Chump change for Microsoft. They could pay that kind of fine annually and still be able to hire their own military. *May be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea*
Even if Microsoft ends up paying it, the top people will still be wiping their asses with hundred dollar bills. Though with the team of lawyers they have, I can see them weaseling their way out of the fine.
Gustav32Vasa wrote:Why does EU charge them in dollars?
The article is a US based news agency, so they converted it to dollars. Most US residents don't have any idea of what the exchange rate between the US dollar and most other nation's currency is. Stating the fine in Euros would be much akin to a European news agency talking about a fine in Pesos.
Sig images are for people who aren't fucking lazy.
SirNitram wrote:[So the EU commercial court should go after the Bush officials who ensured that Microsoft didn't have to break up after they were found to be violating antitrust laws? Or what?
Huh? The EU doesn't have jurisdiction beyond its borders?
Yes. That was sarcasm. You said go after those who allowed it to get to this point. That'd be Ashcroft's DoJ under Bush. Or are you simply totally ignorant of the whole sordid affair?
No, I wasn't. Though I was having in my mind the mental image of Bush refusing to travel to Europe if the EU ever did that sort of thing, much as when the Hague tried to charge Ariel Sharon over the massacre of Palestinians at a camp.
STGOD: Byzantine Empire Your spirit, diseased as it is, refuses to allow you to give up, no matter what threats you face... and whatever wreckage you leave behind you.
Kreia
Fingolfin_Noldor wrote:
Huh? The EU doesn't have jurisdiction beyond its borders?
Yes. That was sarcasm. You said go after those who allowed it to get to this point. That'd be Ashcroft's DoJ under Bush. Or are you simply totally ignorant of the whole sordid affair?
No, I wasn't. Though I was having in my mind the mental image of Bush refusing to travel to Europe if the EU ever did that sort of thing, much as when the Hague tried to charge Ariel Sharon over the massacre of Palestinians at a camp.
That's the trouble with international megacorporations like Microsoft, they don't give a flying fuck about national borders, sovereignty or the rights of individual nations so long as problems with thoes kinds of things do not impede too harshly on their business. And over on various far right blogs the far right Neocon loonies are whinging about the EU punishing Microsoft for "being better" (more like the lesser of two evils pushing back against Microsoft being too greedy).
Ryan Thunder wrote:Maybe this is a dumb question, but I'm no expert and I don't mind admitting it; what laws are they violating?
I mean, here's how I understand it. Feel free to rip it apart piecemeal if necessary.
Microsoft sells an OS bundled with a bunch of their software. Apple sells their OS bundled with a bunch of their software. Linux doesn't seem to sell anything, but we'll count them anyways because they still take the market away from the other folks.
If Microsoft's OS and/or software bundle is intentionally shitty, why don't people buy/download something else?
They don't release information to other software developers, making it difficult for them to make software compatible with MS products, thus restricting consumers to MS developers.
So, you'd think these software developers would simply write their software for somebody else's OS, right?
But, unless I'm mistaken, they don't. Which leaves me a little baffled because I see two possibilities arising from this (as usual, please inform me of any I don't): 1. Microsoft's products suck, and so does the competition's PR. 2. Microsoft's products actually aren't as bad as everybody seems to want* them to be.
In the first case, it's the competition's fault for not advertising their stuff well enough. In the second case, its their fault for not keeping up (mind, you can't really blame them when Microsoft has the financial weight to throw at a project that they do.)
*pet peeve of mine. I've never crashed Windows using Microsoft's software. Yet people complain about rampant instability...
There's also previous claims a bout how IE or WMP is required for the stability of Windows and can't be removed.
Ryan Thunder wrote:So, you'd think these software developers would simply write their software for somebody else's OS, right?
developers are often forced to write software for Windows became most people use Windows, and its unlikely that this will change any time soon, because migrating to another OS costs money, and people are lazy and like to stick to whatever they're used to. If they wrote software for, say, Mac OS, they'd 'lose' lots of potential customers.
*pet peeve of mine. I've never crashed Windows using Microsoft's software. Yet people complain about rampant instability...
People do often blame MS for crashes that occur because of bad theirs prty software, but Microsoft software isn't too stable, either.
Has this been verified?
Yes. In earlier versions of Windows, Windows relied on IE being there to work properly, IIRC.
Ryan Thunder wrote:So, you'd think these software developers would simply write their software for somebody else's OS, right?
developers are often forced to write software for Windows became most people use Windows, and its unlikely that this will change any time soon, because migrating to another OS costs money, and people are lazy and like to stick to whatever they're used to. If they wrote software for, say, Mac OS, they'd 'lose' lots of potential customers.
I guess.
*pet peeve of mine. I've never crashed Windows using Microsoft's software. Yet people complain about rampant instability...
People do often blame MS for crashes that occur because of bad theirs prty software, but Microsoft software isn't too stable, either.
Well, so people say. I've yet to see it demonstrated, though...
Has this been verified?
Yes. In earlier versions of Windows, Windows relied on IE being there to work properly, IIRC.
Fascinating.
I see some uses for having a second browser and media player as backups (although I use WMP primarily myself), I don't understand why one would require it for system stability.
Ryan Thunder wrote:So, you'd think these software developers would simply write their software for somebody else's OS, right?
developers are often forced to write software for Windows became most people use Windows, and its unlikely that this will change any time soon, because migrating to another OS costs money, and people are lazy and like to stick to whatever they're used to. If they wrote software for, say, Mac OS, they'd 'lose' lots of potential customers.
I guess.
*pet peeve of mine. I've never crashed Windows using Microsoft's software. Yet people complain about rampant instability...
People do often blame MS for crashes that occur because of bad theirs prty software, but Microsoft software isn't too stable, either.
Well, so people say. I've yet to see it demonstrated, though...
Has this been verified?
Yes. In earlier versions of Windows, Windows relied on IE being there to work properly, IIRC.
Fascinating.
I see some uses for having a second browser and media player as backups (although I use WMP primarily myself), I don't understand why one would require it for system stability.
It only ended up required because MS interlaced it so tightly with the OS to get around the first round of bundling complaints.
"Prodesse Non Nocere." "It's all about popularity really, if your invisible friend that tells you to invade places is called Napoleon, you're a loony, if he's called Jesus then you're the president." "I'd drive more people insane, but I'd have to double back and pick them up first..." "All it takes for bullshit to thrive is for rational men to do nothing." - Kevin Farrell, B.A. Journalism. BOTM - EBC - Horseman - G&C - Vampire
Keevan_Colton wrote:It only ended up required because MS interlaced it so tightly with the OS to get around the first round of bundling complaints.
Now everyone and thier dog relies on it being there. And every other major OS has integrated the same services IE offers programs into the OS.
So even if IE was removed, it would simply break too much stuff.
"Okay, I'll have the truth with a side order of clarity." ~ Dr. Daniel Jackson.
"Reality has a well-known liberal bias." ~ Stephen Colbert
"One Drive, One Partition, the One True Path" ~ ars technica forums - warrens - on hhd partitioning schemes.
(more like the lesser of two evils pushing back against Microsoft being too greedy).
