Microsoft is promising Silverlight 2.0 at the 08 MIX on March 5th-7th but they also have to meet with the Mediator on March 7th in the VCSY lawsuit, so just how are they going to pull off releasing Silverlight 2.0 if they don't settle with VCSY and sign licensing agreements? Either that or they'll just have to delay it AGAIN. LOL

Want to see Silverlight 2.0?

Get your tickets for MIX 08.

From the official Microsoft Silverlight blogsite:
http://blogs.msdn.com/tims/archive/2007/11/29/silverlight-1-1-is-now-silverlight-2-0.aspx

So how can you find out more about Silverlight 2.0? Well, it so happens that MIX08 registration has just opened. We're going to blast open the doors about Silverlight and a bunch of other new web products at this conference. Last year we sold out far earlier than most people were expecting. Don't miss out this year - now is the time to get signed up!

Nice post all in all, Joe.

I would say that where the EU is going is the way to restore move competition in the OS and Office market place. Look for the stick to come out and wack MS somewhere down the legal road.

When that day happens, we will all be better off, with increased competition, and even Windows and MS Office users will have choice. This will drive down MS software prices, if you can just use other Office suites, and all will be able to open and save the same files.

Linux and open source software will gain the most.

And Iman, VCSY will just be left out in the cold, if they have not settled the lawsuit with MS by then, LOL

One other thing to look forward to, is how this EU probe will affect the development and release of Windows Seven.

Of course, the problems MS has with the EU are all of its own makings. Perhaps a crash course in business ethics, or required reading of the good book, or endless reciting of the golden rule, could help those in charge at MS to do the right things, instead of being one of the most evil monopolies on the face of the planet?

But then again, maybe excessive chair breakage, and huge EU fines and penalties, are the real future of M$.

Microsoft Customer Service Calls Back 10 Years Later
http://consumerist.com/344547/microsoft-customer-service-calls-back-10-years-later

Better late than never?

A convicted monopoly. What can you expect?

While I liked your previous posts on the subject a little more, you are again on to something here. But, as an European, I might add, this is definitely not an "European Drama" for anyone except Microsoft.

As chips pointed out, this is nothing but opening the business up to more competition. Against this, I am a little puzzled to read (in the comments, I presume) all those American voices telling how unjust this is again for an big global (U.S. based) multinational corporation. On top of my mind, I can not really point out another large industry that would be as uncompetitive as the OS/Office -software one.

And the Office suite is exactly the one and only *real concern* to consumers. Or to the public sector or the EU as a bureaucracy; after all, the whole complaint was in 99.99 % probability written in Microsoft Word...

You really can't blame the commission for taking aim at Micro$oft. The company has no decent concept of business ethics whatsoever. If Micro$oft could get away with open, undisguised thievery, it wouldn't hesitate to do so. It's all about money and control: the indelible imprint of the personality of Bill Gates.

Micro$oft is a convicted monopolist, but it got away with a slap on the wrist in the US. It is also a convicted software pirate, but the punishment it got was a joke. Perhaps the EU can give Micro$oft the whack on the head and kick in the rearend it richly deserves.

Competition by litigation is the name of the game for European and other Companies that have failed miserably to compete with Microsoft that last 20 years. EU for political reasons is backing them up. It's a shame.

EU are a bunch of communists and IT pirates!!!
The only way to tell at EU people the importance of MS is to stop selling product and services to EU for some years. After this EU people will be willing to pay for MS products every price MS ask them!.
(My English is very poor, I know.. :( )

Ok please read the last case and don't make your selfs out as idiots.

Number one the samba case MS did try to cut and run. Did not work. EU Judge got ruling in USA court so that fines could be enforced on USA soil even worse doubled at least doubled if MS cut as run because MS would have to pay the USA public and the EU public. So MS backed down on that idea. If MS tries that again it will happen again.

If MS shuts up shop in EU they have to as well shut up shop in the USA and maybe many other countries.

Biggest issue with MS is mutating open standards then not documenting clearly what they did. The list is long. RTF meet to be a Office suit neutral guess what its almost completely useless these days due to undocumented alterations. Now MS wonders why we don't trust OOXML. We have seen MS evil and are sick of it.

Most other companies if they alter a open standard they document what they did clearly. MS IE is also guilty of doing the same thing to HTML.

Please do not try to cover the tail of a protocol thief. This is what MS is. Mutate standard makes a company most hated because they are basically stealing the protocol from everyone else.

