Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Defies EU Commission
otahkgeek writes "Wired News is reporting that Microsoft claims that by removing Windows Media Player from Windows, it would be forced to ship a substandard version to European consumers. This is on the heels of a three-day hearing by a European commission to determine the validity of charges that Microsoft illegally abused its power over the home computer market."
I guess M$ figures that if G.W. Bush can get away with defying the EU (by slapping tarriffs on EU steel, which the WTO has ruled are illegal) then why should B. Gates be able to get away with it?
"Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney
Bill really is looking out for the customers. You see, he feels hurt that he'd be forced to give them a product that would do anything less than completely lock out all of those....."undesirable" programs.
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
This is horrible, as a user I am doubtfull of what this means for the DRM I was so looking forward to and the universal acceptance of IE/WMP as the de facto standard for all streaming media!!
</sarcasm>
And with iTunes getting hotter and hotter each week, this might actually do something to level the playing field. Unlike here in the states where they were punished with a fat Gov't education account. Damaging who else, but their competitor, Apple Computer Inc. who had until recently been a big player in Education.
So how hard is it to renounce my unwanted US citizenship and get a shiny new citizenship in say, any member nation of the EU, where the gov't seems less tolatarian and dare I say sane?
Linux lin-sux probably sucks more than Windows, due to the fact fat sexless greasy pigs who change shit all the time and randomly making life hell for SGI, Sun, IBM and others who have to deal with the trash.
Where is your "better OS?" hrm? I don't see you writing one. Until "you fuckers" stop whining and start making Linux not suck so fucking hard, or send Apple the message that overpriced hardware (like 2x overpriced) isn't going to cut it at a big company.
So you have a choice:
OR: Use Solaris and FreeBSD and ignore the world. I do this.
Make Linux not suck dick. Fire Marcelo tos-ASS-i and get IBM to be the maintainer of Lin-Sux.
Get apple to stop charging ridiculous and outrageous prices for software patches (like Jaguar to
Panther: a fucking patch that erases hard drives) and hardware, the G5 is a fucking boat anchor, slow as ass , and its fucking expensive with IDE/SATA. AHAHHAHAHA. And no ECC HAHAHAHAH.
It's bad news for anyone who owns a business (other than Real) and does not want the Government to tell them what to do.
No reason to lie.
American /. reader here! Now no offense intended, but can the ministers of the EU be bought or threatened? American Justices are up for sale, it seems.
It warmed the cockles of my part-German heart when Munchen told MS to shove it, I just hope that the whole of the EU has the moxie to stand up to BillyG.
Your leaders showed backbone against Prez Bush when Saddam owed you Billions. But having the backbone to do what is right for their people and the world when the real "Great Satan" is offering billions to those those same leaders is quite another.
People of the European Union, Reagan told Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!" Now it is your turn to say: "Mr Gates: Tear down this Monopoly!"
Slashdot promotes racist workplace violence!!
The giant advertisement on the right seems to be tempting me to "rule the cube jungle with the power of air" by firing some sort of weapon at a monkey in a task chair. Are they suggesting that I bring a weapon to work and start assassinating my Afro-American co-workers? The answer seems pretty obvious to me.
Losers just can't stand to see someone win. Especially when that someone is always at the top of their game every time. Instead the losers have to go whining to the governement to intervene and this it all gets dragged through the mud. All you Windows Haters out there better wake the fuck up and realize Microsoft has won. Why would anyone want to bother with substandard OSes that don't have the features they want? People WANT Microsoft. That's the basic fact that a lot of you weenies seem to like to overlook.
In the Long run, Microsoft has done more for innovation, security, and advanced developments in the computer industry than any other entity be they free or proprietary. Sure Windows has it's problems, but so does Lunix and the *BSDs. And don't even get me started on all that holy war crap about ethics. If there's one thing that history has proven again and again, it's that ethics get in the way of progress. Lunix hippies like Richard Stallman (they call him that because he likes to hang out in public bathrooms looking for gay sex in the stalls. Stall Man. Geddit?) haven't contributed anything to the world of computing that is worthwhile. What does he have to his credit? a byzantine text editor that sucks just as much donkey dick as 'vi' (you vi vs. emacs folks need to get a life)? What abou gcc you say? Well... WHAT ABOUT IT? It's a freaking C compiler. Big whoop. I wrote a C compiler for my Junior year in CS.
I think men with real brains like Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are the victors here. The rest of you just plain suck.
keep those illegal steel tariffs! Remember you need to win votes
If he wants my vote, only way that's going to happen is a 500% tarriff on "Offshoring" jobs, to be paid directly to the laid-off employees.
No wait, alternatively, how about a pair of laws:
1) Every executive who decides to "Offshore" any American job must have his recent photo, full legal name, and home address published on posters to be placed in Union Halls, Gun Stores, and Places where Alcohol is Served, and
2) Any American whose job has been "offshored" shall be considered to be under "extreme emotional duress," "not responsible for his actions," and "Not Guilty of murder" for a period of one year.
Now THAT, I would vote for.
Hitler should have wiped you all out when he had the chance.
We supported the wrong contry during WWII