I don't know how this failure happened, but I'm certain it wasn't intentional. IE market research has been tracking the effect of the browser ballot closely and found it to be almost completely negligible - the people who don't pick IE from familiarity / brand recognition are the same people who would have downloaded another browser anyway. They wouldn't have risked another legal/PR/financial fiasco over that. I'd really hate to be whoever's responsible for whatever snafu was the immediate cause ...
Europe Closer to Fining Microsoft Billions Over Failure To Offer IE Alternatives
21–30 of 32 posts
Re: Europe Closer to Fining Microsoft Billions Over Failure To Offer IE Alternatives
#22Relevant. http://xkcd.com/1118/
Re: Europe Closer to Fining Microsoft Billions Over Failure To Offer IE Alternatives
#23When are they going to fine Apple? I don't get a choice on iOS...
The definition of a monopoly according to the US government, is a 60% market share.
As Apple doesn't have a 60% market share on smartphones, they are allowed to do what they want.
Re: Europe Closer to Fining Microsoft Billions Over Failure To Offer IE Alternatives
#24Question: I think if you disagree with (software) patents, you must also disagree with these anti-monopoly laws. Everyone must be equal and free to compete, even companies with trillions of dollars in bank. It's 3 AM here so I can't make a good case why I feel that way (so I rather not to, in case I'm misunderstood and people waste their time arguing about what I don't mean), but I want to know what others think abou…
> I think if you disagree with (software) patents, you must also disagree with these anti-monopoly laws. ...Do you have a reason for thinking that? The connection isn't obvious. If your reason for disagreeing with software patents is an aversion to government intervention then, ok, sure, that reason would also extend to disliking competition law. But if your reason for disagreeing with software patents is, say, becau…
To be honest I can't understand your comment right now (I'm tooo sleepy - it's 5:35 AM!), so I can't comment on that. But the gist of what I was getting at was this: is government intervention in a free market "a good thing"? Even if it is to (temporarily?) protect us from the evil of Big Co.?
Re: Europe Closer to Fining Microsoft Billions Over Failure To Offer IE Alternatives
#25When are they going to fine Apple? I don't get a choice on iOS...
The definition of a monopoly according to the US government, is a 60% market share. As Apple doesn't have a 60% market share on smartphones, they are allowed to do what they want.
What does the US government have to do with EU law?
Re: Europe Closer to Fining Microsoft Billions Over Failure To Offer IE Alternatives
#26This might have made some sense back in ~2002 when all other browsers were DOA. Seems almost cruel to watch the EU stomp a dying browser further into the pavement. Surely it would be more fitting for the EU to look into UEFI or Windows 8 RT which IIRC will not allow other browsers at all.
I agree this is a less important issue today than some years back. However is it worth noting;
1) MS 'might' get this fine. It is not a done deal so this headline of fining them for billions is a little sensationalist.
2) The fine is not now for anti-competitive behavior, but for breaching their settlement from 3 years ago, a time when MS did dominate, chrome was a distant blip on the radar and the browser landscape was quite different. See 2009: http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-eu-monthly-200807-201210
Re: Europe Closer to Fining Microsoft Billions Over Failure To Offer IE Alternatives
#27You all are being unfair. Whatever you think of the settlement, Microsoft agreed to these terms. Then it simply stopped abiding by the agreement.
Microsoft is clearly in the wrong here.
Re: Europe Closer to Fining Microsoft Billions Over Failure To Offer IE Alternatives
#28I live in the EU and have legal install of windows for XP,Vista and Win7 and can saftly say I already installed another browser and found the whole chose one option provided as a required patch most annoying. Sad thing is any user at the level of not being able to install a alternative browser are also the users more prone to have botnets and other malware installed upon there compter. That is the real issue that the…
A key difference between Microsoft Windows and other operating systems is that it was declared a monopoly.
Being deemed a monopoly Microsoft Windows is held to different standards to all the other options that you mentioned.
That said, I think that we are approaching at time when Microsoft shouldn't be considered a monopoly.
did that happen just in the US, or did it also happen in the EU?
Re: Europe Closer to Fining Microsoft Billions Over Failure To Offer IE Alternatives
#29Tis is kind of sad. What are the legal reprecussions if MS tells the EU to take a hike? No desktop windows in EU?
My guess would be this plus possible legal actions against individuals (should they really tell them to "take a hike").
Re: Europe Closer to Fining Microsoft Billions Over Failure To Offer IE Alternatives
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
The definition of a monopoly according to the US government, is a 60% market share. As Apple doesn't have a 60% market share on smartphones, they are allowed to do what they want.
What does the US government have to do with EU law?
I think it's 40% of the market for EU laws. At least it's 40% when they start investigating you.