Microsoft Ready To Address EU Antitrust Concerns

An anonymous reader sends this quote from a Reuters report: "Software giant Microsoft is ready to introduce measures that would address the European Union's antitrust concerns about users' ability to chose between different browsers, European Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said on Saturday. EU antitrust regulators are investigating whether Microsoft blocks computer makers from installing rival web browsers on its upcoming Windows 8 operating system, following complaints from several companies. Almunia is in charge of antitrust enforcement at the European Commission. 'In my personal talks with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer he has given me assurances that they will comply immediately regardless of the conclusion of the anti trust probe,' Almunia said at an economic conference in northern Italy, adding that he considered the matter a 'very, very serious issue.'"

Chrome on Windows 8

[Anonymous Coward]

This dull reply written in Chrome on activated Windows 8 Enterprise. Chrome metro is full featured and superior in functionality to IE10 metro.

It's a trap

[Anonymous Coward]

He ALWAYS says that, during the last anti-trust case, they lost, they where required to offer a choice. Microsoft would endlessly make some token change, then do a press release saying basically "EU has defeated us totally, we've capitulated, oh how unfair it all is", then a week later they'd quietly release details of the change they'd made and it was nothing, and didn't address the core point.

They did this 4 or 5 times, each time doing a press release saying they'd totally capitulated, then release the change later only to find they hadn't done anything, then lobby US Senators and Congressmen to twist the law in their favor against with jingoism.

It's a game he plays.

Dear EU regulator: Secure Boot

[Anonymous Coward]

Hopefully the EU addresses secure boot on ARM. Locking out all other OSs besides windows on ARM devices is abusing Microsoft's x86 monopoly to attempt to create an ARM monopoly.

Double standards

[Taantric]

I can't understand the disconnect between the treatment of Microsoft for this and how Apple gets away with it's 'walled garden'. Could someone please explain why legally one is OK while the other is not.

Re:Chrome on Windows 8

[shutdown -p now]

Now try doing that on Windows RT (the ARM version).

ballot DVD

[sandoval88419]

I agree with you, MS have always played the same game, they get a slap on the hand, they promise, then they do nothing.

Result today : we can't uninstall IE, selecting another search engine is painful, and we are obliged to buy Windows with every new machine.

As long as MS have their deal with manufacturers to enforce a pre-installed windows nothing will change : Tied sale and MS tax. Which should be punished because MS are not a HW manufacturer.

Either they do their HW and offer a pre-installed windows, either they sell SW by their own means at no-loss price.

I think what'd be fair would be a ballot DVD :
1- the user buys a brand new machine,
2- boots the machine with the ballot DVD
3- picks up Linux
4- ????
5- profit ! :-)