EU fines Microsoft record $1.35 billion

[Forged]

Forged looks like you didn't read much about it, microsoft bought everyone who tried to compete with them on market=killing competition=monopoly=illegal. I'm glad they fined them cause i hate microsoft

No, I read, I just don't care. I don't think governments should be able to control business like that. For what ever reason microsoft has a very popular product, one that gives them more buying power. If they can afford to buy out competitors more power to them.

Software isn't an inelastic resource, if microsoft raises the price too high someone can come behind them and write new software for less, and if it is a better caliber people will pay for it instead.

[tesco]

Forged looks like you didn't read much about it, microsoft bought everyone who tried to compete with them on market=killing competition=monopoly=illegal. I'm glad they fined them cause i hate microsoft

No, I read, I just don't care. I don't think governments should be able to control business like that. For what ever reason microsoft has a very popular product, one that gives them more buying power. If they can afford to buy out competitors more power to them.

Software isn't an inelastic resource, if microsoft raises the price too high someone can come behind them and write new software for less, and if it is a better caliber people will pay for it instead.

No, because microsoft would then just buy them too.

[Busyman™]

i find anti trust law very ridicules, i mean making some company to innovate less so other have space for innovating, wtf? or making a company have lesser control on their product, am talking about the media player case.

The point your missing is your not allowed to use a monopoly in one market to crush competition in another.

If Microsoft has 90% of the desktop market and you get WMP for free with it that means people are going to start encoding their videos in wmv format since they know 90% of the people can play them.

They are doing exactly the same in the server market. They have a monopoly on the desktop so they implement features in the desktop that only works with MS servers. your now forced to buy their servers or go without.

Their office open formats are also another attempt to keep users locked into their office software. governments around the world are realising that it has lots of documents in formats they cant use any more and are passing laws to say in future everything has to be saved in an open format. So Microsoft have come up with an open standard that only they can implement and incorporates parts of the current .doc file format that no one else has access to.

Microsoft are using their current market position to shaft the consumer not to innovate.

I heard squat about the consumer being shafted until the case was brought against M$ by the DOJ.

The consumers didn't complain. M$ competitors did.

I also heard nothing when Netscape Navigator was the only browser in town.

I also heard nothing when Wordperfect was the de facto standard in word processing software.

I also heard nothing when Lotus 1-2-3 was the de facto standard in spreadsheet software.

Let's not get started on WMP. WMP?!

It gets a little ridiculous when you are fined for including features...thus harming the consumers. Huh?

Let's be clear. The competitors cry foul.

Consumers give a rat's ass.

If the consumer wants another player on their computer....go get it.

Next thing ya know, any little feature in Windows will get a complaint from consumers competitors.

File viewer?
Firewall?
Media player?
Notepad?
Calculator?
fucking browser ? That one still churns my butter
paint program?
Anti-virus? I think that M$ should include an anti-virus program actually
Spyware blocker?
Pop-up blocker?

Uhhh yeah consumers would cry foul cuz they are getting done wrong.

You know what I like? I like when market conditions play out.

With a have-assed product like Windows Vista, I have seen first-hand, people buying Macs.

That's the way it should be. Bad product = no buy.

People have done this years. I don't have Vista as many others don't and M$ has taken a hit. Fix it or fuck off.

Again, I heard no complaints about consumers being harmed until the DOJ said so.

Now I get you and others spouting off their words as if M$ kicked you in the ass for including a frigging web browser and media player.

Give me a fucking break.

[Jdsnut]

They should just pay it.

[saqib]

No, I read, I just don't care. I don't think governments should be able to control business like that. For what ever reason microsoft has a very popular product, one that gives them more buying power. If they can afford to buy out competitors more power to them.

Software isn't an inelastic resource, if microsoft raises the price too high someone can come behind them and write new software for less, and if it is a better caliber people will pay for it instead.

No, because microsoft would then just buy them too.

lozzz , MS cant buy everything mate , they are good in giving fines...