http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4552214.stm

Whoah.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...ates_abodp.jpg
<font color=skyblue>
This picture is priceless!

Sad thing about the story, however. I do not think that they should be made to do anymore than they already have done...seeing as how they have given in to (+ -) 100 demands, like it says in the story. "EU keeps moving the goalposts.", he says.


With all that money, surely he could hire better lawyers to watch his back and keep him out of this stuff...or get him out now that he's swimming in it. </font>

[ 12-22-2005, 07:37 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

Meh, I think it's great. I don't care if the EU keeps shifting the goalposts - I think it's great that there's an competition watchdog who's actually prepared to get MS by the nadgers. In current policy decisions, MS prove that there has not been a culture change and there definition of 'access' is a long way from anything approaching free and non-exclusive.

Let them roast a bit more...I'll fill up the coals...

I think I've found my new favorite OWNED picture *evil chuckle*

<font color = lightgreen>There is a really big difference between being fined and actually paying the fine. [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img] </font>

<font color=8fbc8f>Good point. BUT, this is EU and Europe, NOT the dollar runs the courts, USA. That would also be why your friend has that expression, because HE can't buy his way out of this one.

Why are they so concerned about the server market anyway? Last time I checked, M$ was only about 42%, not exactly the 90+% desktop market they hold. Now if this turns to be the foot in the door, and once wedged can't be shut, then 'kudos' to the court. If not, who really cares? I'm sure most of M$'s faithful will rush right out and spend hundreds of dollars on the next release of windoze, so they can stay on the internet keeping it updated, and awaiting Service Packs to follow. For the life of me, I can't figure out why people spend good money for a incomplete product! GO EU.</font>

<font color = lightgreen>Microsoft's problem is that their business model was designed during the early 1980s and worked really well up until a few years ago. Now MS is so huge and bloated that it relies on its economic clout to try and do as it pleases. If they don't start producing quality products that don't need patching or security updates on a weekly basis then people will begin looking for alternatives in increasingly greater numbers. </font>

Yeah, i've been hearing that story for at least 2 years now, and their status of king of the hill hasn't changed a bit. So why would it be any different two or three years from now ?

Well, in terms of IE, it IS changing. Also, the sucess of apple in regards to the iPOD may lead to an increase in apple products that are bought by the general public.

Edit~Grammar

[ 12-27-2005, 12:31 PM: Message edited by: Sir Degrader ]

I think Sir Degrader is on the right track. For example, everyone I know who has bought a computer in the last year (must be about 20) has purchased one of those slick apple laptops. Largely because they were fed up with computers that crashed, got infected by viruses and endless porn pop-ups.

That kind of conversion rate to Apple would have been unthinkable a few years back. With Vista not delivering most of the innovations originally promised and a high price of hardware required to run it, who knows what the future will hold...

[ 12-27-2005, 12:16 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]