Google blocks Windows Phone from Maps, limits Gmail
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sat 5th Jan 2013 14:53 UTC
Talk, Rumors, X Versus Y And so this situation is starting to get ridiculous - and consumers are, as usual, caught in the middle of it all. Google has just blocked Windows Phone devices from accessing Google Maps on their phones. In addition, it also seems Windows Phone users are now restricted to the basic HTML version of the mobile GMail website. While understandable from a defensive perspective - Microsoft's extortion scheme targeting Android device makers and all that - it's still a massive dick move that only hurts consumers. Update: the media attention has worked - Google is backpedalling, and will remove the redirect. "We periodically test Google Maps compatibility with mobile browsers to make sure we deliver the best experience for those users. In our last test, IE mobile still did not offer a good maps experience with no ability to pan or zoom and perform basic map functionality. As a result, we chose to continue to redirect IE mobile users to Google.com where they could at least make local searches. The Firefox mobile browser did offer a somewhat better user experience and that’s why there is no redirect for those users. Recent improvements to IE mobile and Google Maps now deliver a better experience and we are currently working to remove the redirect. We will continue to test Google Maps compatibility with other mobile browsers to ensure the best possible experience for users."
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Microsoft has never changed
by PieterGen on Sun 6th Jan 2013 15:51 UTC
PieterGen
Member since:
2012-01-13

Microsoft in 2013 is just as anti-competetive as it was in 1999. Some problems I run into TODAY:

1- UEFI Crippled Boot. It's getting hard to put a non-Microsoft OperatingSystem on a computer, due to UEFI Crippled Boot.

2- Forced to buy Windows. I can't buy a pre-installed Linux laptop at the large stores & webstores. And I cannot get the license money back. Dell sometimes offers linux laptop, put somewhere in the dark dungeons of their webstore (do they want to sell it at all?) Plus, it is more expensive (!) as the laptop with Windows installed...... Also, if you buy a laptop with the obligatory windows installed, when you don't need it and uninstall it, you cannot get your money back for the Windows license I don't need, despite the legal obligation.

3- Patent trolling. Android makers are "invited" to pay for sketchy patents MS claims to have on Android.

4- Collusion with Apple against Google. The 2 never ever attack each other, but both go after Google. MS uses the patent troll methods and the sock puppet campaigns (see 5), Apple's trick is sales bans.

5- Sock puppet campaigns. MS puts millions of dollars into fake organisations whose only goal it is to slander Google. In this same veign is the #droidrage campaign.

6- OOXML. I still cannot completely read or edit .doc or .docx files using OpenOffice or LibreOffice. When .odt was adopted as a standard, Microsoft used all tricks to get ooxml adopted as a second standard. Then, in their next MSOffice versions, they did not even implement their own "open" standard. Result: communication between MSOffice and competing office suites is still crippled (yes, it's 90% OK, but the remaining 10% of errors sucks).

7. Other non-standards used to lock out others: Exchange, Mono, Silverlight, and so on.

All this is happening NOW. So, Microsoft has not exactly changed its ways. Add to this a history of these sort of actions. Makes me think Google has the right to be a douche as well. On the other hand, "an eye for an eye will make all of us blind". Google should not have lowered themselves to this level, as understandable as it is. Yet, I am disappointed.

Reply Score: 0

RE: Microsoft has never changed
by smashIt on Sun 6th Jan 2013 16:24 in reply to "Microsoft has never changed"
smashIt Member since:
2005-07-06

1- UEFI Crippled Boot. It's getting hard to put a non-Microsoft OperatingSystem on a computer, due to UEFI Crippled Boot.


then talk to the hardware-manufactorer!
it's their responsibility to deliver a working firmware

2- Forced to buy Windows. I can't buy a pre-installed Linux laptop at the large stores


so it's microsofts fault that stores don't want to stock laptops without windows?
you do realise that they did exactly what you want when the netbooks hit the market.
the result was that everybody bought the windows-edition if they had the choice.

just buy one with freedos and install linux yourselfe, because the preinstalled linux will always be the wrong distribution.




