Microsoft Holding 'Screw Google' Meetings In DC 331
Runaway1956 writes "Microsoft's chief Washington lobbyist has been convening regular meetings, attended by the company's outside consultants, that have become known by some beltway insiders as 'screw Google' meetings, DailyFinance has learned. The meetings are part of an ongoing campaign by Microsoft, other Google opponents, and hired third parties to discredit the Web search leader, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter. 'Microsoft is at the center of a group of companies who see Google as a threat to them in some combination of business and policy,' said a source who requested anonymity to avoid retribution. 'The effort is designed to make Google look like the big high-tech bad guy here.'"
Actually, I'm kinda getting nostalgic ;) (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, you know, I'm kinda getting nostalgic. In ye goode olde days, even just a "Microsoft exists" would generate a flurry of pure hate, and let's not even get into news of such obviously evil behaviour as offering a free CLI version of their compiler. Now as of the time I've hit "Reply To This" were only 5 replies, and mostly moderate stuff. It hardly looks like the proper "screw Microsoft and the horse they rode in on" parties we used to hold :P
Re:Using google as default in ie8 (Score:5, Informative)
Here are the simple steps to add a new provider:
1.) Click the dropdown in the search box.
2.) Click the "Find more providers" link.
3.) Click "Add to Internet Explorer" for the Google Provider.
4.) Check "Make this my default provider" option.
5.) Click Add. Done.
Also, If you just want to change Google to the default AND remove Bing, it's just as easy...
1.) Click the dropdown in the search box.
2.) Click the "Manage Search Providers" link.
3.) Select the "Google" provider.
4.) Click the "Set as default" button.
5.) Click on the "Bing" provider.
6.) Click the "Remove" button.
7.) Click "Done"
Really, these steps are so obvious that I almost didn't respond because I thought you were joking.
Bill
Re:Using google as default in ie8 (Score:1, Informative)
You're doing it wrong.
Re:Actually, I'm kinda getting nostalgic ;) (Score:2, Informative)
[quote]It's also hard for me to bitch out Microsoft while I am forced to tell people who actually want to use websites with flash (such as full screen youtube) that they can't use Linux.[/quote]
Works for me.
I just tried a random Youtube video in full screen to check.
Re:Corporate SOP (Score:3, Informative)
If you can reasonably describe them as "strategic meetings," it's certainly not news no matter who's doing it. If you have words like "lobbyists" and "discredit" in the story, it warrants some attention -- again, no matter who's doing it.
Re:I'll do you one better... (Score:1, Informative)
Upon a -fresh- install of IE8, you are -asked- what default search provider (and accelerator and a few other things) you want, and Google is in those lists.
You are wrong. I just did it yesterday, and the only choice I had was to leave the default search provider set to bing, or I was allowed to delay my switch to another provider once the setup wizard had completed.
Re:Actually, I'm kinda getting nostalgic ;) (Score:5, Informative)
He's probably referring to:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=469439 [mozilla.org]
There was a simple workaround (LD_PRELOAD) but it has been since fixed.
Re:Corporate SOP (Score:3, Informative)
It *sounds* like what they're doing is attempting a smear and astroturf campaign, rather than a "strategic meeting to provide better products".
That is why this appears to be dishonest and evil, while Google does not.
Re:Actually, I'm kinda getting nostalgic ;) (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Actually, I'm kinda getting nostalgic ;) (Score:1, Informative)
>While Flash on 64bit windows still is nonexistent.
LOL what?
I'm on 64 bit Vista here, watching youtube videos just fine.
Re:Actually, I'm kinda getting nostalgic ;) (Score:2, Informative)
While Flash on 64bit windows still is nonexistent.
Well, perhaps 64-bit Flash on 64-bit Windows is nonexistent, but Flash is working just fine, thank you. And you don't need to do anything wonky to make full screen work.
Re:Actually, I'm kinda getting nostalgic ;) (Score:3, Informative)
If I were to say "64 bit flash is nonexistent", the statement would only be mildly inaccurate. It only exists on Linux in any form, where it relies on IA32 libraries, and crashes consistently. I test drove it, I watched for months for an update that might fix the problems, and finally uninstalled it. (deleted it, actually, there's no real installation or uninstallation)
Re:Been there, done that. (Score:3, Informative)
I could reprise all of First Amendment doctrine for you, but I won't. It's not illegal, and it shouldn't be illegal. Speech that you object to must be countered with speech, not suppression of the speech that you object to.
Freedom of speech is not absolute. If I tell you I'll pay you to commit a murder, and you agree to do it, we're guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, even if neither the killing nor the payment actually happens before we get caught and all we did was talk.
The same principle can certainly be applied to speech on behalf of organizations. There are most certainly openness laws, and many of them concern corporate and government behavior. You may be free to speak, but you're not necessarily free to do it in secret. Nor, in many cases, are you free to deliberately collude with other companies for purposes such as fixing prices. And these laws have been, by and large, challenged on First Amendment (and other) grounds, and upheld.