In an article http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=528&ncid=528&e=7&u=/ap/20050321/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_microsoft

"BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union (news - web sites) threatened Microsoft Corp. on Friday with new fines if the software company doesn't make it easier and cheaper for competitors to see the blueprints of its server software."

The implied point is that the EU wants Microsoft to compete with so-called Open Source software. The EU proponents seem to be unconcerned that there is a substantial cost in developing, supporting and improving software.

If anyone has ever tried to find a support source for Linux, Unix or any of the many flavors of Open Source software, they know it is well nigh impossible to solve some anomalies without extensive programming skills. In the same way, if Windows were to be obligated to become Open Source, the software would quickly become unsupportable.

I have to wonder if this is a case of attempted socialization of software but hidden as an encouraging competitive business practice? Note that the EU has already fined Microsoft $665 million dollars due to alleged anti-trust violations, and they maintain an option of fining up to 5% of Microsoft’s global sales.

Lets see, they want to profiteer from Microsoft, well beyond it’s sales in Europe, but at the same time, demand that Microsoft can’t profit from it’s own work.

Unbelievable.

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...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

They wan't it to give to a European software manufacturer to unfairly compete against Microsoft.....remember when you can't beat them fairly...cheat. THe motto of the French and germans. THe people that brought you the UN oil for food scam.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Absent free trade regulations to the contrary, does Microsoft have an absolute right to market abroad? By the same token, shouldn't EU countries open up their R&D vaults too?

Microsoft should then say fine we will sell our better products to China and make tons of money. If Microsoft refused to sell to Europe I bet there tone would change pretty fast.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Oh, they will just turn to their "superior" home grown operating system......

OH right they don't have one...............I say screw them. Cut them off and then go after them if Pirated software is found VIA the WTO......

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Yep thats what I am saying, they seem to need Microsoft more then Microsoft needs their money. If Gates has a spine make the EU squirm a bit then in 6 months they will let you sell your stuff, with a 25% mark up over current prices of course.

I would be one evil CEO (evil laugh) hahahahahahahah

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

The article is interesting, maybe the EU has a valid point.

From Yahoo's article:
"EU antitrust regulators fined Microsoft a record 497 million euros ($665 million) when they ruled a year ago that Microsoft abusively wielded its Windows software monopoly to lock competitors out of the market.

They ordered, among other things, that Microsoft share Windows server code with rivals so their products can better communicate on networks with machines that run Windows operating systems.

Microsoft decided it would provide the information through licenses, which Todd said the European Commission (news - web sites) felt were too expensive."

Hey..they gotta spend all their money for subsidies of Airbus.....and others...Why should they pay for liciences.........Oh right this is Europe..the land of speaking out of both sides of their mouth at the same time.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Perhaps the article suffers from being incomplete. Microsoft’s server software (clients too) has what’s called an API or application programming interface. An API is a group of instructions and procedures for communicating with various elements of the server. The TCP/IP protocol is extremely well known at this point and programming for it doesn’t amount to much as programming goes. Microsoft also requires client licenses for clients to access the server, plus if the server is an Exchange (email) server, they also require client licenses to access the server for mail. This list of client licenses may go on depending on what functions the server does. Database programming techniques on Windows servers has been known for years, and there are a number of known flat file and SQL techniques that are well developed for databases running on Windows. So this whole issue doesn’t make sense except perhaps as a deception on the part of the EU....

__________________
...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

I'm not up on all the latest, but if microsoft has been found guilty of breaking the law and if they were ordered to open up a few APIs as part of the punishment, then that's OK as far as I'm concerned. Why should they benefit during their punishment?

The EU only wants to steal Microsofts Intellectual property as they don't have the collective brainpower to creat their own......think about Iraq and why they opposed it so much....The Saddam bribery gravy train....


The EU could care less about whats right....they just want to rip us off.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

I don't think the EU wants to steal anything, especialy such a horrible product as Windows.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

Then why are they after the source code?

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

So other software companies (most American) can develop software that runs on WINDOWS, it's to protect the consumer, not the small European software developers.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

I understand that but why do they have to get for free what others have to pay for.......Personally I have used every version of windows that has existed starting with Windows 286......and remember before Bill Gates brought us MS-Dos I like not having to buy or steal every freaking little utility you need to keep a computer going. IT the EU trying to do this not the US companies....that rulling doesn't effect the US companies as I understand it.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche