Microsoft has just threatened the European Commission that if the commission acts as to enforce their demands Microsoft will only sell inferior older Windows versions to Europeans...

What a fantastic opportunity this will be for Linux....

Interesting. Do you have a link? Of course, with the inferior older versions, you can remove IE, have a little more control over your system and don't have DRM/Backdoor/Activation functions and the latest EULA to contend with, so maybe the inferior versions are actually better.

RO

Won't be so great if they stick them with Windows Me or NT... *shudder*

Sorry no link at present - was just on the Radio News here in Denmark....

Another reference in the Danish media today was.... (on www.tv2.dk)

Microsoft intends to make life for pop up advertisers difficult...

The interesting part wasn't that Microsoft intends to enable pop up blocking in their browser - The interesting part was that the article had the following to say:

Microsoft følger i hælene på de små browserkolleger. - Microsoft is following on the heals of the small browser colleagues....

And later in the article Opera and Mozilla are mentioned as browsers already supporting this feature - Nice to see open source products mentioned in such manner in national media...

And Balmer claims the open source community isn't innovative? (according to an article on newsforge today... unable to link right now - getting a 404)

Found a good link. This is just so many meadowmuffins. The only reason they won't remove media player is to force their standard (WMA), force their DRM scheme, and force the competition out in the cold. See, if WMA with windows media player is is all that is used in the world, Linux users are out in the cold and MS can decide if you are allowed to see moviews/listen to music, much to the delight of the RIAA/MPAA.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...icrosoft_eu_dc

Somehow I think that the EU is not going to cave like the DOJ did here in the US. MS may be very surprised when the commission tells them to 86 the BS, remove these components or take your bussiness elsewhere.

RO

It'll never end. They won't have the ruling until June of 2004. Then it could go to court and get deleyed forever.

But it's nice to see M$ under the blade. They need to be drop kicked a few times.

I don't understand--so you don't think Microsoft should be allowed to build its product as it wishes?

I'm sorry, but that's ludicrous.

The story on reuters.... http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=3817198

Still unable to access NewsForge...

It's not a matter of building they're product how they wish. It's they leave out the options. They include MSN Messenger and Window's Media Player, but they don't offer Winamp or AOL IM. So you get somebody buying a PC and they're optoins are what M$ says they are.

The problem with this is non tech savy people are going to use what is given to them. They don't know about RealNetworks or other products that probably do a better job. M$ is taking advantage of the uneducated consumer and pushing out the competition at the same time.

Managed to get NewsForge link to the Balmer thing mentioned above....

http://www.alwayson-network.com/comm...d=1395_0_1_0_C

You have just gone too far.

There is a difference beetween freedom of building a product and monopolising the market with an expensive and buggy product that includes lot's of other products that are not needed.

Why should they? Those products are made by OTHER COMPANIES!

No, you're ignoring the issue, which is whether or not a company (or any other creator) should be allowed to build its product however it wishes.

If people don't like it, they're free to not use it. No one's holding a gun to anyone's head.

You must not be aware of the M$ free PC thread; do yourself a favor and check it out: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=98880. By responding to Kurt's tired, worn-out arguments, you're actually egging him on. His post is nothing new....it's the same old recycled nonsense we've heard SO many times before. It's been my experience that it's best to ignore people like him.

What "old, tired" arguments? I'm making my point; others counter it, and I explain why they're wrong.