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South Korea Fines Microsoft $32 Million

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the because-it-is-the-fashionable-thing-to-do dept.

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."

2 of 613 comments (clear)

  1. The eternal what if...... by Richard_at_work · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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?

  2. Re:More versions of Windows?! by EvilMonkeySlayer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You're going to really love Windows Vista there are 7 editions. Vista Starter Edition, Vista Home Basic Edition, Vista Home Premium Edition, Vista Ultimate Edition, Vista Small Business Edition, Vista Professional Edition, and Vista Enterprise Edition.

    I can't stand Windows/MSN Messenger, what I find infuriating is that if I uninstall it (it can be uninstalled by using an INI file tweak) Microsoft have reinstalled it in "critical" updates. If I want to stop it from running in the background (even after i've told it not to run at start up or in the background using the prefs) I typically have to mess around using either the registry or group policy on the local machine to stop it.