May 8, 2007 5:34 AM PDT
EU cautioned on any Microsoft break-up
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Although frustrated by what it says is Microsoft's noncompliance, EU is warned that a "structural remedy" might not fix problem.
The story "EU cautioned on any Microsoft break-up" published May 8, 2007 at 5:34 AM is no longer available on CNET News.
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Even if Gates gave away every penny of his 50 billion tomorrow, it still wouldn't compare to the years of tax revenue and charitable giving that did not happen because Microsoft was permitted to act as they did. No one company has anywhere near the effect on the economy for increasing wealth as decades of vibrant, free and innovative creation on the part of the economy as a whole.
Microsoft is a wealth concentration and reduction machine. While it destroys market value and economic activity, it make Gates very rich. Gates breaks a little bit of his wealth off to poorer nations in exchange for the perception that he is morally concerned. The main purpose is control- he want public sympathy for his company and he wants political power.
This is a pathological personality and a sociopathic company. Break them up. Yesterday.
http://www.os2bbs.com/os2news/OS2History.html
Let "history" and the market forces be the JUDGES (and, not the European Commission)!
If they were a big company that cared about it's customers and acted like it, maybe they would have some loyalty.
Before they (or as I'm British, we) start fining M$ billions perhaps we should consider how much Europe steals from them each year. If Europe and Microsoft settled, M$ giving up the patents on all their IP (which the EU is effectively demanding control over the pricing of for the benefit of European companies), but the EU paid up all the money from pirated windows, office, games, etc. in European piracy, Microsft wouldn't be complaining.
Instead we have an irrelevant behemoth that only maintains it position through unethical and illegal tactics and couldn't produce a good product if their collective lives depended on it.
Of course if they did stop Microsoft products from selling one would have to wonder about the cost to end-users. For business the prospect of eventually moving to another OS is costly.
Instead of innovating, they prefer to break the law to keep their position. Law breakers whether they are huge companies or a single person should face punishment.
If the law means nothing, then we no longer have a civil society.
The EU also should drop the break-up idea because they have no jurisdiction over an American company.
Else we should break up the European drug companies that are over charging Americans for their prescription drugs. Companies like Bayer for example, who hold the patent and exclusive rights to make the immunization & antidote to anthrax. Isn?t allowing such a patent to continue a violation of our own National Security? Should it be allowed that the American Military be made to rely on foreign drug companies for it?s immunizations for our troops?
Fact: Microsoft has done more to bring the computer and all its benefits into the modern home and business then any other company in existence.
All you linux freaks can try to convince us otherwise, but the simple fact is the average home user, business user and even the advanced users aren?t knowledgeable enough to effectively use any form of linux.
Mac fans may have some ground to stand on, but until you allow your OS to run on independent hardware platforms you will forever be relegated that less then 5% share of the pc market. Not to mention Mac is a good 20 years behind Microsoft on the server side of the market.
It would appear to me that the EU bureacracy in Brussels exists mainly to do everything in their power to destroy American companies, while protecting inefficient, moribound European outfits.
They did the same thing to Boeing a few years back, in an ultimately doomed attempt to protect AirBUST. Today, Boeing is busy clobbering the goverment subsidized Airbus in the market.
The EU does not have the power to break up ANY American company, let alone mighty Microsoft.
The US Justice Department of these United States is going to have plenty to say about that.
Meanwhile, if the retards at the EU, and this Amerca-hating so-called "competition commisioner" of the EU refuses to see sense, we can always send in the B2's and Raptors.
So if the justice department does have somthing to say they should say they fully support the decision, as they were in 2000 or explain why they felt that the company should not be broken up and explain their thinking and what changes Microsoft made that change their minds about the break up. Off course bush will probably not let them.
Now their plenty competitors out their but the real probablem have been Microsoft in the past forcing pc Manufacturers in to making their brand exclusive Microsoft windows for them to get a Microsoft license, forcing consumers in buying Microsoft, as no other offering was available of Home pc out of the box, hop fully with dell selling Linux in the coming years and with EU government starting to adopt Linux base systems for their government departments we can see progress on the move way from microsoft.
I would love to see break up, but this depends on if you politicians stop taking bribe, oops should really stop using that word meant donations, and get some balls and confront Microsoft themselves.,
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+starts+Latin+American+research+institute/2100-1008_3-6182077.html?tag=nefd.top
To get Latin Americans more "educated and become a player to create a knowledge-based economy to compete with India and China,"; so, first it was IBM which moved some of its laboratory facilities from places in the EU to the Indian Sub-Continent and now it is the Microsoft Corporation which is starting a Latin American research institute. Just what does this tells us. Pretty soon the EU might be in the history books as far as computing prowess may be concerned all because they seem to be unable to utilise their brain power to compete without having their motherly Governments to legislate against U.S. companies in order that they can compete in the international market place.
And, frankly, its all Microsofts own fault.
Microsoft is a repeatedly convicted criminal-enterprise. They were found guilty throughout the United States. They were found guilty at the Federal-level. They were found guilty at the appellate-level. They were found guilty in Europe. They were found guilty in Asia. And, it doesnt look like Microsoft is going to, simply, get-away with their crimes and endless delaying strategies, as successfully, outside the United States.
Furthermore, most people feel that Microsoft is a pack of two-faced liars. Even now, for example, Microsoft is trying desperately to convince customers that... consumers losing virtually all of their basic rights through "WGA", and "WPA"... is actually for, "...the customers benefit". Yes, this is the latest official propaganda-strategy, but of course, this lie isnt, really, working. And now, Microsoft is desperately trying to convince their resellers to actually spread this nonsense to their customers and convince them that these obscene programs, not only dont harm consumer-rights, and product-usability... but actually, somehow, enhance the Microsoft-products.
