Quick, someone call the whaaambulance

[Martin]

http://politics.slashdot.org/politics/06/03/31/1328249.shtml


I guess dealing with officials that follow through on their threats and enforce the law is a new thing for them. A month or two ago, they delivered 12000 pages of technical documentation which poeple who are involved with this said was worthless.

Why is it so hard for them to just followed the damn laws?


Oh, and before you start bemoaning the "evil socialists" and such, remember that the US found MS guilty as well, only difference is the EU is punishing them...

 

[Forsythe]

This is their last chance. They will have to conform because the european amrket is too big for them to loose. So they're trying everything they can, not surprised. What would surprise me is if the american government does anything about it. And if, then what?

 

[dmcowen674]

Hehehehehehe between Chavez and the EU, Bill & Co aren't very happy Republicans these days. :laugh:

 

[halik]

Hehehe,
interesting. Maybe microsoft will finally be forced to make modular operating system where half of the stuff isn't tied together.

 

[dullard]

Martin, sounds like you are the one doing whining and complaining. So is the whaaambulance for you?

 

[1prophet]

This is not the mid to late 1990's, there are many good free alternative operating systems out. If these governments were to take all the time and effort in going after Microsoft and invest it in free software like Linux they would be killing two birds with one stone.

From original posters article:

They are wasting an enormous amount of time and effort trying to stop Microsoft crushing their competition reactively, when they could take a much more preventitive measure.

All they need to do is clearly legislate that software patents are not allowed in Europe and the rest will take care of itself. Open source alternatives will establish themselves more quickly in the mainstream and competition will accellerate like there's no tommorrow

 

[redfella]

Why am I feeling sorry for Microsoft right now?

 

[maddogchen]

Originally posted by: dullard
Martin, sounds like you are the one doing whining and complaining. So is the whaaambulance for you?

LOL

 

[Martin]

Originally posted by: maddogchen

Originally posted by: dullard
Martin, sounds like you are the one doing whining and complaining. So is the whaaambulance for you?

LOL

uh oh. I've been made fun of in an online forum - I must get the Canadian government to protest this cruel and unfair treatment. Help, help, I'm being repressed!

 

[Starbuck1975]

Why is it so hard for them to just followed the damn laws?

Perhaps because many of those laws, particularly in the EU, were designed with the intent of helping the Free Software Foundation, one of several open source initiatives that have chosen to take down Microsoft legally where they couldn't commercially.

Oh, and before you start bemoaning the "evil socialists" and such, remember that the US found MS guilty as well, only difference is the EU is punishing them...

For what...bundling THEIR software that THEY designed as THEY see fit. I wouldn't call socialists evil, but they sure are stupid sometimes.

Microsoft is only complying because they would be stupid to walk away from the lucrative European market.

 

[conjur]

You rang?

 

[CanOWorms]

Isn't this normal? Canadian lumber companies took control of sectors of the Canadian government and are using the government for help. Maybe they should call the whaaambulance too?

According to the NY Times article, the US is asking the EU to be fair to Microsoft. Many Europeans generally despise Americans, to them Americans are mongrel defects that need to be eliminated. They take offense at Microsoft's success. They resent the success of foreign companies. Microsoft is guilty of many things, but that doesn't mean you should deny them the right to fair defense.

 

[Banzai042]

I'm not sure what to think here, on one hand MS probably isn't being entirely compliant, but at the same time after reading some of the posts about microsoft's compaints it seems like the court is trying to change the rules so that MS is always wrong, I would guess that neither side is in the right here.

Persionally i wonder what would happen if Microsoft suddenly just pulled completely out of the european market and stated that no resellers would be allowed to sell any microsoft products over there, including a computer with windows pre-installed. Eventually the EU would build up open source stuff, but it would take time, and the general population would get pretty pissed off. Particularly if MS stopped any support/updates of european software, and banned resellers from doing the same. Not only that, but the mainstream still relies on the simplicity that comes with a mainstream OS like Windows/mac, sure linux can be more stable/secure/faster, but it lacks the out of the box compatability with the wide range of mainstream programs for the 2 primary systems that consumers use. Once you take windows away you remove just about all ability to game without some serious work in linux, and forget doing it on the mac unless you get something from blizzard or the other few that actually build games for the mac.

 

[imported_Tango]

Originally posted by: CanOWorms
Many Europeans generally despise Americans, to them Americans are mongrel defects that need to be eliminated.

Despise? Yes, sometimes. Every country in the world deserve its share of despise.
Mongrel defects that need to be eliminated? Never heard anything like that. Most people don't want to eliminate anybody.

Is it the reason why on September 12th, 2001 Le Monde had an 8-columns title saying "we are all americans"? Did we forget so fast?

 

[compuwiz1]

This could be an opportune time for Bill Gates to just raise his middle finger in the air (Johnny Cash style), then bow and walk off the stage. He will never need money again in his life. In his position, I would throw in the towel, then go live.

 

[Forsythe]

Originally posted by: CanOWorms
Isn't this normal? Canadian lumber companies took control of sectors of the Canadian government and are using the government for help. Maybe they should call the whaaambulance too?

According to the NY Times article, the US is asking the EU to be fair to Microsoft. Many Europeans generally despise Americans, to them Americans are mongrel defects that need to be eliminated. They take offense at Microsoft's success. They resent the success of foreign companies. Microsoft is guilty of many things, but that doesn't mean you should deny them the right to fair defense.

hahahaha...

ahahahahahaha...

You should be in standup.

 

[chcarnage]

On one hand, I don't see how the US government could significantly influence the EU judicative. On the other hand I still suspect that at some point they will save their neck by themselves and "pay" the fine in software or not at all. My doubts were raised when the EU granted Microsoft a 30 day delay to comply with the judgment at least once.

Edit: Looks like I'm not alone with my opinion. Groklaw too thinks that Microsoft plays for time once again.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Originally posted by: CanOWorms
Isn't this normal? Canadian lumber companies took control of sectors of the Canadian government and are using the government for help. Maybe they should call the whaaambulance too?

According to the NY Times article, the US is asking the EU to be fair to Microsoft. Many Europeans generally despise Americans, to them Americans are mongrel defects that need to be eliminated. They take offense at Microsoft's success. They resent the success of foreign companies. Microsoft is guilty of many things, but that doesn't mean you should deny them the right to fair defense.

You're right, they are entitled to a defence, and to play by rules that were already in place, not new ones.

What does Canadian lumber have to do with this though? I'm still waiting for some American with influence to pick up on your plan of paying off the illegal subsidies, then withdrawing from NAFTA. I think it would be the best thing for both of our countries. I also doubt it would negatively affect trade in the long run.

 

[firewall]

Originally posted by: Martin
Oh, and before you start bemoaning the "evil socialists" and such, remember that the US found MS guilty as well, only difference is the EU is punishing them...

:thumbsup: to the EU.