EU charges Microsoft with antitrust violation

[drhowarddrfine]

ComputerWorld:

The European Union's antitrust agency on Saturday confirmed that it has charged Microsoft with breaking the law, saying that the company "shields" Internet Explorer (IE) from "head-to-head competition" by bundling its browser with Windows.

[manzoD15]

I'm sure MS can get over it

[Dude111]

Well this is BETTER than microsoft leaving the computer WITH NO BROWSER!!

How is someone supposed to get online to DL one??

Only option is to spend more $$$ to buy one and have a disk sent when they have already spent alot of $$$ on thier computer already!!


People are so stupid its not funny!

I am not a Microsoft fan @ all,but commend them for not forcing the consumer to spend more $$$ just for a browser!

People expect windows to work "Out of the box" and if no browser is present,THEY CANT GET ONLINE!!

[drhowarddrfine]

Originally Posted by Dude111

Well this is BETTER than microsoft leaving the computer WITH NO BROWSER!!

How is someone supposed to get online to DL one??

During installation and setup of the OS, give a selection of browsers to download. On click, auto download and install. Easy.

People are so stupid its not funny!

I guess so.

[thok]

microsoft doesnot care ...

[Luke Beale]

Install Linux, It has Firefox already installed

[menj1980]

I believe they have been itching to do this for some time I wonder why it took them this long to do it?

[Sensei.Design]

yeah ! I really think this is a great decison (I don't like most of their other decisions) but here they are right.... IE is crap and ms is forcing all this stupid people to deal with it.... they should recomend downloading firefox^^

[drhowarddrfine]

Originally Posted by disinfect

It's their OS.. i think they can do whatever they want.

When a company becomes a monopoly, the rules change. People said the same about Bell Telephone back in the day. "It's their land lines so let them do what they want!" But if you didn't buy Bell phones, they didn't work on those land lines. And they fined you if you got caught using someone elses. And the phones couldn't work as good as Bells cause the interface wasn't published. Just like IE. IE didn't (and still doesn't completely) work with published standards. To update Windows you needed IE (until recently apparently). Some web sites only work in IE so you have to buy Windows to get IE to view them. Not only did Windows dominate but IE does too (though not as much as 4 years ago when it was at 95%).

I mean, there's a lot of programs included in windows that are similar to programs created by other companies. Like text editors, calculators, email clients, messenger etc.. wouldn't that be "breaking the law" just as much?

The filed complaint is about access to the internet, not applications except that IE is the gateway to the internet on Windows.

[diligenthost]

I don't know why everyone is saying they are being "forced", or "shielded" as the article says, from using another browser.

OSX has Safari. Windows has IE. Most of Linux has Firefox. No matter which company makes the OS, you're obviously going to end up with the browser as chosen by the maker of it. If Google were to release an OS, don't you think they'd throw Chrome on there?

In light of the article, it's not Microsofts fault that 90% of the world uses it's OS, and they certainly don't force you to use any certain browser. How can people be so lazy as to not want to click a few links and download Firefox or another browser themselves. Oh and another thing, guess who started the investigation...another browser maker (Opera)!! No wonder...they are probably feeling "left out" for not being included in an OS.

And they fined you if you got caught using someone elses.

Do you think MS is fining people for using other browsers? I haven't seen it yet.

To update Windows you needed IE (until recently apparently)

Because that's how they've made the OS update, using the native browser. I would too if I made an OS, to make sure updating works for everyone.

Some web sites only work in IE so you have to buy Windows to get IE to view them.

Blame that on the website maker/designer, not IE/Windows. Also, IE is available on OSX, there's also a port for Linux.

[drhowarddrfine]

Originally Posted by diligenthost

I don't know why everyone is saying they are being "forced", or "shielded" as the article says, from using another browser.

OSX has Safari. Windows has IE. Most of Linux has Firefox. No matter which company makes the OS, you're obviously going to end up with the browser as chosen by the maker of it. If Google were to release an OS, don't you think they'd throw Chrome on there?

You missed the point. Monopolies cannot act as other companies.

In light of the article, it's not Microsofts fault that 90% of the world uses it's OS, and they certainly don't force you to use any certain browser.

Actually, they did, and that's part of the issue with the US Justice Department lawsuit, several states included, and a previous EU complaint. They didn't force you directly but coerced vendors to only supply their software and threatened those vendors that didn't.

