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Adobe Threatens Microsoft With Suit

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the waving-a-big-stick-around dept.

lseltzer writes "Adobe has threatened an antitrust suit against Microsoft, over PDF writing in Office 2007. Adobe wants Microsoft to separate the feature and charge extra for it. Microsoft has agreed to remove PDF writing, but won't charge extra." From the eWeek article: "In February, Adobe Chief Executive Bruce Chizen told Reuters he considered Microsoft to be the company's biggest concern. 'The competitor I worry about most is Microsoft,' Chizen said at the time. Adobe's PDF technology lets producers create and distribute documents digitally that retain designs, pictures and formatting. "

4 of 362 comments (clear)

  1. Well.... by linuxkrn · · Score: 2, Funny

    Like most /.ers I hate Microsoft, and love it when they get it stuck to them. However, this does worry me a bit. Right now MS-Office is the industry standard. For both work and home I use OpenOffice.org and tell everyone else to use it to.

    What worries me about this is that OOo has PDF export that gave them a nice "feature" that MS-Office didn't have. Now Adobe is going after MS, I have to wonder if OOo gets popular enough they will demand that it be removed too.

    Maybe it's just my cynical anti-big-corporation views, but I don't trust Adobe enough to not use their big stick against OOo.

  2. In other news.. by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 5, Funny

    In order to continue to include PDF functionality, OpenOffice.Org has been forced to double the price of their product.

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  3. Even if it's true that Adobe wants to sue.. by Trelane · · Score: 5, Funny
    I bet I can see why the talks broke down. Licensing Java 1.1.1 to Microsoft for integration into Windows/IE worked out real well for Sun.

    Oh, to be a fly in that Adobe/Microsoft boardroom....

    Adobe: So, we're glad you want to license the PDF spec from us. Microsoft: Yeah, how 'bout that. Say, we thought it would value-enhance PDF to add the Win32DisplayDraw method to our implementation. Adobe: Umm, adding in Windows-specific bits would make the Portable Document Format kinda non-Portable, doncha think? Microsoft: Sure, but right now, the vast majority of your users use Windows, do they not? Adobe: Uh, yeeeah.... Microsoft And you want them to have the richest eXPerience they can with your PDF format and tools, yes? Adobe: Yeeeaah... Microsoft: So why shouldn't we give them Win32PaintControl to take advantage of the capabilities of 99% of your userbase? Adobe: Because it's the Portable Document Format! Hey, wasn't "Win32PaintControl" "Win32DisplayDraw" just a second ago? Microsoft: [waves hand dismissively] Details, details. We thought that the whole Portable thing was funny, since the portability only matters to 0.001% of your customers.

    We also thought you might want to take advantage of the new encryption capabilities for protecting your customers' valuable data with the upcoming Vista Next Generation Secure Computing Base.

    Adobe: PORTABLE! How is "Vista-only" more portable than "Windows-only"?! Microsoft: We understand. You see, we have a passion for your business. We can see that these minor modifications to the PDF standard require quite a bit of time and effort to help upgrade your customers' eXPerience and open to them new Vistas in computing through our partnership. [gets out checkbook]. How much time and effort do you think you'll need? Adobe: [eyes checkbook hungrily] Fi... Hey. Aren't you working on a PDF competitor for this new "Vista in computing"? Microsoft: Now you're just being difficult. For a talking point in our Office 2007 feature laundry list, you're sure annoying us. I think we'd better settle this in the market. We've tried to be reasonable. Adobe: Fine with me. I'm outta here! Enough of this "Windows users are the only users" crapola. [gets up and heads out] Microsoft: What was that?! You say you'll sue us for anti-trust, because you won't license PDF to us! Greedy backstabbers! Adobe: [from a ways off, without looking back] portable! Microsoft: [rolls eyes, sighs] Always with the zealots....
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    Given enough personal experience, all stereotypes are shallow.
  4. Re:Software Dictatorship by iminplaya · · Score: 2, Funny

    I believe we can apply your post to society in general. People really don't want freedom. They don't want to make "hard" choices. I have the same problem. I can't decide whether I want salsa or mustard on my hotdog. I will literally dwell on it for at least five minutes. Life would so much easier if there is only one choice.

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