Well, it's not fully settled, however, the E version is scrapped, and will include Internet Explorer. The ballot screen however, will require more work, and extra stuff.
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Federal Trade Commission to Continue Investigation of Corporate Ties Between Apple and Google
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Well, it's not fully settled, however, the E version is scrapped, and will include Internet Explorer. The ballot screen however, will require more work, and extra stuff.
Riiight.
Darwin says a weasel can't turn into a cuddly panda.
I'd wager they're just being far more careful with their weasel-ish ways.
Untouched?! Are you freaking kidding? They've been the #1 target for ages. There was the anti-trust stuff in the 90's and now there's the EU/EC thing. There's barely anything left of Windows, in the EU they've taken out IE and WMP, they've made tons of system components removable, Mail and Messenger are no longer part of the package, you have to download them...
If Microsoft acted in the Windows universe the way Apple are doing in the Mac universe (bundling tons of apps with the OS, integrating QT and Safari to the OS, locking iPhone/iPod to iTunes etc), they would be slapped with so many lawsuits and anti-trust investigation they'd have to flee the galaxy. Apple get away with behaving like a horror version of Microsoft because their small market share lets them fly under the radar.
Next time you want to quote me, please use my full quote... don't hand pick and attempt to change the meaning.
I stated. "They are playing by the rules now. (More or less)"
I never said they went all benevolent like you're trying to imply.
They have managed to stay out of the cross-hairs as of late.
Microsoft, a weasel? Weasels are tiny. Microsoft is more like a big dumb moose. Apple is the weasel (with snake fangs).
Uh huh.
Boo hoo. Microsoft is a victim, blah blah blah.
Methinks you should read up on the history of Microsoft's business practices (as detailed in delicious detail) in any one of the many court cases against them. It's not that Microsoft was giving their customers too many great features (as the Microsoft apologists like to paint it) - it's that they were illegally (and knowingly) abusing their market position to steamroll their competitors (usually with inferior products, natch).
And don't get me started how MS tried to twist the Web into their own proprietary playground with IE.
Partially true. Apple isn't even within the same universe as Microsoft (yet) when it comes to abusing their power, though recent app store rejections show they're well on their way.
The only "horror version" of Microsoft is...Microsoft.
You're probably one of the crowd who assumes AAC is a proprietary Apple audio format, right?
Next time you want to quote me, please use my full quote... don't hand pick and attempt to change the meaning.
I stated. "They are playing by the rules now. (More or less)"
I never said they went all benevolent like you're trying to imply.
They have managed to stay out of the cross-hairs as of late.
So...they are playing by the rules, or they aren't? How can I change the meaning of what you said when it doesn't even have a meaning?
Try great white shark.
(An aging one. With dementia. And a complete lack of creativity.)
Hence the qualifier... more or less.So...they are playing by the rules, or they aren't? How can I change the meaning of what you said when it doesn't even have a meaning?
The world is not black and white as you suggest.
There's a lot of gray out there.
Hence the qualifier... more or less.
The world is not black and white as you suggest.
There's a lot of gray out there.
Dirty play is dirty play, no matter how gray you want to paint it. You don't "kinda" play by the rules.
So...are Microsoft playing by the rules now or not? Inquiring minds want to know.
Gee, and this happening right after Eric Schmidt leaves the board?
It was already happening. The FTC is just saying they will continue the investigation despite his departure.
After the IE-Netscape debacle, all eyes have been on Microsoft and everytime they add something there's always someone who complains. Symantec and McAffee threatened to sue because MS wanted to put certain core parts of Vista in a locked box for security reasons. The EC slapped them with a $1.4 billion fine and ordered them to unbundle Media Player from the system, and now they've forced them to unbundle IE *and* add a ballot screen for browser installation. MS have pre-emptively redesigned Windows so that not only IE and WMP but also Windows Search, the Gadgets platform, XPS viewer and several other components can be uninstalled.
Dribbling Microsoft haters will of course seize the opportunity to claim that Windows lacks these features because MS are lazy, but the problem with that revisionist angle that all these features have still been developed and are still available, but they've been moved to the Live platform and are being distributed as separate, optional downloads so as not to get into future trouble with the antitrust gods.
Here's what OS X would look like if the positions were reversed...
- Safari would be uninstallable. In the EU it wouldn't be included with OS X, instead there would be a ballot screen where you could choose between Opera, Safari, Firefox and Chrome as your default browser.
