Comments on: EU's statement on end of Microsoft investigation

The European Commission gives a summary of its heavy-duty ruling against Microsoft after a long antitrust investigation.

The EU got it all wrong

It is incredible how a 5+ years case could end up like this. The EU trying to build a strong case took too much time to issue an undebatable and unappealable ruling, effectively regulating a past issue.

Considering this, the commision tried to predict the future and set a legal background that will make easier to correct any other wrongdoing the company does.

So far so good, but I imagine an scenario with microsoft becoming a legal "piñata" for every single thing it bundles in the OS, and its competitors have proven that they can sue to death instead of just minding their business.

And why doesn't anyone sues apple for tying its music player and software to a incompatible format (AAC), this could be possible since apple is the number one online music seller.

Or even better, why doesn't anyone recognize Microsoft for standarizing the PC market, aleviating us from learning three word processors, two OSes, two spreadsheets, etc. How can a company innovate when you have to ask everyone what you can do?

Finally?

This should have been sorted long before now, it has taken this long for people to realise how anti-competition Microsoft Truly are?

Anyone think microsoft might bring out a copy of windows that might read mac format floppy disks now?

[GregSalts]

When Pioneer makes a BetaMax adapter

Windows reading MAC formatted floppies is not necessary as the files can be transferred over the internet without the need for a particular disc format. You can then save to a pc formatted floppy and read on any pc. You can do the reverse to place files from a pc onto a MAC formatted disc. Besides, how many Digital Pictures will fit on one floppy anyway?

[brewster_13]

MS is like the 800 (billion) pound Gorilla

Having worked for a call center that Microsoft helped to go bankrupt by refusing to pay over $2 million that they contractually owed for services rendered and business promised, I know that Microsoft's unfair and illegal anti-competitive behaviour goes far beyond what either the EU or the US courts looked into. They basically said that they would not pay what they had agreed to, to the company I worked for, and several other call centers. The companies could sue them, but their army of lawyers would bury any lawsuits against them.
Microsoft is the proverbial 800 (billion) pound gorilla that thinks they can do what they want, when they want to. And they don't do all that much innovation, they generally steal, purchase or copy the real computing innovations. While XP is their best effort to date, it is still years behind Macintosh in many areas including intuitive ease of use, system stability, security and virus vulnerability (have you installed your weekly security patch yet?). Wasn't it 2 or 3 years ago that Bill Gates said that MS "new" priority was security? Well patch this! and that, and this again...
I have used both Mac and MS operating systems for over 18 years and have always laughed when Windows users would find some "cool, new feature" in the latest version of Windows, that I had been using on a Mac for a few years. Name just one of Microsoft's innovations that they thought of first, designed, created on their own, brought to market first, and is successful.
One accurate way to view MS is that they are a rich, arrogant, very aggressive business that will do anything in their power to get what they want. It is about time that they got their wrists slapped, and with some $50 Billion in cash reserves, the EU's fine isn't going to hurt them.