In an unexpected move, Microsoft posted its formal response to the European Commission and correspondence used in the case in the EU's anti-trust case against the company. According to Microsoft, the EC had "not even bothered to read the most recent versions" of and "waited many months before informing Microsoft that it believed changes were necessary". And: "despite Microsoft's substantial and serious efforts to reach the ever-receding horizon of the commission's demands... The commission was not to be deterred from its pre-holiday rush to impose a punitive daily fine on Microsoft."
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Member since:2005-07-02
The EC is a means to legislate competitiveness where other companies aren't smart enough to business against Microsoft. We shall wait for the EC's response though.
It's not a matter of being smart enough, it's a matter of providing a level playing field, something that is essential in a free market. The problem with Microsoft is that its OS and office suite/file format monopolies prevent other companies from getting access to the market, and therefore stifles competition.
I find it hard to believe that you're not a "MS apologist" when you defend the "poor" monopolist every chance you get...as someone who allegedly supports capitalism, you should understand that monopolies are definitely not a good thing, because they tend to disprove the dogma that the market is somehow "self-correcting" (something which, of course, isn't true).
Member since:2006-01-03
the idea that microsoft doesn't have the time to prepare the technical documents is laughable. Every technology company (small or big) have internal specification documents; because, simply, you need such documents to have people of different groups (windows vs. office) work together.
All what the EC is asking for is to expose such documents to the public, so other companies can create apps that integrates with windows the same way microsoft applications integrate with windows.
Microsoft's execuse of how hard is to prepare such documents reminds me of Bart Simpson's execuse "I didn't do it"
It's so obvious that MS has such documents and can easily produce them. So, MS! stop acting stupid!
Member since:2005-12-23
Good point.. So I gave you one...
You are absolutly right in what you say, except for one thing: they are not acting stupid...
They are acting smart. Too smart, from my point of view, and they take the rest of the world for stupids... (and unfortunately, they are not very wrong; the proof is their market share worldwide...)
They just play their game, loosing time... But in the meantime they are winning time for their marketing projects, and keep on taken advantages of their dominant market position, their comparative advantages gained trough monopolistic domination, scale economics worldwide, and legal leaks and loopholes in the legal systems of every country they are implanted in.
This is not being stupid, this is being smart. Smart sons of a "beach" 
, though.
They went away with it many times before, and they think that they will go away with it again, without being severily hurt.
Maybe a scratch or two, or a scar in the face as much... But a scarface won't prevent you to move ahead, Isn't it?.. It just makes you ugly...
What is in the table game is all the multimedia business and services, provided through internet services mainly, for the future 20 next years, at least.
They know it, and they do not want to lose their dominat position in that market, that will/is mixed with the internet and computers economic serctor.
They know they are backed by the US Government, because this is one big part of the cake in the global economic system, and with huge interest in the US economy.
They are backed too because of the interest of the US Government, in the global dominance in the media and military communications networks (Internet, satellites etc). So Microsoft monopoly is good for the Global US interest, although, is not good for the US conumers.
For they rest of the world... the quicker they move their networks and systems away from the closed souce of the monopolistic giant, the quicker their economies will improve, and the safer they will be from military dominance.
Sttoping being "stupid" is pretty much in the hand of the rest of the world outside "Redmont" and Washington big buildings...
So let's try to be smarter than them
The EU Commission is trying, but not that hard, really, they konw they share some of the interest of Washinton, but not all...
Some people mistake this with trying to prevent market competition... funny...!!
Let's just try to be Smartix !!!
Angel
Member since:
2005-07-06
The company accused the EC of working at the behest of its competitors by "commanding the compulsory licensing of some of Microsoft's most valuable intellectual property". "It's no mystery why the commission refused to state its standard for compliance regarding interoperability information in clear written form," the company said.
I tend to agree with this statement. I am no apologist for Microsoft but given the facts the idea that European consumers are to benefit from this lawsuit is laughable at best. The EC is a means to legislate competitiveness where other companies aren't smart enough to business against Microsoft. We shall wait for the EC’s response though.