- Spotlight would be uninstallable.
- PDF preview would be uninstallable.
- QT would be sandboxed and not an integral part of the system, and in the EU, OS X would ship without QT, iTunes and Front Row.
- Mail, Calendar, iChat, iDVD, iMovie, iWeb, iPhoto and Garageband would have been taken out of OS X and moved to the MobileMe platform, and MobileMe would be free rather than a subscription service.
That's what it would have to look like if OS X had Windows' marketshare and Apple wanted to sell it in the EU. The grumpy old men in the EC are really the main reason for most of this restructuring of Windows; I'm sure MS would've loved to skip the EU altogether, but as of 2007 it's the world's #1 economy so what can they do. Apple are safe for now, but by EU law any company with a larger market share than 40% is considered to have a dominant position and the EC automatically assumes "a special responsibility not to allow its conduct to impair competition on the common market".
Why the hell would I assume that? AAC has nothing to do with Apple, it was a joint venture involving everyone but Apple (Dolby, Fraunhofer, Sony and several others).You're probably one of the crowd who assumes AAC is a proprietary Apple audio format, right?
He probably made that accusation because you're making some pretty wild claims. The free mobileme thing was kind of cute if not having absolutely nothing to do with what is being discussed.
It's tough to view anything when blinded by pure, unapologetic, uninhibited devotion to Apple and it's policies and products.
Uh huh.
Boo hoo. Microsoft is a victim, blah blah blah.
Methinks you should read up on the history of Microsoft's business practices (as detailed in delicious detail) in any one of the many court cases against them. It's not that Microsoft was giving their customers too many great features (as the Microsoft apologists like to paint it) - it's that they were illegally (and knowingly) abusing their market position to steamroll their competitors (usually with inferior products, natch).
And don't get me started how MS tried to twist the Web into their own proprietary playground with IE.
Partially true. Apple isn't even within the same universe as Microsoft (yet) when it comes to abusing their power, though recent app store rejections show they're well on their way.
The only "horror version" of Microsoft is...Microsoft.
You're probably one of the crowd who assumes AAC is a proprietary Apple audio format, right?
lol. the best thing about this post is that you ended up not even refuting ANY of his points at all and just continue sitting there smugly looking like another mindless apple follower.
How about the fact that the default search engine in the Safari toolbar is Google, and as far as I know you can't change it? You can change it for iPhone Safari (to Yahoo! only), though again, Google is set by default and most users won't ever run across the preference.
...and discover that Palm was too lazy to write their own music management software...
...and discover that Palm was too lazy to write their own music management software...
In IE, you're asked during first run if you want to keep the default search engine ("Bing", formerly MSN) or if you want to go this page where you can choose from 6 web search providers and 17 topic search providers. They're presented in alphabetical order, so Microsoft's own alternatives are not on top of the list. Looks pretty fair to me and it would be nice to have something similar in Safari.
I don't think it's so much about piggybacking the software, but the fact that this particular piece of software is the one and only portal to the world's largest online music store. Palm could build sync software till their eyes bleed but it still won't hook up with iTunes Store.
That is totally incorrect. The FTC has to either go to court, and get a judge to rule in their favor, or bring an internal trial with an independent judge, with an appeal to a federal court of appeals from any ruling against the company. In either case the FTC can't impose any penalties until after the federal court has ruled in its favor.
Not present but still sought after and paramount!
If it was present ... Schmidt would have LEFT the board on his own when Google OS was announced.
If present He'd be thrown out by the board if he didn't willingly on his own accord left.
And many other situations are occuring. its time it HURTS these guys deep in their pockets. FINES.
Wrong. There are quite a few mp3 stores (such as the Amazon store that Palm using for mobile downloads) as well as the fact that the iTunes Store is DRM free, meaning you don't have to use iTunes after you purchase the music. There is absolutely nothing preventing Palm from using an alternative that doesn't break the rules regarding USB ID other than Palm being lazy and cheap bums.
It depends if the government decides that Itunes is a monopoly, and therefore that Apple is engaged in anti-competitive monopolistic behaviour.
People could always have chosen UNIX or VMS or MACOS instead of Windows, but Microsoft was still deemed a monopoly. Having minor alternatives isn't relevant, if there's a 900lb gorilla.