Aurelio, I think it's more than just your command of the english language that is lacking. Where there's a void other businesses will happily fill it. That would be the beginning of the end for MS.

The EU are pointing their attention to the unspoken gigantic elephant in the unethical business room.

The shock and surprise is due to the lack of coverage from the US media, bloggers and "analysts" (eh Joe..? ;) ) not covering Microsoft's business practices.

I mean they are one of the biggest companies in the world and were close to being broken up, however no one outside of IT even knows about this, whereas everyone knows about Enron, Bell split-up, etc. Microsoft pricing Windows at 80% profit margin is only bested by the Diamond industry. Yet, everyone knows about DeBoers, but no one knows about Microsoft's ridiculous pricing.

One could go on and on about this but the point is, Microsoft is the unspoken evil that no one - especially in professional IT - will talk about. Good riddance to the EU for doing something about this IT industry raping beast of a company.

Before you ask - yes i feel better now.

Hmm. Odd tone considering how much MS pays out in legal fees and court ordered payments in the last 10 years..

Has MS paid out more in fines than Big Tobacco ? Perhaps that gives folks with a kinda moral ambiguity about MS some framework for reference.

All MS has to actually do is act like a responsible business. And its singularly failed to do so, time and time again.

All it has to do is give its customers the ability to easily transfer to and from MS technologies, and then it could compete on its innovation and technical excellence.

Instead we get 'rip and replace', closed formats, customer lock in and lawsuits.

Surprised?

I think the biggest surprise was the lead journalist for Microsoft Watch laughing about this instead of crying over the company (that he clearly loves) snatching defeat - yet again - from the jaws of victory.

And so, in another PR-own goal, here we are focused on MSs lack of ethics, instead of all going 'Wow' over Vista or Office 2007.

--* Bill

The day MS stops selling their products in EU is the day they will close shop. Since EU is the largest customer they have it will be rather idiotic to move from EU. Of course that will be very nice for EU but all this is more science fiction or wishful thinking For all of you not EU citizens you have to understand that the major concern of the EU is to have competion and options for the consumers. In that light all these cases makes perfect sense. Add to that that a single non EU company has a lock in in almost all the infrastracture and documents of the EU and you will start see the bigger picture. If we take in consideration the practices of MS so far it's only natural for EU to take action in all fronts (legal, technical, economic, social) to prevent monopolies.And please think also that we are not talking only for home user (almost irrelevant in this case)but big corporations, states even the army.
Just my two pennies
Thx

Joe,

Your laughing only shows how you missed a big chunk of this issue in your article... The ECC is investigating how "Microsoft hinders the interoperability of competing products".

Case in point 1: IE6. A large number of Websites are designed for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. No competing browsers can display those pages... Microsoft ignored open standards when making IE6.

Case in point 2: OOXML. This cannot realistically be implemented by anyone except Microsoft.

How can competitors compete with IE6-specific websites and Microsoft-specific OOXML standards?

THIS is where the ECC can truely attack Windows, and these where Microsoft needs to defend the most

Need some links to verify these facts? Here's one:
http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/en/2007/12/13/

Of course MS will never close up shop in the EU. Joe, if Europeans were made to "get along with open-source software", the big news a year later would be that the Europeans did just fine and that Open Source worked just as well if not better than MS products. Microsoft would be finished as a global company. Do you think the wshareholders would let that happen?

How oh how can Microsoft ever hope to even exist in the future unless they pay their homage to VCSY? Every product Microsoft tries to release will fail unless they do right by VCSY. Do not arouse the wrath of the great and powerful VCSY. I said come back tomorrow. I will continue to write more and more and more and more and more wonderful things about VCSY! Ya gotta buy this stock. I gotta get it over two cents! Geez people, help me out here! Here, more links! Look at these prices of VCSY stock! http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=VCSY.OB&t=5d

balmer is an ass munch and I HATE that fucken guy. why is he the ONLY head of a company that i HATE??? im talking absolute HATRED. he is one DUMB mother fucker who does not know how to shut his fucken stupid mouth. Youre an idiot joe for backing that company lead by a fucking jerk off. You have lost all credibility with me. But I will keep reading the other portions of eweek because bullshit only comes out of certain human beings and not out of webpages. I like Bill. Why did he turn over power to that FUCKEN IDIOT I will NEVER konw. I hope he brings down the MS empire without the employees even noticing.

