Google Calls For More Limits On Microsoft

teh_commodore writes "Scientific American is reporting that Google is now asking a Federal judge to extend the government's anti-trust oversight of Microsoft, specifically with regard to desktop search software. Microsoft had already agreed to modify Vista to allow rival desktop search engines, but Google says that this remedy will come too late — specifically, after (most of) the anti-trust agreement expires in November. What makes this political maneuver interesting is that Google went over the heads of the Department of Justice and US state regulators, who had found Microsoft's compromise acceptable, to appeal directly to the Federal judge overseeing the anti-trust settlement." Update: 06/26 17:20 GMT by KD : The judge is unwilling to play along with Google; she said she will likely defer to an agreement on desktop search forged between Microsoft and the plaintiffs in the case: i.e. Justice and the states.

Comments

Re:Do no Evil...By Any Means Neccesary

[wellingj]

It's "Don't be Evil." Doing evil and being evil are subjectively different IMO.
So is using your large companies power for the greater good doing (or being) evil?
I don't really think so...

Marketing

[mfh]

This is a marketing tactic. Google knows that many people will respect this move.

But it brings into focus a new corporate strategy... the use of regulation over competition. Asking for regulation is against the traditional American business philosophy, which typically favours deregulation.

This could play out in favour of Microsoft who will likely ask that Google get regulated more heavily, which will result in some interesting news for the world, to come. And yes, I know something you don't. ;-) And, no, I don't like it, either.

Re:Ahhh, now you know why it sucks.

[Macthorpe]

The consent decree expires in November. If that means what I think it means, Vista is going to suck life more obviously than it already does. I have read enough of your comments to know that things very rarely mean what you think they mean.

It's like they've ignored the consent decree, even while it's in effect. No, they haven't. There's plenty of evidence, this article included, that they're actually doing the opposite.

Normal people are unable to think of what M$ will do next. Another infantile dollar sign, another pathetic piece of rhetoric, another factless comment.