In all fairness to Intel, I've used both Intel and AMD chips over the years (I was a big fan of AMD back when the Athlon 64 was blowing away Intel's chips). But the reason I went with Intel on my last upgrade wasn't because of any anti-competitive behavior (Newegg certainly wasn't bullied into not carrying AMD), it's because Intel's Core 2 chips were a lot better than AMD's chips. I'm glad to have AMD in the game too, but this ruling isn't going to make their chips any better.
1 billion Euros is not "chump change" in any sense. Yes, the total bailouts are ultimately going to go over a trillion Euros, but any time a SINGLE COMPANY is fined even a thousandth of a trillion Euros, that's REAL money. It's kind of sad when we've reached the point where $1.4 billion seems like "chump change."
Yeah, you don't NEED it. But both Leopard and Ubtuntu COME with them, nonetheless. So if you're going to tell MS they can't install a default browser, then you need to tell Apple and Canonical the same thing (or you're just giving THEM the unfair advantage). What no one wants to admit is that the "MS shouldn't be allowed to come with a default browser" argument is a relic of the 90's. These days, the consumer EXPECTS a default browser with their OS (whatever that OS is). A browser included with an OS today is no more anti-competitive than a browser with any other basic app (media player, calculator, telnet, etc.). This is especially true since most browsers today are basically non-commercial (they're all free and none really make any direct money for their companies).
I wouldn't mind their money, but I also like that I can sleep at night with a clear conscience. I'm just not cutthroat enough to be a CEO of one of these companies myself. Maybe I'm a sap, but I would probably be one of the clean athletes getting pwned by Bonds, but at least knowing that MY record was real (and would never have an asterisk after it).
I stand corrected. But I still maintain that the EU doesn't plan to just stop with Intel. The recession just gives them more impetus to go after some big names. I suspect MS and Apple are in their sights as well (particularly given their grumblings over Apple and the iTunes/iPod lock-in in recent years).
"The Commission finds that Intel did not compete fairly"
Not to be too harsh about it, but has ANY company ever really "competed fairly"? It seems to me that if you're playing fair, you're usually not really competing (not in the top tier anyway). Sure, there are great companies like Canonical who are playing fairly in the OS market, for example, but are they really "competing" when the much more cutthroat Apple and MS consistently control 99% of the OS market and shut them out of every mainstream retailer? Sad as it is to say, you almost HAVE to play dirty to "compete" in any real sense. I certainly bet a lot of clean professional athletes must have felt that way when they saw guys like McGwire, Bonds, etc. knocking them out of the park while they struggled.
Who says the EU plans to stop with just Intel? I suspect they'll be hitting a lot more non-European companies with these fines if the recession continues (European companies will get a free pass, of course).
Why should Windows be singled out as the only OS not allowed to come with a default browser when Leopard/Ubuntu/etc. all do the EXACT same thing? And how exactly are you supposed to download a competing browser after a fresh install of Windows if you can't go to their website (because you don't have a browser)?
How about they build a giant monument to the concept of Pareidolia and the public fascination with seeing old men in rock formations, Elvis in potato chips, and the Virgin Mary in highway overpass stains?
It would probably help more if the examples the guy cites weren't all two or more game generations out of date. Seriously, when I read that article, I thought I had stumbled onto something written eight years ago, not in 2009. No mention of the narrative in games like Oblivion, Fable, etc.? WTF?
Some of the schools in the "Corridor of Shame" are falling apart so badly that they have to beg private companies for basic furniture. The education department should at least get the basic facilities of the schools functioning before they start getting this extravagant. There are schools in the lowcountry that still don't have air-conditioning (in a state where it can get into the 100's, and a wet heat to boot) and have holes in the classroom walls you can see daylight through.
The "forensics expert of the RIAA's choosing" pretty much negates all other protections in this order. That's like telling me "You can't peak into my email" then saying "But you can have any one of your best friends peak, with no supervision."
I sense a lot of investor lawsuits in their future. I've long suspected that they actually gave up on the games years ago and were just shining on their investors to keep the wolves at bay. Looks like time finally ran out.
That all sounds incredibly fishy to me. The guy loses a fortune as the stock market tanks, tries to claim that his voluntary resignation was forged to get back that money, then says he didn't notice said forgery because he was in quarantine (they don't allow phones and the internet in health quarantine, wtf?).
Man that whole story stinks like an unemployed WoW player and raises more questions than the old guy in a college class.
THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, YOU HEARD CORRECTLY! Everything! Furniture, chairs, computers, bookcases. You name it, it goes! We've got office supplies, filing cabinets, computers! Heck, we'll even sell you the carpet if you want it! Come on down THIS WEEKEND to the SCO Liquidation Sale, at our liquidation warehouse right off the I-75 Encino Road Exit. Free financing available! Free cotton candy for the kids available!
That's all fine and dandy, but until Canonical can name me some open source software that can compare to Adobe's Windows/Apple stuff (Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.), then it's either WINE, Windows, or Apple for me (and even WINE doesn't run the latest stuff). That hippie "OSS or nothing!" stuff is great for light work and 1 a.m. dormroom philosophy, but it doesn't cut it for those of us who use our computers for a lot more than browsing the web and sending some email.
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Then the shuttle program gets retired a little earlier than planned.
In all fairness to Intel, I've used both Intel and AMD chips over the years (I was a big fan of AMD back when the Athlon 64 was blowing away Intel's chips). But the reason I went with Intel on my last upgrade wasn't because of any anti-competitive behavior (Newegg certainly wasn't bullied into not carrying AMD), it's because Intel's Core 2 chips were a lot better than AMD's chips. I'm glad to have AMD in the game too, but this ruling isn't going to make their chips any better.