However, youd have to be pretty damn stupid to buy that one... And, apparently, most people just arent that stupid.
Microsoft is, also, -still- trying to unfairly-control, and extract revenue from the entire computer-industry... Heard of Microsofts "driver signing" scam..? Guess what, it has nothing to do with "stability", or "security". Its actually primarily about "MS-DRM" compliance, Microsoft-control, and "signing fees" (read the white-papers from Microsoft).
And, Microsoft continues to move ahead with its "per user" licensing (as opposed to per-machine licensing) plan, and "software as a service" (perpetual payment extraction) scam. These have actually been "road-mapped" goals for quite some time. In fact, many of the neccesary technologies are actually already part of Vista. Also, while I havent heard the term "Trusted Computing" in a little while (I guess Microsoft realized what a bad-name it had, rightfully, achieved throughout the computer-world), all of the technological-underpinnings are still, very much, being imposed, as quickly as possible.
And, Microsoft is still, clearly, trying to misappropriate other peoples ideas and business-niches, and turn them into, exclusive, Microsoft revenue-streams... "Silverlight", anybody..? "One Care"..?
Microsofts various "FUD" campaigns also continue unabated. Except that, now, Microsofts anti-Linux-campaign has actually shifted more towards their, earlier, "embrace, extend, and eliminate" approach (of licensing for market-leverage). Microsoft has also, now, begun a program to try to convince people to move "...back to Microsoft"... where before... they were simply trying to stop people from "switching" in the first place.
Also, I have heard, from Microsoft employees, that the employee-disatisfaction and turn-over rates have reached unprecedented levels.
Overall, not a good sign for Microsoft.
I guess copying, bundling, and monopoly-based product-integration really were Microsofts only real business-talents.
Additionally, frankly (despite Microsofts bogus marketing-claims), Microsofts latest products are actually, simply, failing miserably in the marketplace...
"Vista" is a complete disaster. Virtually everyone in the IT-industry is saying to stay away from it. Even those businesses (both national, and local) that were poised to sell "Vista", have begun backing away from the product... Or, in some cases, they have actually begun to recommend against acquiring, or using, it.
Most IT-people, and even (more privately) salesmen, have begun stating that "Vista" is overpriced, too restrictive, too unsupported, and offers nothing of substance.
And, once the, so-called, "anti-piracy" actions within "Vista" (such as intentionally crippling the OS if Microsofts, already proven to be flawed "WGA" fails to "authenticate" correctly)... begin to be felt throughout the IT-industry, Microsoft is, undoubtedly, going to be hit with literally billions of dollars worth of lawsuits. Shortly after this, I expect that Microsofts "EULAs" are finally going to face a real examination in the courts... and I cant imagine that Microsoft is going to be too pleased when they find out just how totally unreceptive the legal-system is going to be towards Microsofts many, utterly unreasonable, and often-illegal, stipulations, and claims, of post-sale ownership and control, by Microsoft.
Furthermore, the resistance to "Office 2007" appears to be even worse than the initial resistance against being pushed to switch to "Office 2003". And, Ill only briefly mention all the problems, and animosity, I am hearing from new "IE 7" users.
And, then theres "Zune"...
Not to mention Microsofts, numerous, long-term product-quality, security, and pricing, issues, or their strip-and-ship-late product-development ("Windows virtualization" is the latest casualty). Clearly, none of these problems have actually been addressed.
Everyone I know feels that Microsoft is going down. And that, it is their own inability to compete honestly, or treat their customers fairly, that has led to this. Microsoft is, simply, not capable of changing. And, one more spin, or image, campaign... just isnt going to do anything to halt Microsofts inevitable-demise.
Soon, with Microsofts growing expenditures, and virtually-flat "stock" (and with their product-problems, consumer-problems, marketplace-problems, and legal-problems) I think many analysts truly expect to see a rapidly-accelerating devaluation of the company. In fact, personally, I believe that Microsoft could, literally, quite-quickly find itself in the penny-stock category... facing the same, utter, financial-collapse as several other, previously, seemingly-unstoppable large-corporations that have, so-recently, failed so-dramatically.
Personally, we have contacted our financial-consultant, just to make sure that our retirement-savings, do not, in any way, contain, nor are they tied into, Microsoft-stock.
- "Had_to_be_said " = Stark ravng lunatic
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by Kwasiowusu
May 24, 2007 6:25 AM PDT
- "Your posts continue to demonstrate an, almost-unbelievable, level of falsehood, ignorance, and childishness"
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See all 116 Comments >>Your pots continue t prove yoi need psychiatric help.
Listen, there are plenty of places where Microosft-hating madmen have been getting treatment for the past 20 years. Only thing is, it don't do them much good. Microsoft continues to prosper, and the Microsoft-haters continue to bang their heads against concrete walls.
Sorry.
""Penfield Jackson"(s) rulings of "fact", and LEGAL "verdict" WERE... UPHELD... by every court"
Yeah?
Read this, fool:
"ISSUING A WARNING about the ?limited competence of courts? to evaluate high-tech products, the three-member appeals panel reversed a key ruling by Judge Jackson, finding he had exceeded his authority by issuing an injunction the government never asked for and appointing a ?special master? to review technical issues."
And this:
"Friends suggest that his past troubles ? he was particularly hurt two years ago when a local magazine branded him ?one of the least-respected judges on the federal bench? "
http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-&p=appeals%20court%20attacks%20penfield%20jackson
Read the part that says :three-member appeals panel reversed a key ruling by Judge Jackson, finding he had exceeded his authority by issuing an injunction the government never asked for and appointing a ?special master? to review technical issues"
What more lies ya got?