Microsoft: Lets turn the heat up

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'Landmark Antitrust Case' a euthenism for the slime at the EU, Sun Microsystems, and RealNetwork.

In order to get some blood boiling, I realise we have many here who don't have any love for Microsoft, some who like Microsoft; and at least one who would happily be host to its babies.

The subject of this blood-boiling thread is a controversial one; read this for background and then answer the following question:

Were Microsoft, not breaking the law as none of us know a great deal about the law, but doing anything wrong? Should they have to give out code? Should they unbundle Windows Media Player?
 
the only reason why i'd want to see the ms code is so i can create a competing product and form a billion dollar empire after i overthrow them. then i'll swim in money as millions of open source prgrammers wish me death calling me 'Tulsi the Diabolic'

if only it would come to pass.....
 
I don't really mind. The consumer has other choices if they want so I just say well done to Microsoft for gaining the market.
 
I've got nothing against Microsoft and their Media Player but i wish that they would stop their unfair business practices such as mult-platform incompatibility.
 
iamroot said:
I've got nothing against Microsoft and their Media Player but i wish that they would stop their unfair business practices such as mult-platform incompatibility.
Microsoft allow far more Multi-Platform Compatability than any other company! They have universalised so much - you can put any piece of Hardware on a Microsoft Computer and it will work if the hardware is working. You can use any program, any Game. This is due to complete compatability with everything which is only available to the consumer by Microsoft.

What unfair business practices? You could list any if you want?
 
I don't think that windows should have to unbundle anything.

when yuou install linu you get video player sound players internet explorers, cd recorders. these all come free and bundled with the OS (surely that damages these companies chances of getting to seel their applications?)

By telling microsoft that they are cornering people into useing their products is like saying the user is thick. anyone can get a music player and double click and exe file to install it. The EU government is insulting the world suggesting that we have to use media player just because it's there.

If that were true computer games would never be sold, there are games bundled with the OS, and games bundled with new computer purchases.
surely if we have games to start with we won't go out and buy any more?

I think the 'real' criminals (if thats the right word) is real networks, they have produced a codec that they are keeping hidden, forcing people to either pay to watch movies or get their computer riddled with the real networks free edition advert center than will pop up adverts each time you watch something.
The free edition of real player (IMHO) is also 'real' hard to find on the site.

If anyone should stop trying to tie people to their software for their financial profit it should be real networks.
 
I wasn't talking about multi-platform on Windows PCs. I meant on other OSes as well. Wouldn't it be great if Windows could access ext2? It wouldn't hurt its sales or anything like that.
 
yes ms is unfair. if i'm a startup, is there any chance i can compete with ms? no. but what about apple, sun and everyone else? i can't compete with them either.

the whole media player thing makes no sense to me. they might as well bring a case against car manufacturers for including tires. media player has not destroyed its competitors. nor has ms used any business tactics to attempt it.

what next? builders jailed for 'bundling' windows with houses (glass ones mind you)?
 
root said:
I don't think that windows should have to unbundle anything.

when yuou install linu you get video player sound players internet explorers, cd recorders. these all come free and bundled with the OS (surely that damages these companies chances of getting to seel their applications?)

By telling microsoft that they are cornering people into useing their products is like saying the user is thick. anyone can get a music player and double click and exe file to install it. The EU government is insulting the world suggesting that we have to use media player just because it's there.

If that were true computer games would never be sold, there are games bundled with the OS, and games bundled with new computer purchases.
surely if we have games to start with we won't go out and buy any more?

I think the 'real' criminals (if thats the right word) is real networks, they have produced a codec that they are keeping hidden, forcing people to either pay to watch movies or get their computer riddled with the real networks free edition advert center than will pop up adverts each time you watch something.
The free edition of real player (IMHO) is also 'real' hard to find on the site.

If anyone should stop trying to tie people to their software for their financial profit it should be real networks.
They did offer that; Microsoft that is offered to bundle Quicktime in with Windows instead of unbundling Media Player. It seems stupid to make the best OS in the World - a world of Multimedia - unbundle a Multimedia Player from an OS which has users who often cannot install a Media Player?

Very right there. It is now too easy to install a Media Player - and although some still cannot a general trend cannot be made on Microsoft cornering people into something. Not only that - but the Fine was a little much; we all know they can afford it it is just that it could have been used in a far better way. Hopefully they will be able to drag it out for 5 years and have time to crush Sun Microsystems and RealNetworks so that the original ruling doesn't matter.

Lol; good point.

Got a bloody good point there. RealMedia files simply cannot be openned through anything but RealPlayer; whereas Windows Media Files; mpeg, mpg, avi... can be used on any computer, any player, any CD Writer, any DVD Writer. But no, Microsoft are tieing people down to Windows Media Player; and instead should give them code to help them compete 'competitively'. Its not even their lawsuit! It was Sun's - and its become infested like too many computers recently with RealNetworks slug like squelch.

Not that I wanted Sun to win - but on its own it was bad enough. I don't like the idea of Microsoft, a Company grown through Innovation and Gile like many companies including Sun and RealNetworks; should give up code that they created to other companies if they don't want to have to. 'Its not competitive' given the chance, Sun would do it and Real try to do it now!

My advise to companies without the balls to try and beat Microsoft instead of going to the courts and get the powers that be to attempt to hurt Microsoft is that they should try. What Media Players can do now on Windows is not much less than Windows Media Player can do; and with time I'm sure its possible to make a Media Player which people would instantly want more than Windows Media Player (which is given free, without adverts of any kind). And to Sun; they should make better systems; destroy Unix as should have been done years ago and make people want to buy them and not Microsoft.

Nobody in the World has to buy Microsoft; btu they do because they know they'll get software which works, it easy to use, and has many useful features. Security is a problem; and Steve Ballmer in his E-Mail has already said that that should be their highest priority on the run to Longhorn. I'm sure, with it as their highest priority, major security concerns will become a thing of the past in Longhorn, and minor ones will become less of a problem.

God save Microsoft
 
Tulsileaf said:
yes ms is unfair. if i'm a startup, is there any chance i can compete with ms? no. but what about apple, sun and everyone else? i can't compete with them either.

the whole media player thing makes no sense to me. they might as well bring a case against car manufacturers for including tires. media player has not destroyed its competitors. nor has ms used any business tactics to attempt it.

what next? builders jailed for 'bundling' windows with houses (glass ones mind you)?
Lol. Or sueing Windows for including Windows in its Operating System? It is crazy.

You can compete in the World still even against Microsoft with an Operating System. But without the Money behind you it would have to be an Operating System of such high quality. You would have to write all the Drivers yourself or Microsoft would sue you for copying their languages, and you'd have to make very sure to built it from the ground up on a very old computer, then grew it like Windows to form a working product. It would take years basically; of full out work. But think of the learning you'd do in the process? Learning the very workings of a Computer? Learning Assembly Code? Writting a Kernal, File System, and Compiler? The chances of it working are so low; but the learning on even trying is vast.

That is what keeps me trying to do it; to learn.
 
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