1 billion Euros is not "chump change" in any sense. Yes, the total bailouts are ultimately going to go over a trillion Euros, but any time a SINGLE COMPANY is fined even a thousandth of a trillion Euros, that's REAL money. It's kind of sad when we've reached the point where $1.4 billion seems like "chump change."
Yeah, you don't NEED it. But both Leopard and Ubtuntu COME with them, nonetheless. So if you're going to tell MS they can't install a default browser, then you need to tell Apple and Canonical the same thing (or you're just giving THEM the unfair advantage). What no one wants to admit is that the "MS shouldn't be allowed to come with a default browser" argument is a relic of the 90's. These days, the consumer EXPECTS a default browser with their OS (whatever that OS is). A browser included with an OS today is no more anti-competitive than a browser with any other basic app (media player, calculator, telnet, etc.). This is especially true since most browsers today are basically non-commercial (they're all free and none really make any direct money for their companies).
I wouldn't mind their money, but I also like that I can sleep at night with a clear conscience. I'm just not cutthroat enough to be a CEO of one of these companies myself. Maybe I'm a sap, but I would probably be one of the clean athletes getting pwned by Bonds, but at least knowing that MY record was real (and would never have an asterisk after it).
I stand corrected. But I still maintain that the EU doesn't plan to just stop with Intel. The recession just gives them more impetus to go after some big names. I suspect MS and Apple are in their sights as well (particularly given their grumblings over Apple and the iTunes/iPod lock-in in recent years).
"The Commission finds that Intel did not compete fairly"
Not to be too harsh about it, but has ANY company ever really "competed fairly"? It seems to me that if you're playing fair, you're usually not really competing (not in the top tier anyway). Sure, there are great companies like Canonical who are playing fairly in the OS market, for example, but are they really "competing" when the much more cutthroat Apple and MS consistently control 99% of the OS market and shut them out of every mainstream retailer? Sad as it is to say, you almost HAVE to play dirty to "compete" in any real sense. I certainly bet a lot of clean professional athletes must have felt that way when they saw guys like McGwire, Bonds, etc. knocking them out of the park while they struggled.
Who says the EU plans to stop with just Intel? I suspect they'll be hitting a lot more non-European companies with these fines if the recession continues (European companies will get a free pass, of course).
TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
Why should Windows be singled out as the only OS not allowed to come with a default browser when Leopard/Ubuntu/etc. all do the EXACT same thing? And how exactly are you supposed to download a competing browser after a fresh install of Windows if you can't go to their website (because you don't have a browser)?
How about they build a giant monument to the concept of Pareidolia and the public fascination with seeing old men in rock formations, Elvis in potato chips, and the Virgin Mary in highway overpass stains?
It would probably help more if the examples the guy cites weren't all two or more game generations out of date. Seriously, when I read that article, I thought I had stumbled onto something written eight years ago, not in 2009. No mention of the narrative in games like Oblivion, Fable, etc.? WTF?
Some of the schools in the "Corridor of Shame" are falling apart so badly that they have to beg private companies for basic furniture. The education department should at least get the basic facilities of the schools functioning before they start getting this extravagant. There are schools in the lowcountry that still don't have air-conditioning (in a state where it can get into the 100's, and a wet heat to boot) and have holes in the classroom walls you can see daylight through.
The "forensics expert of the RIAA's choosing" pretty much negates all other protections in this order. That's like telling me "You can't peak into my email" then saying "But you can have any one of your best friends peak, with no supervision."
Quite a bit...in the 20th century.
If we get really lucky, he'll start charging for foxnews.com too.
I sense a lot of investor lawsuits in their future. I've long suspected that they actually gave up on the games years ago and were just shining on their investors to keep the wolves at bay. Looks like time finally ran out.
That all sounds incredibly fishy to me. The guy loses a fortune as the stock market tanks, tries to claim that his voluntary resignation was forged to get back that money, then says he didn't notice said forgery because he was in quarantine (they don't allow phones and the internet in health quarantine, wtf?).
Man that whole story stinks like an unemployed WoW player and raises more questions than the old guy in a college class.
Man, who would have thought the once-cool MS would one day become as heavy-handed as Apple!
Is it wrong that I would be much more interested in seeing their "Sunday School Musical" than "High School Musical 3"?
THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, YOU HEARD CORRECTLY! Everything! Furniture, chairs, computers, bookcases. You name it, it goes! We've got office supplies, filing cabinets, computers! Heck, we'll even sell you the carpet if you want it! Come on down THIS WEEKEND to the SCO Liquidation Sale, at our liquidation warehouse right off the I-75 Encino Road Exit. Free financing available! Free cotton candy for the kids available!
C O M E O N D O W N !!!!!
"Evil, Manipulative Women Everywhere Suddenly Deprived of Only Method to Trap Husband"
Fake artifacts?!?!? Back in *my* day, grave robbers had ethics!
That's all fine and dandy, but until Canonical can name me some open source software that can compare to Adobe's Windows/Apple stuff (Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.), then it's either WINE, Windows, or Apple for me (and even WINE doesn't run the latest stuff). That hippie "OSS or nothing!" stuff is great for light work and 1 a.m. dormroom philosophy, but it doesn't cut it for those of us who use our computers for a lot more than browsing the web and sending some email.
Actually, I suspect, not as much as they probably think.