Version: 2008

Comments on: Opera chairman a longtime Microsoft critic

Although Opera's antitrust complaint against Redmond is new, Chairman William Raduchel in the late 1990s said Bill Gates was a lot like John Rockefeller.

Add a Comment (Log in or register) (12 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
So what?
by S R December 14, 2007 2:32 PM PST
Just because someone has been MS's critic for a long time
doesn't mean that you can discard that issue.

If at any time you have to particularly code for IE or for other
browsers because your code will work only on IE, means that the
case is valid.

We all know that CNET kisses MS's a$$. So, does this mean
anything?
Reply to this comment
Loser
by robwill53 December 14, 2007 2:35 PM PST
Good investigative reporting by Mr. Bishop to connect the dots on this guy. When you are convinced of your own brilliance and you have just f'd up your 2nd business in a row you need somebody to blame. Who better than Google, Intel, or Microsoft? If you shout loud enough you may be able to get your shareholders to believe it.

I love it when guys like this refuse to take any responsibility for the decisions they made or the disappointing business results these decisions generated. All I can say is wake up and smell the coffee dude. The consistent part of this story of failure is your participation.
Reply to this comment
Opera cry-baby...
by AppleSuxLeo December 14, 2007 3:30 PM PST
I`d be whining too if my lousy browser had such poor market-share.
Lets force auto manufacturers to start selling cars without an engine or a stereo , because this is "bundling".
While were at it , let`s break up Mac`s bundling of browser and other software on their computers...and lets break up the iPod/iTunes monopoly...and break up Googles ever-growing monopoly.
MSFT isn`t preventing you from installing a different browser you fool. The EU is full of whiners and Socialists.
Reply to this comment
LOL
by The_Decider December 14, 2007 5:30 PM PST
I would explain the difference between bundling and making non-OS software part of the OS, but would be a waste since you are a technically ignorant MS fanboy.

Yes, I realize that technically ignorant MS fanboy is redundant.
Not so fast....
by Todd Templeton December 14, 2007 5:45 PM PST
Apple bundles Safari with the Macintosh. They started doing that
at about the same time Microsoft started letting IE Mac languish.
Apple, unlike Microsoft, has never crippled the Macintosh's
ability to run other developer's browsers nor bullied the entire
internet community into conforming to their "standards". These
are critical and important differences, and it this sort of behavior
will continue to put Microsoft in the hot-seat until they finally
change their ways.

Also, Microsoft has chosen not to make the Zune compatible
with the Mac, not Apple. I just plugged a friend's old,
gargantuan Creative MP3 player into my Mac the other day and
it showed up in iTunes, played, transferred files, etc. just fine.
DRM would have been a problem, but clearly Apple has put
vastly more effort into getting rid of that scourge than Microsoft.
If this jalopy of an MP3 player and the latest version of
iTunes/Leopard could make beautiful music together, you would
think the Zune could handle it. But Microsoft couldn't help
themselves from their own destructive behavior.

The EU is full of people who have better healthcare, more
vacation, a better education system and a higher standard of
living to go with their longer lifespans. Unlike the U.S., they also
continue to build high quality products in their own countries.
Corporatism takes a back seat to the people's needs. The
horrors of "socialists", indeed.
Non-OS software is ?
by AppleSuxLeo December 14, 2007 8:53 PM PST
Seems to me Mac comes with a lot of "non-OS" software such as iLife/iTunes and a mail program as well as a bundled browser...as does various distros of Linux.
You are nothing but an ignorant Apple kiss-ass. While you are at it , go ahead and pay the EU (forced socialism) Value Added Tax ;)
View reply
Opera & FireFox better than IE anyday....
by RompStar_420 December 14, 2007 6:21 PM PST
Opera and FireFox are way better browsers, when I want to turn off all the bulls$%^, I can do that extremely easy with a few hot-buttons and turns off everything, back to the basic HTML.