How can people be so lazy as to not want to click a few links and download Firefox or another browser themselves.

They are not aware of other browsers.

Oh and another thing, guess who started the investigation...another browser maker (Opera)!! No wonder...they are probably feeling "left out" for not being included in an OS.

Microsoft illegally put Netscape out of business so don't point the finger at Opera.

Do you think MS is fining people for using other browsers? I haven't seen it yet.

See the point about MS coercion of vendors. MS paid huge fines for this.

Because that's how they've made the OS update, using the native browser. I would too if I made an OS, to make sure updating works for everyone.

You don't need a browser to update. Vista doesn't. Linux doesn't.

Blame that on the website maker/designer, not IE/Windows.

To a point you are right but Microsoft software is geared toward IE and its proprietary methods. ActiveX once only worked in IE, for example, and, to an extent, still does.

Also, IE is available on OSX, there's also a port for Linux.

Making IE available is not the point. Restricting or blocking access to other browsers and/or the internet is the issue.

[blue_angel]

the same story all the time they penaltize them when no other competitor exist ....

[blue_angel]

i mean big serious competitor

[schlogo]

no competitor will developp if there s no space... is all the pcs are sold with vista and ie, how do you sell your browser, how do you start you business...?

Originally Posted by blue_angel

i mean big serious competitor

[thebambam]

I really dont see a problem. They are being stupid over this. I dont use ie but when I install after a reformat or whatever its good to have it their. Quickly download programs etc i need and then i go for my case to opera. Its their software why cant their browser be on it?. Better get rid of paint, notepad the calculator etc to!

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by Sensei.Design

IE is crap

I like IE (version 6,no higher)

[drhowarddrfine]

Originally Posted by thebambam

I really dont see a problem. They are being stupid over this. I dont use ie but when I install after a reformat or whatever its good to have it their. Quickly download programs etc i need and then i go for my case to opera. Its their software why cant their browser be on it?. Better get rid of paint, notepad the calculator etc to!

Again, you are ignoring the problems with monopolies and why there are laws governing these special cases. Google for monopolies and antitrust or look it up on wikipedia to get a better understanding.

[wibblet]

This is very old how many times will the government try to charge microsoft with monolopy and fail everytime! They already tried with windows, then AOL, then IE, then AIM, jesus all they want is to get into microsoft's deep pockets you can read all about it on wired magazine they did a big article covering and the best part is that bill gates wins everytime because after all he is bill gates. This is the stupidest claim ever the operating system is a choice first of all I want to use windows it isn't because of IE it's because of the operating system it self. I personally know people who hate firefox and use IE 7 (yeah I know right?) it is completely up to the user which browser to use and afterwords you can choose to stay with IE or download a new one. It isn't as if microsoft doesn't let you download and install any other browser.

[drhowarddrfine]

Originally Posted by wibblet

This is very old how many times will the government try to charge microsoft with monolopy and fail everytime!

Um. The governments won the last 3 times, or at least Microsoft settled, paying hundreds of millions of dollars. Just a few months ago, MS was fined $899 million by the EU. Before that, $120 million.

This is the stupidest claim ever the operating system is a choice first of all I want to use windows it isn't because of IE it's because of the operating system it self.

You have just shown you have absolutely no clue what the complaint is about.

[wibblet]

Originally Posted by drhowarddrfine

Um. The governments won the last 3 times, or at least Microsoft settled, paying hundreds of millions of dollars. Just a few months ago, MS was fined $899 million by the EU. Before that, $120 million. You have just shown you have absolutely no clue what the complaint is about.

saying that the company "shields" Internet Explorer (IE) from "head-to-head competition" by bundling its browser with Windows.

In other words monopoly which is what I was talking about if you read correctly.

Jon von Tetzchner said in an interview late Friday. "It's important that people have a choice of browsers. It's important that we don't have one company dominating the browser market."

Which is exactly what I said that we have a choice if you read correctly again which you obviously didn't.

leads the commission to believe that the tying of Internet Explorer with Windows, which makes Internet Explorer available on 90% of the world's PCs, distorts competition on the merits between competing Web browsers insofar as it provides Internet Explorer with an artificial distribution advantage which other Web browsers are unable to match," the EU said.

Which is what I clearly disagreed with because I said that the user does have the choice to leave IE or install a new browser if you read what I said correctly!


In other words I read the article clearly and my response was clearly on topic so I have no idea what you're talking about sir.