Phrase is out: Microsoft has misplaced its appeal with the European Commission;s antitrust choice. So now what?There;s no word however if Microsoft will appeal once more, which it's got two months to choose whether or not or not to perform. If it doesn;t, the provider will probably be compelled to pay out the $700 million very good, plus a big chunk of the EC;s court costs. Additionally, it will have to lastly get a way to make all of the server communications protocols and connected documentation that it's been ordered to present obtainable 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 offered. 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,
Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2007, the choice means the end with the free-market economy and might be dire for Microsoft consumers and partners. If you believe the European Commission, the choice will create additional consumer option and all kinds of new market place innovation. Communications protocols and their documentation will be provided. Bundling by Microsoft of applications and technologies for which there are non-Microsoft alternatives in future versions of Windows will 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 opponents, such as Firefox, Adobe,
Windows 7 Pro, Google? Maybe, if any of these rivals 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 yet far more versions of Windows.Microsoft isn;t pulling its products out of Europe (as it threatened to complete at one point). It will continue offering the Media-Player-less versions of Windows to consumers there,
Buy Office 2007,even though no one seems to become buying them. Another Microsoft watcher wondered about the impact:“Much has become written in the United States about how anti-trust is supposed to become about protecting customers rather than competitors; it;s not clear a similar philosophy is shared by the EU in this case,
Office 2010 License,” said Peter O;Kelly, an analyst using the Burton Group. “In the grand scheme of things, I don;t think forcing Microsoft to, e.g., supply 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 lot more appropriate level.”Me? I think it might be a good thing if today;s choice results in Microsoft not bundling currently standalone products for which there are alternatives from third-party vendors into future releases of Windows. Let users choose what kinds of add-ons they want and from whom they;d prefer to get them. Otherwise,
microsoft Office 2010 License, I;m not sure that today;s judgment means a whole lot to small business and consumer users.What do you say, readers?