As an citizen of the USA, I would like to thank the ECC and the Europeans for their actions in regards to M$. Our own DOJ is controlled by those in bed with M$, so it seems. Money talks over here, and power corrupts absolutely, the DOJ being that example. Good work across the pond.

A quote by Joe Willcox;
"But based on today's press statement, my suspicion is that the European Commission's focus will be elsewhere, which tips off somewhat the source of the complaint: Microsoft competitors."
----------------------------------------------------
Where else Joe than M$ competitors? The DOJ? Not likely as they are in the pocket of MS at least for the foreseeable future. Consumers groups? What consumers groups, there was a Dutch one that was run I think by the Dutch Government, remember they went after MS about Vista, without any luck?
Class action suites would be the only other way, and MS seems to have the USA court system as well as the DOJ on its side against the cunsumers.
--------------------------------------------------
The only thing that the ECC did wrong, was when then forced MS to release a Windows version without Media Player. This in itself was correct, but to allow them to still sell the version with media player, at the same time in the EU, was totally wrong.

This allowed for MS to dominate the computer media formats, and establish formats like WMA, and WMV. Which are other formats that I which the ECC would also look at.

I can’t help shaking the feeling that if Microsoft were a European company not only would the EU not be targeting it, but the EU would be giving the company boatloads of taxpayer financed “launch aid” like Airbus gets.

Amazing, shills, microsofties, and fanboys writing in to tell how "anti-american" is the EU for going after MSFT, an "American" company.

Bull, MSFT is an multinational corporation, that has offices, sales, infrastructure, and investments, all over the world. Even the US court system found them to be a illegal monopoly, by the way they competed with Netscape. The DOJ is still regulating them. Guilty, on all counts, Microsoft. The slap on the hand MSFT got from the US Court system and the DOJ, will hopefully be fixed by the EU.

So bring out your hammer, EU, and strike hard, repeatedly, and smash MSFT into many many little pieces, and regulate what each little piece can do. And please, do not forget the fines.

"I'm a harsh Microsoft critic"
Sorry, you were,but now you are not.
------------
Opera filed the complaint against Microsoft
Opera filed the complaint against Microsoft this week, asserting that Microsoft has locked consumers into using IE, which has "only recently begun to offer some of the innovative features that other browsers have offered for years," such as tabbed browsing.

"We are filing this complaint on behalf of all consumers who are tired of having a monopolist make choices for them," said Jon von Tetzchner, chief executive officer of Opera. "In addition to promoting the free choice of individual consumers, we are a champion of open Web standards and cross-platform innovation."

Opera asked the European Commission to force Microsoft to unbundle IE from Windows and to carry alternative browsers preinstalled on the desktop. Opera also asked the EC to require Microsoft to follow "fundamental and open Web standards accepted by Web-authoring communities."

The browser company asserts that Microsoft's "unilateral control over standards in some markets has created a de facto standard that is more costly to support, harder to maintain, and technologically inferior and that can even expose users to security risks."
-------------
I will not be crying for IE.

"I'm a harsh Microsoft critic"
Sorry, you were,but now you are not.
------------
Opera filed the complaint against Microsoft
http://www.news.com/Microsoft-strikes-back-at-Opera-antitrust-claims/2100-1016_3-6222809.html?tag=st.nl
Opera filed the complaint against Microsoft this week, asserting that Microsoft has locked consumers into using IE, which has "only recently begun to offer some of the innovative features that other browsers have offered for years," such as tabbed browsing.

"We are filing this complaint on behalf of all consumers who are tired of having a monopolist make choices for them," said Jon von Tetzchner, chief executive officer of Opera. "In addition to promoting the free choice of individual consumers, we are a champion of open Web standards and cross-platform innovation."

Opera asked the European Commission to force Microsoft to unbundle IE from Windows and to carry alternative browsers preinstalled on the desktop. Opera also asked the EC to require Microsoft to follow "fundamental and open Web standards accepted by Web-authoring communities."

The browser company asserts that Microsoft's "unilateral control over standards in some markets has created a de facto standard that is more costly to support, harder to maintain, and technologically inferior and that can even expose users to security risks."
-------------
I will not be crying for IE.

Quote:
Marco :

"I'm a harsh Microsoft critic"
Sorry, you were,but now you are not.
----------------------------------------------------
Sadly Joe, I have to agree with Marco on this. Your "new tone," as put it in another article comes off just wrong. Trying to be a fan or an advocate for Microsoft, like the way you see SJVN at Linux Watch, is not what most people want to read. Your interpretation of SJVN is also wrong, as he trys hard to 1. know what he is talking about when comparing Windows and Linux. 2. trys to tell the truth even when its not favorable to Linux. Ask yourself if you do that mostly when discussing Windows?

