Toolkit

Story: Monti to Microsoft: Guilty as charged

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EC dictates what constitutes an OS - apparently, an operating system is no longer allowed to operate the soundcard, speakers & CD/DVD drive components of a PC.

Apple, however, ship their CD & DVD players as part of Mac OS X - AND tie their systems to their own brand hardware, but that's OK.

Real Player plays proprietary Windows Media files, yet Media Player doesn't play Real Audio files, you'd need to download a copy of Real Player - if you're daft enough to willingly install their nefarious spyware.

Next court case: Microsoft's forthcoming security measures harm firewall companies -since this will be to the fore in their future OS releases (perhaps). It looks like the DOJ & EC won't be satisfied until the Microsoft OS is back to the old C:\ prompt.

I hope that the Microsoft-bashers who voted that the sanctions are too lenient:
a) wouldn't mind seperately downloading each component of the Windows OS,
b) are very knowledgeable about setting up & using Linux
c) or intend to buy Macs (costing much more than a similar spec Microsoft-operated PC).

At the end of the day, this ruling does nothing to bring down the cost of software - precisely the opposite - and it will likely harm the quality of future media software. Media Player is one of the strengths in the Windows OS - if Real Player could release software of similar or better quality, they wouldn't be whingeing constantly, as they'd have customers.

Microsoft offered to bundle Real & Quicktime along with Media Player, but apparently that's not good enough. Perhaps the EC realised that Media Player, as the superior product, would still win as the majority choice between the three - or maybe they just thought that Microsoft is too good a cash-cow not to milk it.

Good luck Microsoft - I hope you win & that the jealous, petty whiners get what they deserve.

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