6- OOXML. I still cannot completely read or edit .doc or .docx files using OpenOffice or LibreOffice. When .odt was adopted as a standard, Microsoft used all tricks to get ooxml adopted as a second standard. Then, in their next MSOffice versions, they did not even implement their own "open" standard. Result: communication between MSOffice and competing office suites is still crippled (yes, it's 90% OK, but the remaining 10% of errors sucks).


at the time many governments started to require support for a standardised file-format.
and the only available format was odf.
the only problem was:
what was called a final standard shouldn't even have qualified as a first draft for a proposal.
please remember that odf didn't even support spreadsheets at the time when ms pushed for OOXML.

7. Other non-standards used to lock out others: Exchange, Mono, Silverlight, and so on.


mono is open source, silverlight is an alternative to flash (very open ;) ), and so on

Edited 2013-01-06 16:29 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 3

tylerdurden Member since:
2009-03-17

whoah... red herring express.

Reply Parent Score: 0

UltraZelda64 Member since:
2006-12-05

then talk to the hardware-manufactorer!
it's their responsibility to deliver a working firmware

The problem stems from the fact that as long as Windows runs, the hardware vendors assume that to be a "working" firmware. Microsoft obviously just loves this way of looking at it, and they in fact encourage it. The fewer people that know some life outside of Windows even exists, the better. Whether they're firmware developers, hardware developers, or end users, the fewer that know, the better off Microsoft is. There are plenty of things like this to prove it: http://tinyurl.com/win8-another-os

mono is open source, silverlight is an alternative to flash (very open ;) ), and so on

Eh, no. More like "very dead" outside of Windows and possibly Mac.

"In December 2011 Miguel de Icaza announced that work on Moonlight had stopped with no future plans. He explained that, although there was always some bloat, complication and over-engineering in the Silverlight vision, Microsoft had "cut the air supply" to it by omitting cross-platform components, making it web-only plugin, and including Windows-only features."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlight_%28runtime%29

The traditional Microsoft method of embrace, extend, extinguish is clearly at play here. All despite the fact that just about everyone around here is currently talking like Microsoft is a little angel and is nothing like their former self (hah!) as they try to paint Google as the devil here. Everyone must have an extremely short memory or something, because it's amazing how fast people tend to forget key things an their quest to jump on the next company to demonize.

Edited 2013-01-06 19:45 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 2

JAlexoid Member since:
2009-05-19

it's their responsibility to deliver a working firmware

But they are delivering working firmware, it's just they are delivering firmware that works only with Windows.

so it's microsofts fault that stores don't want to stock laptops without windows?

No, they are giving higher discounts to OEMs that don't ship other OS'es. You know why these OEMs don't ship Linux or noOS versions of their top selling devices? Because they have accountants...

the result was that everybody bought the windows-edition if they had the choice.

Oh... You mean that the Linux netbooks just disappeared from the shelves as soon as WinXP devices hit the shelves?

please remember that odf didn't even support spreadsheets at the time when ms pushed for OOXML.

And the first edition of OOXML was a pile of crap, worse than ODF. In addition to MS Office 2007 not supporting OOXML outright.

mono is open source, silverlight is an alternative to flash (very open ), and so on

If you say so...

Reply Parent Score: 2

Read more of this thread... >
ze_jerkface Member since:
2012-06-22

I still cannot completely read or edit .doc or .docx files using OpenOffice or LibreOffice.


That's really not the fault of Microsoft. One of the LO devs already admitted that it isn't a priority for them. It's technically possible for them to provide 100% support. Donate some money and earmark it for docx if you want them to change priorities.

With that said Microsoft has really jumped on the asshead company express in the last two years. I once held Apple below Microsoft and Google but no longer. They're all ran by assholes. Amazon too, just read about how they run their warehouses.

Reply Parent Score: 2

JAlexoid Member since:
2009-05-19

Up until Office 2013 you had to implement the Microsoft Office XML formats, instead of OOXML. Why? Because only in Office 2013 has Microsoft aded support for OOXML Strict.(Not Transitional, with all the exceptions)

Reply Parent Score: 2