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Microsoft wants to give rivals' software away | |
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| Time: 10:46 EST/15:46 GMT | News Source: ZDNet UK | Posted By: Byron Hinson | ||
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The software giant is seeking to placate the European Commission by including a CD containing rivals' media players with new Windows PCs. With a preliminary decision made and a full report on the way, Microsoft is looking to settle its seemingly interminable antitrust dispute with the European Commission -- but its latest move to placate the EC hasn't met with enthusiasm. | ||
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| #1 By 20 (24.173.210.58) at 2/17/2004 10:48:50 AM |
| How is this even remotely sensical? I just don't get it. |
| #2 By 12071 (203.185.215.149) at 2/17/2004 6:40:54 PM |
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"I can't see Mario Monti doing cartwheels about this. Consumers tend to use preinstalled software -- it's sitting right there with an icon on your desktop, or fired up through the browser."
Good. Make sure that Media Player and IE etc etc aren't installed by default and let the user select which media player(s) and which web browser(s) they want to install off the 2nd CD. Don't just throw in the 2nd CD which the majority of users will not even look! |
| #3 By 3653 (209.149.57.116) at 2/17/2004 9:58:38 PM |
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stupid idea. don't bundle &^#*$, I say. Its your product, MSFT. Do what you want with it. Windows has had a media player since ?day 1?
I dont want that lousy REAL player in the same box with my new computer. That bug-ridden adware isn't trustworthy even in close proximity. |
| #4 By 12071 (203.185.215.149) at 2/17/2004 11:52:56 PM |
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#4 "short end of the stick"
What short end of the stick? When you're installing Mandrake you get several choices of media players and web browsers and well, everything else just about! If that particular application isn't on the current cd, never fear, it'll prompt you to put the right cd in when it's ready! #5 "I dont want that lousy REAL player in the same box with my new computer." Then don't install it! When you are setting up Windows and you have the ability to choose which browser(s) and media player(s) etc you want installed, select IE and WMP. But allow the rest of us to not have IE and WMP forceably installed on us. I use WinAmp and PowerDVD so I don't want WMP installed. |
| #5 By 61 (24.92.223.138) at 2/18/2004 3:44:52 AM |
| Chris: What you and many other just don't get is that certain applications are dependent upon the fact that all versions of Windows will have a certain version of IE and a certain version of WMP installed, and use these OS components as part of its own software. |
| #6 By 12071 (203.173.26.52) at 2/18/2004 5:06:03 AM |
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#7 WTF? When did I ever say that 2 cd's were bad? Maybe you read what I wrote wrong. I'm all for this idea and whether Windows comes on 2 CD's or 3 or 4 or 1 DVD makes no difference! The only thing I asked for was to make sure that it was done in a similar way to the way most Linux distributions are done, i.e. during the install you should be able to choose what you want to install, rather than installing Windows as per now and THEN (after WMP is already installed) you can then pop the next cd in to install Real or WinAmp or QuickTime or whatever else. Do you understand now? This is probably why the EU didn't agree to this deal as they could see that nothing would change, Microsoft would just throw another cd into the package and they can't see people then going and installing things seperately, whereas if they are asked at install time then it makes it fair.
#8 I "get" this, and so does everyone else that you assume doesn't get it and the point you are making is irrelevant sorry. Yes, it's a nice thing for developers to know that every copy of Windows will come with IE and WMP so they don't have to include those packages with their applications. The problem with this "utopia" is that it doesn't exist in the real world! Yes you can assume the user will have IE and WMP, but you have no idea what version and what patch the user will be up to, same goes for other components like DirectX! So what happens... all those applications that make use of the standard components have those standard components included with them. You will be hard pressed to find any game that doesn't have DirectX on the CD, MS Money etc all come with IE on the CD, etc etc. So your whole point of convenience for the developer boils down to nothing more than an excuse for Microsoft to incorporate certain components into Windows. Developers are currently including the standard components with their applications/games! Sorry I don't buy that line! I don't want WMP if I'm not going to use it. If I then decide to install Encarta or something similar which uses WMP, then it will come with the right version of WMP required. |
| #7 By 9156 (192.55.140.2) at 2/18/2004 3:37:29 PM |
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Another problem with this is people boot up windows the first time and it asks if you want to use Netscape or Internet Explorer, then asks Real Player or Media Player....people think....hmmm...I dont know...and make a random choice....50% chance that the uninformed make a random choice get stuck with a crappy peice of software. Then, because they dont know any better...Microsoft gets the bad image. If I were MS I would want a big sign making it clear the software is not made by Microsoft and is only being provided as a choice.
Really though, why is Real Player even around anymore? Its more of an annoyance anyway, the only thing they have to offer is advertisements. Its like Quicktime...there is no advantage to it. Its the same thing it was over the past years...."we cant make good software and people arent using it". Instead of answering "Get back to your cubicle and make something better!" the answer is..."Sue Microsoft!" |
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