Phrase is out: Microsoft has lost its appeal of the European Commission;s antitrust choice. So now what?There;s no phrase yet if Microsoft will appeal once more, which it has two months to choose no matter if or not to perform. If it doesn;t, the business will likely be pressured to pay the $700 million very good, as well as a huge chunk of the EC;s court expenses. Additionally, it will have to lastly get a approach to make all the server communications protocols and connected documentation that it's got been ordered to offer accessible fto its competitors.(Sun and Novell — now both staunch Microsoft allies — were among those server vendors who were insisting on Microsoft making these protocols publicly accessible. Now that they;re enmeshed in patent/interoperability alliances with Microsoft, I wonder if they care anymore.)My biggest question in all this is how will the Court;s September 17 ruling affect customers in Europe and elsewhere?If you believe Microsoft;s lobbyists, the decision means the end of the free-market economy and will be dire for Microsoft consumers and partners. If you believe the European Commission,
Office Standard 2007 Key, the decision will create additional consumer alternative and all kinds of new marketplace innovation. Communications protocols and their documentation will probably be provided. Bundling by Microsoft of applications and technologies for which there are non-Microsoft alternatives in future versions of Windows might be frowned upon.Does the ruling affect Windows Vista?
Office 2007? The pending
Windows 7 and Office 14 products? If it does, I;m not sure how. Will today;s ruling help Microsoft;s competitors, such as Firefox, Adobe, Google? Maybe, if any of these opponents bring a new antitrust case against Microsoft to try to force Microsoft to cut XPS (Micorsoft;s PDF alternative) or Vista;s integrated desktop search and create however extra versions of Windows.Microsoft isn;t pulling its products out of Europe (as it threatened to do at one point). It will continue offering the Media-Player-less versions of Windows to consumers there,even though no one seems to become buying them. Another Microsoft watcher wondered about the impact:“Much is written in the United States about how anti-trust is supposed to become about protecting customers rather than rivals; it;s not clear a similar philosophy is shared by the EU in this case,
Office 2010 Product Key,” said Peter O;Kelly,
Windows 7 Activation Key, an analyst along with the Burton Group. “In the grand scheme of things,
Office Professional Plus 2010 Key, I don;t think forcing Microsoft to, e.g., present a version of Windows that un-bundles Windows Media Player or other basic features, will probably foster improved competition; I doubt European customers would be happy to use deliberately dumbed-down products in order to help EU commissioners reduce Microsoft;s market share to what they somehow believe is a a great deal more appropriate level.”Me? I think it might be a good thing if today;s decision results in Microsoft not bundling currently standalone products for which there are alternatives from third-party vendors into future releases of Windows. Let users determine what kinds of add-ons they want and from whom they;d prefer to get them. Otherwise, I;m not sure that today;s judgment means a whole lot to internet business and consumer users.What do you say, readers?