Nickname: ll

Review: If the EU had its way, we all should prepare for a funeral of innovation in the software industry. IBM and the like pour billions into Linux. That's the way to compete in the marketplace, not in the court. This whole thing is so sick. Once upon a time, IBM was like Microsoft today and you see what happens even without the court?

Date reviewed: Apr 25, 2006 7:40 PM

Nickname: Sassygirl

Review: There is no monopoly in technology. Innovation is they key to many people's success. Puts many people to work and helps businesses do things faster, better, and cheaper because that's what its all about. Talk about a real monopoly, what about those gas prices? Take it or leave it or walk. Now that's where we need to really do something. That's definitely eating into our pocketbooks.

Date reviewed: Apr 25, 2006 5:06 PM

Nickname: abalrog

Review: Sigh, this is so sad. This is like telling BMW or Ford to sell their cars without the engines, seats, tires etc. Other OSs also come along with their respective suites like iTunes with Mac OS. And anyways you can uninstall the media player anytime you want and are free to install any other freely-available media player. But the fact is that most of them don't offer their premium version free of cost. Also, RealNetworks has its own proprietary RealMedia codec which does not play in any other (save VLC) media player. If this ruling goes against Microsoft, heaven knows what will follow.

Date reviewed: Apr 25, 2006 5:29 AM

Nickname: r

Review: All these people here are rambling on about how the EU is just out to get Microsoft blah, blah, blah. Saying the EU doesn't know what it's talking about, but they don't know what they're talking about. To all you readers who want to comment, go and read some competition law before you do. Fair competition is not necessarily competition that is left alone as many abuses can take place. So know what you're talking about before you talk. And no I'm not a Microsoft hater. I like Microsoft very much. However, the EU is simply enforcing the law.

Date reviewed: Apr 25, 2006 4:18 AM

Nickname: *sigh*

Review: This kind of thing is way out of hand. Sure, every Win machine comes with WMP, but every Mac comes w/ iTunes, and a lot of PC users have it too. They have to; their codec is more closed than MS's! RealPlayer was lousy anyhow; I'm no huge fan of WMP (and there are many, many excellent free alternatives), but Real was just so BAD I never looked back. MS quite honestly had the much better product. As for browsers...MS got lazy, didn't innovate on IE6; Firefox came and ate 10% of their market share and is still chewing. But has anybody else seen IE7 (beta)? New stuff galore, including plenty that Fx lacks without at least a lot of custom work. In Vista, its innovative security measures will protect users while providing the OS integration Win users expect. Would it really be better if they were forced to take out IE as well, and break Update, etc. so they weren't abusing their 'monopoly' on OSS?

Date reviewed: Apr 24, 2006 11:44 PM

Nickname: Ed

Review: I'm not surprised that Microsoft has the dominant operating system. They are tough competitors. But being so tough why don't they also dominate the Internet search engine, VOIP, and other technologies? This EU action looks like it is fueled by dislike and envy of the U.S. and its companies.

Date reviewed: Apr 24, 2006 10:10 PM

Nickname: k

Review: The EU is just trying to make a name for itself. Business should have free trade, which means they can trade if they choose or vice versa. No company should have to give up intellectual property because of competitior ignorance.

Date reviewed: Apr 24, 2006 9:19 PM

Nickname: JNC123

Review: Microsoft would like you to believe that this is about their ability to innovate. However, what it is really about is their ability to control markets. Look at the innovation that has happened with Internet Explorer -- nothing. The reason is that they now control the market, others cannot compete and that is how they want everything to be. This case is not about Microsoft's ability to compete, it is about everyone else's ability to compete. With the barriers that Microsoft has put up, it is hardly a fair game anymore. They are indeed a predatory monopoly. They consciously make sure that their products do not work with other vendors' products. If you don't believe that, just read the Statement of Fact from the U.S. trial. It is an eye opener.

Date reviewed: Apr 24, 2006 8:38 PM

Nickname: xt7077

Review: If Microsoft did lose the case, I wonder what the effect will be. Given the company's dominant position, all the legal bickering and arguing that will go on for months won't matter much to the company.

Date reviewed: Apr 24, 2006 7:23 PM

Nickname: kw197

Review: To a certian extent, Microsoft has the right to protect its intellectual property. However, I believe they are in an overly dominant position, a position that they abuse. By allowing them to get away with anything they want to do, competition will effectively be destroyed within the media player and operating system market. Microsoft is so powerful that competitors have very little chance of making any impact on the market. Do we really want Microsoft to continue on so that they drive out any slight competition that exists and effectively dictate what prices we have to pay and what products we must use?

Date reviewed: Apr 24, 2006 3:09 PM