Also ask yourself if your have the experience with other operating systems to compare with Windows. Maybe with the Mac, you do, but certainly not with Linux. Perhaps it time you went on a crash course and tried and actually became proficient with some of the community distros, before commenting blindly on them as you do in some of your articles.

What most of us want to see here, is what the name implies, "MS Watch." We want the good and the bad that the empire does, or does not do. We don't want a cheerleader for MS. This article is all in all one of your better ones, but still you could not get away from the advocate for MS trend here.

Just tell the truth, and you will be better off. If MS did wrong why not say so? If they do good, thats fine too.

The lockin formats are bad for users, even you are starting to see that now. MS with its monopoly on preinstalled new computers, will never give up this lockin, without someone like the EU coming down hard on them. Admit it.

I'm starting to miss Neil.

Les Verbose wrote: "I'm starting to miss Neil."

Yeah, what happened to Neil?

Joe

As a long-term "outsider" who has done some fairly large scale-implementations of MS based products in the past for my sins. I think
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYAAMih6QvM
sums up what most "reasonable" Europeans think of MS and their leadership. MS have effectively declared war on the planet and you guys can't (or don't want to) see it.
You just keep going round in circles day after day, year after year and why ?? Cos' that Evil little ******* has got the World caught up in a just keep creating/forcing **** down people's throats in the hopes they'll keep buying it. There's an awful lot of anger/aggression within MS that they keep trying to force down people's throats. Jeez, no wonder your porn industry is so huge. Is that what US competition is ? Keep screwing all and sundry till there's no-one left around to compete with you ? Then waddya do ? You keep manipulating them some more and the cycle continues UNTIL either we're all DEAD or consumers/regulatory bodies say ENOUGH - NO MORE.
Well.. if that's what you guys define as being business, you can shove it up your ****.
Why should we buy anything from a guy who shares the same Star-sign as Saddamm Hussein (if you believe in that sort of thing, that is) ?
Watch for the "sting in the tail guys" !!
Linus - where are ya m8 ?? ;) Your time is REALLY coming, and the time of your kids..and theirs..etc... !
Bill - turn the lights off when you go ! Oops in your keynote vid (loaded with subliminals) you already did ! Know who your future Administration is gonna' be yet ??
Steve - still wanna' throw some more chairs about ?
Start genning up on the Bible guys - you're REALLY gonna' need it !
Tip - start using Google Earth/Google Sky and look for the second coming !

Quote;
Joe :

Les Verbose wrote: "I'm starting to miss Neil."

Yeah, what happened to Neil?

Joe
----------------------------------------------------
And for awhile, Joe, you were sounding a lot like Neil. Hopefully, partly welcome back.

Wow. The tinfoil hat crowd is out in force on this topic. For the record, I'm what some might call a liberal democrat. I've never voted for a republican and probably never will. But even I'm not crazy (dumb?) enough to think that Microsoft is evil-incarnate. Microsoft did some irresponsible stuff a while back. They got punished for it. In my opinion, the DOJ case was a bunch of baloney anyway but Microsoft lost so that's history. But for the EC to take up the cause of trying to "fix" the world of technology for us is a truly scary thought. Does anyone really think that a bunch of regulators in Europe know what's best for competition? Not. They're just being activists and will almost certainly screw things up if we don't watch them carefully.

Hey, if you want to be scared of a company...try looking at Google. Now THAT is a scary company. Microsoft? Not so much.

Neil was "defending" Ms against you Joe (shill's job), apparently it was not necessary any more.
But the point is; You can love whatever one but "balance and pragmatism" you could never forget.

Rational Guy MS has done a lot of irresponsible things. Problem is they have only payed for part of it.
Hopefully this time the EU will go whole slog hit for all the things Microsoft has done wrong. Then everyone including Microsoft can get back down to business.
Google there is some fear there. Critical thing Google does not block competition by altering protocols or file formats and not documenting it well enough that someone can use that protocol or file format equally well.
That is MS problem there are a few 100 things they need to get slammed with. After that Microsoft is in the clear.
We all should be more EU get on with it so we can get back to business.

I don't think it should be tounge-in-cheek regarding MS pulling out of the EU, and anywhere else somebody want to justify an income by lawsuits. I'd rather they stay, but not with all the action against them. Let the consumers determine their success or failure, not lawyers.

