News - Microsoft gimps Windows 7 for European users to comply with EU law

[CountStex]

I think the problem is that unlike many markets, the computing market is basically all monopolies.. when it somes to OSes.. three flavours is as many as you would want, more would only hinder application development as they would spend all their time porting versions.

[Crevan]

So, am I wrong in thinking that, to preserve what the EU law sees as fair competition on this market, all os vendors should follow the same example? No pre-installed FF in any Linux distros, same with Safari in OSX?

[menthel]

Indeed. Even if that story is dead right about what MS intend now, it may have changed by the time W7 actually gets shipped.

I also wouldn't put it past MSs PR people to put out a story about these versions with the explicit intent of stirring up anti-EU rants. It also, of course, keeps the publicity pot boiling over Win7 itself, and might even manage to make news headlines .... and MS can then retreat, later, to a more rational position, or can "respond to public pressure" and do it the way they'd been intending to do it from day 1, having milked the publicity in the meantime.

Cynic? Me? Dunno what you mean??

Cynic? Yes! But so am I. I am generally pro EU but I can't help but think that this may well be them throwing their weight around. I wouldn't blame microsoft for taking the opportunity to play the poor little person being wronged for once. It will be about the only time it could ever happen!

[Saracen]

Good point. However I tend to think that they do need to go that far. The EU really do seem to have something against microsoft and I think they be making an example of them. However, that is my interpretation of the current situation. Again, I think we will have to wait to see what the Eu has up its sleeve. I do find it strange that they go after microsoft like this but leave apple alone. Now that is a real software monopoly!

Indeed. THis could all be :-

- a misinterpretation or mistake by some at MS
- a negotiating position
- poop stirring against the EU competition people
- a publicity stunt
- an accurate representation of what will actually happen.

Personally, I'd want to see the exact wording of what MS said because it's very easy to say one thing and make people think you meant something else. Take the example of Gordon Brown and David Cameron this week. They're arguing over whether Labour are going to invest and the Tories are going to make cuts, but as far as I can make out, they're talking about exactly the same amounts of spending, and projections, and just presenting it differently. But that's a subject for a different thread, though as an example, it illustrates how slippery words can be, and how you can make night seem like day. And, of course, the announcement came from an MS lawyer, and they're about as verbally slippery as politicians.

[CountStex]

So, am I wrong in thinking that, to preserve what the EU law sees as fair competition on this market, all os vendors should follow the same example? No pre-installed FF in any Linux distros, same with Safari in OSX?

That's probably the way these rulings should be enforced, not so targeted at the company that initiated the situation. The fine so be the punishment, the ruling should be universal.

[Saracen]

Cynic? Yes! But so am I. I am generally pro EU .....

So you're the one. I always wondered who the fan was. Now I know who to blame.

[menthel]

Indeed. THis could all be :-

- a misinterpretation or mistake by some at MS
- a negotiating position
- poop stirring against the EU competition people
- a publicity stunt
- an accurate representation of what will actually happen.

Personally, I'd want to see the exact wording of what MS said because it's very easy to say one thing and make people think you meant something else. Take the example of Gordon Brown and David Cameron this week. They're arguing over whether Labour are going to invest and the Tories are going to make cuts, but as far as I can make out, they're talking about exactly the same amounts of spending, and projections, and just presenting it differently. But that's a subject for a different thread, though as an example, it illustrates how slippery words can be, and how you can make night seem like day. And, of course, the announcement came from an MS lawyer, and they're about as verbally slippery as politicians.

Corporate lawyers, politicians and marketing people. All just a bunch you can't trust and all of whom will be involved in this. I think its right that we will just have to wait and see what actually happens in the end!

[menthel]

So you're the one. I always wondered who the fan was. Now I know who to blame.

I always wondered if there was something wrong with me...

[Crevan]

That's probably the way these rulings should be enforced, not so targeted at the company that initiated the situation. The fine so be the punishment, the ruling should be universal.

Er, one ruling to rule them all? Sorry, couldn't stop myself writing that.

[jim]

I think an option at the beginning to select/deselect components would be an excellent step forward for Windows, but it hasn't started yet despite the success of vLite (and whatever the XP version was called). Also, given that Windows Update is now built into the system, surely it would be relatively easy to get access to IE/WMP via that?

At the end of the day, you can guarantee that virtually all of the IE files will be on the system, and whatever this download is, it will add maybe a GUI and edit a couple of registry settings. I'll probably just buy the version without WMP and then use IE to get Firefox, then Firefox to get WMP. Sorted

Is there a petition to complain about the anti-consumer practices by the way?

[Singh400]

WHAT THE HELL?

So by taking an obsolete product off the market, i could be sued?
But its my product, not yours... its outside of the product cycle, surely its down to the product designer to decide what to do with their product

Well that is what the Russians line of thinking is.

The EU is still getting a 'normal' version right? Alongside the Sans IE version. Like XP and XP N.

[Grey M@a]

Well that is what the Russians line of thinking is.

The EU is still getting a 'normal' version right? Alongside the Sans IE version. Like XP and XP N.

I would imagine if you look at the online retailers there will be the OEM's of the normal versions knocking about.

[GheeTsar]

Leaving the rights and wrongs of the EU judgement aside, MS would be shooting themselves in the reputation foot if they make it difficult to get online. I can't see that they would not incude a foolproof app to install at least IE. I suspect this is a high risk exercise in stirring.

[Crevan]

A BBC article on the topic says the Brussels bunch is still not entirely happy with Microsoft

"In terms of potential remedies, if the Commission were to find that Microsoft had committed an abuse, the Commission has suggested that consumers should be offered a choice of browser not that Windows should be supplied without a browser at all," said the Commission in a statement responding to Microsoft's announcement.

So as I see it, the EU wants MS to promote competitors' products in their own

[Singh400]

As long as they make Apple and all other OSes out there do the same...

[TheAnimus]

If this is going to be missing the internet APIs, that came originaly with IE4, and then 5.

This is going to **** so much stuff up