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Mike999 HotCakeX I have to speak up, here. What y'all are saying is 100% true. I was a die-hard IBM OS/2 user in the 1980s, and really had no use for Microsoft. Fast forward to the 21st Century. Modern Today, Windows is a very robust operating system. I think it really came into its own with Vista (I never had any problems with that), but especially with 7. Win 10 is even better!
So, how about this situation with the EU? All these fines, etc. are what happens when socialism is embraced. You'll notice that none of these fines come from the USA. I hesitated to go there, because it can be construed as political. However, it seems that several of you are on the same sheet of music as I.
At the end of the day, Microsoft has not, in the past decades, prevented users from embracing software not installed by them. You can even install other operating systems alongside theirs, and both play reasonably well with each other. In the end, it's choice. If I want Microsoft's browser, I use it. If I want Firefox or Chrome, I can use those, also. If I want to run Linux on the same machine, that's possible. I can use Windows Media Player (which sometimes I prefer to its replacement), or I can install someone else's and make it Windows's default. (I still miss Windows Movie Maker!)
Well, that's my $0.04 (somewhat more than 2 cents)! Thank you for letting me climb on my soapbox.
--Dan
The reason Microsoft got find was they were abusing the monopoly power they had over the browsers at the time. Yes, you could install whatever you wanted. But most people had no clue what was out there and we're too lazy to educate themself. The difference between the EU and the USA is not that the monopoly laws are much different, they aren't. But the EU enforce them, while the USA falls on their knees to please the big companies. Don't forget Google has now the same problems as Microsft had earlier on with the EU, with their search and promoting their own businesses above all others in Google search. Microsoft is one of the companies complaining to the EU about it.
I think the browsers have become much better because of the EU rulings to force better competition
If you look at IE at that time it was not that great, and not much was done to improve it.
- What if Microsoft and Google cut their services and leave EU for good? they will come begging and won't be acting tough anymore.
To be honest, I was thinking the same. However, it seems it still was commercially beneficial to remove IE and Media Player and pay all those fines.
But, indeed, what IF... Microsoft -would- have said something like 'This is our product. It is as it is. We don't change it and we do not want to be fined either. Hence you (=EU) force us to stop selling/supporting our product there, so you leave us no alternative but to step out..."A bit like Google stepping out of China, way back in 2010.
Guess what would happen when at one point in time people can't use Office (or whatever) anymore...
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Mike999 wrote:To be honest, I was thinking the same. However, it seems it still was commercially beneficial to remove IE and Media Player and pay all those fines.
But, indeed, what IF... Microsoft -would- have said something like 'This is our product. It is as it is. We don't change it and we do not want to be fined either. Hence you (=EU) force us to stop selling/supporting our product there, so you leave us no alternative but to step out..."A bit like Google stepping out of China, way back in 2010.
Guess what would happen when at one point in time people can't use Office (or whatever) anymore...
Google left China and Google is regretting doing that.
now China makes the most advanced smart phones ever. they don't need Google services or CPUs made in US, they make their own. their super computers are on the top 5 list and it's made of their own CPU and operation system.
also China blocks Google and has their own search engine.
can EU do all that? nope.
EU is lots of countries while China is only 1 country.
they can't.
1. They make to much money there
2. If they do then Linux gets a really big boost for the pc. In the long run that will sink Windows. For Google to leave the EU. Will mean that the leave one of the largest markets behind.
Pretty soon China will cut Google off. Or they have to censor there data so much they will get into problems with the USA government. This already starts to happen. As it stands now I think in the near future both China and Russia. are lost causes for both companies. Both want to get the companies out. China is getting along well without Microsoft more and more. Same as with Google. This leaves the EU and North America as their biggest moneymakers, in the long run. Till Africa and India become wealthier what will take decades to happen.
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erikvp wrote:they can't.
1. They make to much money there
2. If they do then Linux gets a really big boost for the pc. In the long run that will sink Windows. For Google to leave the EU. Will mean that the leave one of the largest markets behind.
Pretty soon China will cut Google off. Or they have to censor there data so much they will get into problems with the USA government. This already starts to happen. As it stands now I think in the near future both China and Russia. are lost causes for both companies. Both want to get the companies out. China is getting along well without Microsoft more and more. Same as with Google. This leaves the EU and North America as their biggest moneymakers, in the long run. Till Africa and India become wealthier what will take decades to happen.
Linux? nah. it's been around for more than 30 years and despite being free and having tons of distributions, they still don't have any meaningful market share among desktop users.
see they are free and Windows 10 has its problems, still Linux is not a good idea.
also if Microsoft stops giving service to Europeans, all those Europeans won't just become experts in Linux overnight to be able to use Linux.
Linux has lots of hardware and software problems.
so it's not like Linux is waiting on the door for Microsoft to leave EU so they come in.
