Microsoft still hopes to settle with EC

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Phantasm66

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"We definitely want to settle. We just said it in court and I'll say it again." - Jean-Philippe Courtois, Microsoft's chief executive officer (CEO) for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)

Microsoft is holding out on hopes for a settlement with the EC over the sanctions ordered against it to correct its anticompetitive behaviour. It is currently appealing against the case also.

Last March, the EC (European Commission) ruled that Microsoft had abused its dominant position in the PC OS market to gain an unfair and uncompetitive advantage over competitors in related markets, such as media players. It ordered the company to pay a fine of €497 million, which is about $600 million. It was also ordered to create a version of the OS which had Windows Media Player decoupled and to release enough Windows source code that rivals could build competing server software that works well with Windows.

The fine (which is pocket change to Microsoft) and the decoupling of Windows Media Player do not really concern Microsoft, but they say that their freedom to innovate is being compromised through the ruling and that this a great cause of concern.
 
I think all these lawsuits are ridiculous. Microsoft CREATED Windows so therefore they have the right to do as they please with it. As long as it's nothing illegal and as far as Im concerned whether its illegal or not they have the right to make Windows run ONLY Microsoft software if they so wish.

If I was to create a car and I made it so that only MY parts, breaks, engines, lights, airbag's etc were to work in that car no one would have the right to say otherwise and call it Anti-competitive.

Think about it. We are not talking about Free Speech, the right to move your own mouth, the mouth which is yours and yours only that you own. That no one created but your mother. Were talking about software which Microsoft created so they should have the ability to make it as they wish. Unless it violates privacy for example. This freedom of choice people talk about is lame. Your freedom of choice should be whether you want to use Windows or not. Not the software you want to use on Windows. If you don't like it you can use MacOS or Linux. These lawsuits need to stop. They are about as ridiculous as suing a tobacco company because you got cancer and then winning when you know you read the labels and you knew from the start it would make you sick.

Am I the only one in this world that makes sense? Does no one see the ignorance of the judicial system and anyone that says Microsoft shouldnt be able to decide whether you have a choice of software on their operating system?
 
Look.. the problem isn't Windows running or having some specific apps.

The real problem is secret deals with OEMs, practically forcing them to sell only Windows PCs. Years of that lead to the point where today's customers don't even know there are other operating systems, and therefore won't ask for them. While you might argue that *insert other OS here* is being advertized as *insert comparative adjective here* than Windows, think about how many stores and supermarkets advertize them?
 
In that case I can understand a certain aggrivation. The lawsuits against MS I think are getting out of hand, because you really should not be able to sue Microsoft for a lot of the reasons that have been used in the past. It is their operating system and if they wish close you out of it entirely and only use their software no one one elses I think they should have every right.

On the other hand like you said, if they are making it sound like Windows is the only OS then the world should know that their are options and MS should not make it sound that way, but then again they should not go around advertising Linux because that would be a really dumb marketing move.
 
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