Is it fair of the EU to hammer Microsoft so much?

[child of Thor]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4552214.stm

This seems weird to me, or maybe i'm missing the details? The way it looks is that the EU is pressuring Microsoft to make its windows operating system open source? or so open that it will be easier for others to either rip-off the system or make ways to break it as in hacks etc?

So why on earth would microsoft want to give away its trade secrets? I know they are the bad guys in many peoples views and most probably have been working to ensure their unfair dominance of the PC operating system market. Still as the microsoft lawer in the article says - they have been complying with many of the requests to address this mis-balance(probably slowly) and have paid out fines etc.

It just seems a bit like a witch hunt doesnt it?

[BeBMan]

Life isn't fair

[JohnT]

It just seems a bit like a witch hunt doesnt it?

Well, Europeans are world-class at that sort of thing...

[Bill3000]

Asher in 5, 4...

[BeBMan]

Yeah, it is just to troll him

[Zkribbler]

Microsoft has a virtual monopoly on computer operating systems. So not only should the EU be pounding on them, but so should the US, and so should Asia.

The properity of the West was built on free enterprise. Monopolies are anti-free-enterprise, anti-American and illegal. Microsoft should be gutted. Open source their code?? Sounds fair to me.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by JohnT

It just seems a bit like a witch hunt doesnt it?

Well, Europeans are world-class at that sort of thing...

*cough*

Salem
HUAAC

*cough*

[Asher]

Originally posted by Bill3000
Asher in 5, 4...

The EU has no idea what they're doing, it's a bunch of kids playing with their new-found power.

They forced MS to make a version of Windows without media player, and now it turns out consumers don't want that. Nobody is carrying it or buying it. The stupidity of the EU is amazing. I'd go as far as saying they're dumber than the American administration, but they just don't matter as much so people don't notice.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
Microsoft has a virtual monopoly on computer operating systems. So not only should the EU be pounding on them, but so should the US, and so should Asia.

The properity of the West was built on free enterprise. Monopolies are anti-free-enterprise, anti-American and illegal. Microsoft should be gutted. Open source their code?? Sounds fair to me.

Monopolies are not illegal, let alone "virtual monopolies", and the reason the the EU is so stupid is because people with mindsets like you -- and a complete lack of understanding of the industry and what is actually in the interest of consumers.

A fragmented operating system base is not in anyone's interest except MS' whining competition that still don't 'get it'. It increases confusion, increases development costs substantially, and would eventually result in a system of "lowest common denominator" so applications don't use any advanced functionality of a specific OS so it's more portable.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


*cough*

Salem
HUAAC

*cough*

*cough*

Holocaust
Thirty Years War
Cromwell
Introduction of and development of early-modern slavery ( )

*cough*

OMZGFGFPWNNZRD!!!!!

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by JohnT


Cromwell
Introduction of and development of early-modern slavery ( )

Funny, coming from somebody living in a land founded by Cromwell's ilk and built on the backs of slaves.

[Arrian]

Yeah, but, but, you guys were hypocrits FIRST!!



-Arrian

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Arrian
Yeah, but, but, you guys were hypocrits FIRST!!



-Arrian

Who, me?

I'm a Canuck, remember?

[KrazyHorse]

The only real witchhunt I can think of in our history was the anti-Communist bull**** that went on in the 30s

[Asher]

And the times homosexuals were jailed up until the 1960s...