Microsoft vs EEC - Day 1

[aldi]

www.theregister.co.uk/2006/04/24/ms_ec_trial_begins/

$2M a day, back dated a month or four - that's gotta hurt!

As for the idea of tie-ing the media player to the OS, what are they saying - that it's inseperable like they argued with IE? I'm looking forward to seeing how they explain that in view of the many other media players that can be installed & uninstalled at will. I hate to come accross as a blind MS hater but I really think they should just take the medicine here.

[Muncher]

It is not going to be decided by the ECJ for litterally years...

[tycho]

To be perfectly honest, I don't see what the it has to do with the European courts. If you don't like Windows with media player, don't use Windows. I am a beliver that MS has the right to do what it likes with it's own product and if you don't like it, install something else. Media player is a far better product the the likes of real player.

Although MS has some dubious history when it comes to it's business practices, I am on their side with this.

[Muncher]

Once a firm reaches a status of dominance (which Microsoft quite clearly has) then they have to play by a whole new set of rules, which do not apply to non-dominant firms.

[_dobbo_]

tycho said:

To be perfectly honest, I don't see what the it has to do with the European courts. If you don't like Windows with media player, don't use Windows.

I like media player and I like Microsoft, but that's not really the point.

With the monopoly they have, MS can squeeze any number of other businesses just by flexing it's little finger. And so the death of choice.

Look at how much better off we all are now that BT do not have such a stranglehold on the telecoms industry in the UK - without intervention this wouldn't have happened, the same is true of MS.

[__LEE__]

I agree.

There are some considerations though, does the user suffer by having MS have its hand tied behind its back or should this drive the competition to create better more innovative products?

I think on balance though MS do need to be reigned in every so often or we will see the demise of many good software companies.

What I would like to see would be more good OS's to compete with Windows.

[jamieboy]

_dobbo_ said:

Look at how much better off we all are now that BT do not have such a stranglehold on the telecoms industry in the UK - without intervention this wouldn't have happened, the same is true of MS.

Is it the same, or is it the opposite? BT started off with a monopoly (inherited from the GPO, or whoever), whereas Microsoft has built itself up into a near-monopoly position by (steady, now) providing better products than its competitors?

Did Gem (Digital Research?), IBM, Quarterdeck, WordPerfect, Lotus et al fail to grasp a shift in the market maybe 15 years ago which MS grabbed and ran with?

I don't pretend to fully understand the ins and outs of it, but the fact is that there are a number of alternative web browsers, media players, etc., so I don't entirely buy the monopoly thing.

[aldi]

jamieboy said:

_dobbo_ said: Look at how much better off we all are now that BT do not have such a stranglehold on the telecoms industry in the UK - without intervention this wouldn't have happened, the same is true of MS. Is it the same, or is it the opposite? BT started off with a monopoly (inherited from the GPO, or whoever), whereas Microsoft has built itself up into a near-monopoly position by (steady, now) providing better products than its competitors? Did Gem (Digital Research?), IBM, Quarterdeck, WordPerfect, Lotus et al fail to grasp a shift in the market maybe 15 years ago which MS grabbed and ran with? I don't pretend to fully understand the ins and outs of it, but the fact is that there are a number of alternative web browsers, media players, etc., so I don't entirely buy the monopoly thing.

MS can basically make OEM's do whatever they want. The conversation usually goes something like:

ms: "Sell this, not this, or we'l cancel your nice discount on bulk XP liscences thus making you uncompetitive and leaving you heading rapidly towards bankrupcy"
oem: "OK"

The thing with building all these features into the OS is about tie-in IMO. Get the world to dance to your tune - write webpages that only display properly in Windows, serve media that only plays in Windows, etc. and you make it impossible for anyone not to keep buying Windows (and new Windows every few years). Thats the way I see it anyway. IIRC they were first to market with Windows and ran with it like a pitbull with a steak in its mouth, you can't blame them for that infact good on 'em. But where they are now they need a little slap every now and then to keep the market alive.

[Bodo]

aldi said:

ms: "Sell this, not this, or we'l cancel your nice discount on bulk XP liscences thus making you uncompetitive and leaving you heading rapidly towards bankrupcy" oem: "OK"

See a hardware offer page or brochure from any bigger PC OEM and find:

"OEM recommends Windows® XP Professional"

or similar. Part of their contract I guess. As you say, MS makes use of their market position. This relies IMHO on the numptieness of people. No-one was ever sacked for buying Windows instead of a not so widely used product for a company.