I agree that MS is not the most standards compliant, and I also agree that they have not always been forthcoming about inner working of their products, but to this, as an end user, who cares!

I am so tied of the whining about MS being the big bully on the block, and they are so unfair, and have a monopoly, and they don't play nice with other software. How did they get that monopoly? By making products that everyone wanted to buy, that solved problems, or at least users felt they needed or wanted to buy. That's a market driven economy. People speak with their wallets. If they don't like a product, they buy someone elses, they don't sue to make it work the way they want it to.

All the discussion about open source and how it's so great to have all the code out in the open and available ... I say ... you can have it! I want a product that works, and I'm perfectly fine with buying Microsoft's products, because they do what I want them to. I can open a book found readily on any bookstore shelf and know pretty much how it works. If I have a technical problem, I can dial a phone number and get support, and I don't have to post to some blog on some web site and wonder if someone will reply to me to find an answer to how do I make something work, or simply poke at it to figure it out on my own.

Nothing in life is free, and those who think they can steer us that direction will find they are fighting a thousand year old matter-of-fact ... it just is not going to happen.

I followed the previous EU "drama" (I used to call it the EU disaster) closely as an ex employee of Microsoft in Europe.

Unfortunately, it appears evident that the EU commission is continuing to use complaints from mostly American companies (ECIS) to further the cause of European companies based on complaints of historical issues.

And those who complain about MS business ethics, get over it. You have not seen what Oracle, Sun, IBM and others are capable of.

Regardless of what happens (and it will hurt MS in the short run), I suspect Oracle, Sun and IBM eventually will pay the price in Europe as well unless they manage to bankrupt themselves first. Intel has already earned that right.

Its not a issue of not being forth coming on internals of there products.

Its more that here is a standard many parties are using and then MS alters it break everyone else. If they want hidden build it own them selfs in there own internal standards don't screw everyone else over. Basically don't cause other people programs to fail.

Many good products have died because of MS actions. Many cases MS products were poorer relations. There actions have effected commercial and open source equally.

Note Petter SUN and IBM have never altered standards without releasing what they have done for everyone to use. So from a EU point of view they will most likely be left alone. Oracle is even more interesting they maintain Berkley db and have put no road blocks to postgresql emulating there main product. To be correct how Oracles interfaces work are publicly documented if anyone wants to clone them. Of course the internals are secret.

Sorry Petter Microsoft actions have been illegal not just ethics. Even USA laws covering business forbid altering standards and not documenting to gain market share by breaking other peoples products using the standard. Yes IBM SUN and Oracle all have used questionable ethics at times but they have never put a foot across the standards line what leads into illegal. Is the reason why MS cannot just cut and run from the EU courts due to the fact what they have done can be prosecuted in USA courts by the EU on behalf of all USA citizens.

Its basically been common prac in MS to break standards for a long time. Problem is the common prac has always been illegal. Just let the EU do what needs doing. Microsoft is also seeing that they have to next version of IE for one will obey the standard for websites at long last. You should see web developers party over that. At long last able to produce 1 complex page with no tweaks for all webbrowers.

Lets just say MS has going illegal rogue for many years. Now why has not the DOJ pulled MS up over this.

Note the illegal bit is why saying MS can cut and run is so stupid there is very few countries they can truly cut and run to and get away from the laws covering this.

Funny how everyone bashes MS for being Evil and not following "open standards" when Google and Oracle are becoming the new players that lock businesses and consumers in, and no one is the wiser to notice. MS has had it's teeth pulled a long time ago. I would be more worried about the acquisition that Oracle has made in the last 5 years - about 40 companies. And I would also be concerned about Google and their purchase of Double-Click to track consumers surfing and spending habbits. Then there is all the search data google keeps on every person and has no policy to dispose of it in a reasonable time frame. Ten there is Apple, who has never opened up it's system or proprietary systems - but when you are brainwashed, nobody seemed to understand.

Yes, maybe microsoft is doing something that is not right, but then, it is industry practice.
1). In a retail market retailers frequently give up a thing free with another only to boost up their sales and to remove competition but isn't that completely fair?
2). Google also provides strong integration between its services , like an email attachment can be directly opened in Google docs an much more similar then what about that?
3). Strong integration and interoperability helps in things to work better. The best example of this is Linux's KDE suite which is largely inter-operated and hence much more powerful.
In the last i agree that
but when you are brainwashed, nobody seemed to understand.