Greetings!

The basis of the EC decison has been that Microsoft, having a monopoly on the OS market, is using said monopoly to infiltrate other markets.

A_Pickle wrote:
"But they have been held accountable, and they have adhered to the requirements which their punishment decreed. Why, then, are they still being punished?"
Because Microsoft did NOT adhered to the requirements!
The EC did not ask for the source code of Windows. EC asked for documentation regarding server protocols.
Its similar to A asking B for the area of Bs house and B sending A a list of the materials used in the construction of the house. Its useless!

Greetings!

A_Pickle wrote:
"Microsoft has provided the Windows source code, as well as 12,000 pages of technical documentation followed by 500 hours of support."

And.that.was.not.what.was.asked!
In fact, the independent trustee (that both Microsoft and EC agreed on) said, regarding the documentation Microsoft supplied:
"Using the documentation is an absolutely frustrating, time-consuming and ultimately fruitless task. The documentation needs quite drastic overhaul."

Considering ECs decision is dated March 2004, Microsoft is just stalling.

It's humorous that people seem to think that 12,000 pages of documentation is somehow overinflation. Windows Server and it's protocols are a complex thing. It's not like a 100 or 200 page document can cover it all. If the EU really wanted all documentation on Windows Server and it's protocols they certainly got them. In all their glory. Or lack thereof.

This isn't something you would want to sit and read through from front to back through all the volumes. Sure, it's volumous but what do you expect from technical documentation?

Microsoft has too much money, and it's because they're breaking the law.

The either need stiffer fines, because $730m a year isn't bothering them, else their company needs splitting up.

One product to rule them all is bad. Anything Microsoft has ever swallowed up has slowed down and become stagnant, even if it is at least consistent and idiot-friendly. The only reason Microsoft is competetive at the moment is because they're chasing free products to retain a market share. Once that threat has gone there is no reason (and no incentive) for them NOT to sit on their fat, cash-cow ass all day blocking progress.

For crying out loud. It's not about if MS bundles this or that with their OS, noone is objecting against that. But it's about them integrating it with their OS, to a point that you cannot choose to uninstall it, and at the same time shutting out (ie. making it much harder for) similar software, when their own pieice of software is there. And remember, a huge part of their market is computer illiterate.

It hurts competition, and it hurts the software business. And thus, it hurts innovation. But really, noone would be happier than me if MS took their stuff and left the european market. The surge of alternatives would probably get innovation going again.

OMG you americans are funny. You don´t even reliaze whats it all about. It´s just like the French DRM case..blabla..france sucks..blabla bad tho its good for the consumer and competition.

Instead you just wait and make the same cases later with states sueing MS when you waited too long.

You americans need to learn abit about liberalism and free economics along with democrazy ;)

The Dubai port case and Levono is just 2 more things to mention here. Don´t throw with stones when you live in a glass house.

Microsoft and its Windows operating systems are 2 of the great success stories of the 20th Century.
In spite of the HUGE contribution that MS(and Bill and Melinda) have made to the computing industry there are still many people who see them as fair game to bash and redicule.No one forces anyone to buy MS products and no company wishing to do business the world over can operate in a vacuum.
If the EU wants to impose restrictions on MS's business practices(in Europe) then so be it.After all the legislators there are reflecting the wishes of their constituents just like the American people did when supporting GWB's war in Iraq.If MS dont want to comply then they can freely go elsewhere to sell their products.

integrated internet search... that could be one way MS could break google's back indeed. Interesting, but would they actually do such a thing? Sounds legally risky...

You know, I really don't see the big deal in all of this. What is wrong with Microsoft intergrating a search engine??? With the countless amounts of search engine out there I don't see anyone accusing them of infringing on Google's or Yahoo's hold on the market? So shouldn't FireFox or Google get fined for taking Market share away from Yahoo? How about WebCrawler or Metacrawler, or Lycos? Or Heck, Firefox is a browser and since Windows Internet Explorer was out first, they should be fine for infringing on Microsoft. But no of course that won't happen, because they want to perceive Microsoft as some big corporate bully. Look you don't see anyone telling Nissan, Honda, Voltzwagen, Puegot or any other car company's to stop copying Gerald Ford now do you? If a company wants to add some other services to its product line someone else happens to be producing, there is nothing wrong with that. Why wasn't Apple told to stop producing IPOD's?? I mean there were tons of other portable media players out before IPOD. Why aren't they being fined?? I'm not sure what the European Courts are trying to accomplish here...Microsoft isn't doing anythingy illegal..This is highly laughable..and thus I shall laugh, ha.

Complete, bundled Microsoft scares me!

As far as I am concerned, Europe should be encouraged to beat on them like a cheap drum.

If MS gets fined more, I hope they raise prices of their software only in europe to cover the costs. Maybe then europeans will get sick of paying higher prices because of their anti-capitalist government and elect new leaders. Oh wait I forgot, europeans are not represented in their government.

Throughout this thread, I'm reading "you Americans", "the French", "Europe", or "all the European forums". Knock it off.

So this is what the EU does all day. Figure out new ways to extract cash from American companies.

Oh, and put British banana-sellers out of business by forcing them to use the French metric system. (ref: metricmartyrs.sageweb.co.uk)

Let's not forget the new grammar rules they introduced, that Christ be spelled with a lowercase 'c' and the Jewish religion with a lowercase 'j'. Wonder what the penalty will be for those who don't comply.

Greetings!

So, EU confronts Microsofts monopoly and gets attacked because of non-capitalistic behaviour?
Please, dont blame EU Competition decisions for the lack of balls other governments/administrations around the globe show.

And, rememeber EU is not France. This anti-France behaviour by the part of some individuals is geting too childish.

Related:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060329-6484.html

Microsoft will just play it smart. They know they only have to keep stalling for another 10 years and all of Europe will be under Sharia law. And then the Euros will have much more to worry about than a silly little operating system.

F Europe when it comes to software. They got a stick up there @$$ or something. France has patents on fashion, who the F cares! F all the European forums, just the mention of freedom of speech makes them vomit, WTF is wrong with them over there!? It just makes me angry what goes on over there when it comes to computer related issues.

EU; Microsoft is not a Cow to milk for your French Farms! That's just MY humble opinion.

Complete, bundled products scare Europe.