoft
Microsoft isn't fine with Europe's ruling
by Ryan Carter Oct 6th 2006 at 5:15PM
Microsoft doesn't want to be fined like anyone, so they are appealing the ruling on a $350 million fine by the European Commission. Microsoft has since the ruling produced a version of Windows XP that does not include Windows Media Player easing some of the problem, but the EC still says they owe the fine $1.5 million for each day they did not comply with the EC's anti-trust ruling. The bad thing is that the version of XP without media player isn't even selling. Obviously what the EC wants, and what customers are buying are two different things. What computer user really cares what comes on their computer with Windows? 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. That should be abolished too, while we're at it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bob Jones said 1:10AM on 10-07-2006
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?
As always, the EU isn't looking out for the consumer.
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fiend said 9:51AM on 10-07-2006
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...
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Dave M. said 2:01PM on 10-07-2006
Would someone please explain to me why MS has to take out the media player? How is having a media player already installed a bad thing? Is this so that the consumer has a choice of which player they want? If so, how is having WMP installed going to change that.
If I go out and buy a system with Windows installed, I get WMP, I get MusicMatch or some other piece of crap player, I get AOL, I get yada yada yada...
I have to remove all the crap anyway, so if I don't want WMP and want WinAMP instead, I uninstall WMP and install WinAMP. Done.
My last computer purchase was a Mac Pro. Other than wanting to get away from the OS that acts like a Katamari game clone when it comes to viruses and spyware/malware, I wanted an OS that comes with a suite of software like iLife.
Why is Apple allowed to bundle over $1000 worth of software for free with OS X and yet MS can't come bundled with something as basic as a browser and media player? I just don't get it.
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