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South Korea Fines Microsoft $32 Million
laffer1 writes "South Korea has fined Microsoft $32 million and ordered two new versions of Windows be made. The first version will be stripped of Windows Media Player and MSN IM software and the second must include links to competitors."
I'm starting to think that Microsoft has a pre-set budget for these kind of expenses.
Also, I'm starting to feel sorry for Microsoft. Partially because they didnt steer to avoid this kind of trouble.
2 Steps to profit and less complaining from the gallery...
1. Come up with completely open standards that are not controlled or licensed by you. Come up with these standards along with your peers in the industry, working together.
2. Build software apps and services to smoke the competition in these areas using these standards.
You have the money. And I would stop complaining cause I would ahve one dope system.
Evolution or ID?
I wonder what these courts would do if Microsoft was to actually produce a version of Windows that contained absolutely no 'bundled' software that had a competitor in the market. Imagine a version of Windows with no notepad, wordpad, IE, Windows Explorer, Windows Media Player, screensaver, network browser, task manager, disk defragmenter, TCP stack, Instant Messenger, backup tool, cd player, email client, remote desktop, scripting tool, command prompt or shell.
Imagine an OEM having to supply alternatives to all of these things. Buying the replacements from third parties, or including crippled versions of full products, or using opensource alternatives where they exist. Imagine every OEM doing this, and choosing different products. Imagine sitting down infront of a computer and no longer having a guaranteed set of tools to work with - different browser, email client, file explorer etc.
Im not actually sure I like this but where does bundling end? Consumers expect a certain minimum level of capability in a computer these days, but what is acceptable and what isn't?
make MS include optional software, perhaps on a second disk, with more important things like Firefox being the default browser on an out of the box install. CD 2 could have things like OpenOffice, or Free instant messengers.
i wish i was but oh well
No, it doesn't say links to open source options...it says links to competitors.
If I'm Microsoft, I'm linking to crappy, expensive, third-party apps that look like crap. I'll satisfy the demands of the court and make people think that staying with my (media player/instant messenger/web browser) is by far the way to go.
I have trouble keeping up with all the various versions of Windows. We don't want more Windows, we want fewer!
Seriously, this Windows XP N edition is a complete waste of time, money (truism?!) and energy. If the organisations which have imposed these rulings on Microsoft want to have any real bite, then they must simply ban Microsoft products.
The key here is (I believe) that they don't want their legislation to have any "bite". They do this to satisfy pressure to be seen to be encouraging open markets and free trade while at the same time bowing to pressure from Microsoft.
And, $40M, what a joke. I bet MS never even has to pay it. They'll simply do a deal to ignore all those illegal copies of Windows + Office in South-Koreas government offices! Expect an announcement of a new multi-million Microsoft purchasing deal in the very near future.
return 0; }
fast as fast can be. you'll never catch me.
Yes, why is he laughing? He can deliver software that doesn't work on schedule, or he can make the time to do it right. If he routinely chooses the former, then you already have serious support issues and I doubt that unbundling MSN Messenger is going to materially add to them.
Of course, there are cross platform solutions: Ajax, OpenGL, Java... even dotNet once mono gets up to speed. I expect most developers have heard of at least one of these. Maybe you could explain the idea to your boss and save some future pain?
But at the end of the day, The ignorance of your manager is not our problem, and the fact that many of us, (myself included), have at some time been in that situation is not a compelling argument for supporting a broken and abusive monopoly.
Don't let THEM immanentize the Eschaton!
The problem isn't caused by what Microsoft do, it's caused by what they stop others from doing. Microsoft can make a version of Windows with MSN Messenger built in, but I can't make a version of Windows with a Jabber client and sell it in stores or online. Forcing Microsoft to produce some token version without MSN Messenger won't have any effect.
The marketplace could be made more competitive while still keeping copyright on software. Microsoft could set a fixed price, say $80, for Windows and you could buy a copy at that price. But any third party would be free to take Windows, add their own features and resell it. Obviously Microsoft would still have to get their $80 so this 'Windows plus' might sell for $100. This would make the software market a bit more like other markets, where it's quite legal to buy a car or a house, modify it and resell it.
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
It's true. Amortizing an estimated $40 billion in cash reserves over 15 years indicates an after distributions and taxes profit in excess of $7 million per day.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.