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:Google huh...

[Herby Sagues]

OK, arent you getting things a bit out of perspective? I mean, what's the wose Microsoft ever made? Bundling some software components? Defining pricing for some products based on the purchase of other products? Not caring about the compatibility of some competitor products? All those things are in fact legal and regularly (I'd say systematically) done by the other companies you love and admire. The only reason they've been condemned for doing something illegal (actually, they never got a firm conviction, but that shouldn't be a relevant point) is because they've been successful to the point of reaching a monopoly. And you can't claim they are a monopoly because they did that illegal (or even unethical) stuff, because the stuff they did is only wrong ONCE you are a monopoly. I think comparing minor business misbehavior (yes, minor, it wasn't some accounting scandal, it wasn't stealing trade secrets, and it wasn't tax evasion or anything like that) to war atrocities and genocide is really, really stupid. Unfair pricing, bundling and anticompetitive product design are all bad things and the company was fairly punished because of that (with the results the users are suffering now every day) but they are all things that pale in comparison to the average corporate behavior. PS: the market had been stagnant by 1995? 1990-1995 was the most explosive period in the PC business. I think you were looking at some other market.

Re:Google pushes competitors around too

[Mulielo]

Put another way, they traffic in information. An OS is, when you get right down to it, nothing but information, and there are alternatives to Windows. What will happen when/if there becomes no alternative to Google for web searches?

As an example can mapquest come along and demand that when a user searches for a street in google that their map be displayed prominantly as the first search item instead of google maps? This has a huge impact in the online maps business. You're both idiots. I'm sorry to say it, and I don't like throwing insults around...but really. The real scoop is that Microsoft is doing whatever they can get away with, to get rid of the alternatives to their products (not letting AV companies write AV software for Vista(don't tell me you don't remember that...), this search stuff, M$ Office(changing the format every single release...). And all the other major search engines have their hand in so many pots (email and fantasy sports for yahoo...Microsoft for the other...and for both, all of the ones I can't remember) that those search engines could go months without any use, and the companies behind them would barely notice (that might be a little stretch) but either way, they're not going anywhere any time soon.
 
  As for mapquest...if you want a mapquest map, you go to mapquest.com, you don't go to google. If you go to google, and ask for a map, you get a google map. There's nothing wrong with that at all!!!! If you know you're looking for a map, and you want a mapquest map, then you clearly know how to get to mapquest.com, so if you're really going to google to find your mapquest map, either you're an idiot, or you should try putting "mapquest" into the search box, then clicking the first link, and then typing in the address you're looking for...

Re:Google huh...

[cyphercell]

Ok, I take it back, you're more than mildly psychotic. Take some pills and read my post again, then go to bed. Oh, and good night.