Don't have to worry about any Java, DirectX, or anything that could infect or save something that I don't want.

And when I need it, I can turn it on whenever I want. Freedoms like that are not as easy with IE and it crashes as much as the crappy OS.
Reply to this comment
Who really cares?
by jscott418 December 15, 2007 4:06 AM PST
You know I really don't care about Opera, I don't have sympathy for
them. It's a good browser but hardly anything that Firefox can't do.
IE has not taken away it's thunder it's Mozilla that has managed to
make headway against Microsoft. Maybe Opera should complain
about Mozilla too?
Reply to this comment
Microsoft
by kantsleep December 15, 2007 6:03 AM PST
Whether or not Microsoft has broken laws I really don't care. I think all these people are just PO'd that they didn't think of it first. Bill Gates is a visionary and deserves the billions he has. My only complaint is that he doesn't give me a couple of million for saying nice things about him.
Reply to this comment
MS Server Software the real Antitrust Violation
by whidbeyben December 15, 2007 4:47 PM PST
Opera, Mozilla and Apple should join forces to force Microsoft
server software to be open to their browsers. This is where
Microsoft is really abusing the monopoly they have on operating
systems. There are many web and enterprise software solutions
that either knowingly or unknowingly rely on Microsoft server
software that locks out anything but the latest versions of
Internet Explorer from accessing data locked up in their servers,
even though these are sold as "web based" applications.
Microsoft may eventually use their server software to force
people to upgrade from XP to Vista by no longer supporting
access from XP versions of IE. iSite Enterprise is a software
solution that supposedly allows doctors to access radiology
reports over the internet, but it only works with the latest
versions of IE. It even locks out Macintosh versions of Internet
Explorer. It clearly forces people to purchase the latest versions
of Microsoft software to use so-called "web based" software.
Enterprise software providers should do their part in boycotting
server solutions that lock people into non-standards based
proprietary "web" software. The internet belongs to everyone-
not just Bill Gates.
Reply to this comment
Fried should address the issue instead of attackin g
by zxcv1234zxcv December 16, 2007 1:11 PM PST
In 2001, the Opera browser was becoming the second most commonly used browser, ahead of Netscape. Firefox did not exist at that time, so it was a three way race with Opera gaining ground quickly.

In that year, Microsoft began targeting Opera by putting code on its websites (MSN, Hotmail and others) that caused their sites to appear differently: pages were made wider than the screen, objects did not appear in the right places or did not appear at all, logins would not work, etc.

That is, the websites would not work if Opera identified itself as "Opera". But if you changed the browser to identify itself at "Internet Explorer", the webpages were displayed properly. Microsoft falsely claimed that it was a problem with Opera, when in fact it was their own code, and was easily proven by simply examining the HTML source code of the pages.

Isn't it strange how c|net seems blissfully unaware or ignorant of its own newspage history? Read on:

http://www.news.com/2100-1023-274944.html
"The software giant admitted that it is watching for Opera strings--but only because it wants to encourage people to use standard-compliant browsers."

Since it is Microsoft's browser that violates the standards of the World Wide Web Consortium (www.w3.org), that's at best a bald faced lie, and at worst, something c|net would censor if I said it.
Reply to this comment
(12 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
advertisement

15 sites that went kaput in 2009

Web sites launch all the time, but they also shut their doors. We highlight 15 that bit the dust this year.

Top 10 news stories of the decade

Let the debate begin: Was the iPhone more important than iTunes? Was anything bigger than Google finding a great business model? CNET offers its list of the 10 most important stories of the '00s.

About Beyond Binary

During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft.


Beyond Binary is a look at how technology is changing our lives and the people behind all that life-changing stuff, with an extra emphasis on that which emanates from Redmond, Wash.

Add this feed to your online news reader

Beyond Binary topics

Binary Bits

    Follow Ina on Twitter (Twitter name: InaFried)
    advertisement
    advertisement