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RE: Blackmail
The EU has reviewed M$'s operations, concluding that 95% of the market constitutes a MONOPOLY. The court has found that M$ has denied competitors access to essential data regarding its API's and other links to its operating system. It is known that the leadership of M$ has consistently used this method to promote its products at the expense of competitors.

Based on the above, the conduct M$ is being "blackmailed" for is one of racketeering, or unethical business practices. By engaging in these practices, the impetus to seek other solutions becomes apparent to programmers and software companies, governments, and consumers.

Lest we forget the vision of the founder, Mr. Gates, his ideal is that the world be MS based as THE standard. He has nearly achieved that end, but seems bent on destroying that dream by "being above the law". Successor management seems to fit this mould exactly, costing the company $2.5 Billion in fines for not complying with a court order.

The harm caused by not comlying is a definite strategy M$ would like to continue. By appealing, M$ would deny competitors access to the very thing the court ordered, the API's and supporting code. Financial strangulation of competition is the end result as the cost to engineer tests to discover the code is time and cash consumptive. Making this a prolonged affair is to M$ advantage.

Ethical Darwinism is the strategy by which M$ seeks to keep its products on the market. How much would it have cost M$ to comply? Certainly not $1.2 - $1.4 Billion, not once but twice. Based on this, it must be concluded that M$ management prefers this method of operation. Were I a shareholder, it would be a matter of ethical concern to continue the current management.

Finally, no one is picking on M$. Were I to enter your place of business or employment armed with a gun demanding money, I would be removed for a while from society. M$ is being asked, now ordered, to provide access to a monopoly position in the desktop O/S market. Were this EU "blackmail" obfuscates the position M$ is in, that of a convicted MONOPOLIST, attempting to continue its (un)ethical business practices.
Posted by: jns_45K@...   Posted on: 05/12/08 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Well, in any case, 1.4 Billion is chicken feed to MS, they should just shut  DonnieBoy | 05/09/08
Wow, such business acumen!  archerjoe | 05/09/08
Message has been deleted.  fr0thy2 | 05/09/08
Well, they do own the company  archerjoe | 05/09/08
I see no one stopping you  No_Ax_to_Grind | 05/10/08
It's not ZDNet posters that need to inovate, it is MS. MS needs to do  DonnieBoy | 05/10/08
I wouldn't worry, their P&L looks fine.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 05/10/08
Message has been deleted.  Non_Zealot | 05/11/08
But, are the stock holders happy about a flat stock price since 2001???  DonnieBoy | 05/11/08
How About That Yahoo Prediction Bitty?  itanalyst2@... | 05/12/08
Again, 1.4 billion is chicken feed compared to what is rolling in at MS.  DonnieBoy | 05/10/08
What chicken are you feeding with 1.4 billion  pueblonative | 05/11/08
Maybe you do not realize what MS has to lose with another round of bad  DonnieBoy | 05/11/08
First thy are Guilty, now want to get fine removed  educateme@... | 05/12/08
M$ think they're special  hasta la Vista, bah-bie | 05/12/08
This is just chump change (to use No_Ax_to_Grinds term for it).  B.O.F.H. | 05/10/08
It is a lot of money to MS  archerjoe | 05/10/08
MS has a lot more to worry about than just this fine. They have billions  DonnieBoy | 05/11/08
It is at least 1/10th of the liquid assets Microsoft owns...  jasonp@... | 05/12/08
"Chicken feed?" Get Real. It's blackmail  30YrVet | 05/12/08
1.4 billion chicken feed  don12string@... | 05/12/08
RE: Blackmail  jns_45K@... | 05/12/08
Yank the cord bro  pcguy777 | 05/12/08
Microsoft knew the risks, they rolled the dice, and lost  bmerc | 05/13/08
@bmerc Exactly Right  starcannon99022@... | 05/13/08
I agree with you  tpculp@... | 05/17/08
I doubt they'll pay  kordoniss@... | 05/12/08
Microsoft doesn't deserve a break...  gtdworak | 05/09/08
Microsoft need smashing to pieces  fr0thy2 | 05/09/08
How dare you?!  Confused by religion | 05/10/08
Sounds like...  jlafitte | 05/12/08
Anarchy rules!  30YrVet | 05/12/08
hate to disagree but  lenohere | 05/09/08
I would flip that around and say that with all of their advantages, they do  DonnieBoy | 05/10/08
You are kidding right?  lenohere | 05/11/08
Well, you seem to be kidding, so...  zkiwi | 05/11/08
In today's world...  lenohere | 05/12/08
Is that Koolaid on our breath?  zkiwi | 05/12/08
Apple should have to share with other hardware  pcguy777 | 05/12/08
You know very well all of the illegal business tactics that MS used. You  DonnieBoy | 05/11/08
But giving out their code was not one of the issues  GuidingLight | 05/11/08
forcing a non-opensource company  Khyron | 05/12/08
Did the Martians here the news too?  30YrVet | 05/12/08
Don't be so hard on 'em...  Marty R. Milette | 05/12/08
You mean 7 paid off judges???  pcguy777 | 05/12/08
re:  pcguy777 | 05/12/08
funny  Khyron | 05/12/08
They couldn't compete....  Dave32265 | 05/12/08
"as it has that communist developement.."  bmerc | 05/13/08
Same old song, different age  30YrVet | 05/12/08
If you keep feeding the stray  Real World | 05/09/08
Extortion?  pcb1962 | 05/09/08
Abuse or lack of ESP?  30YrVet | 05/12/08
Do you really think they weren't warned?  pcb1962 | 05/13/08
"The whole argument that MS is a monopoly is BS anyway. "  bmerc | 05/13/08
"The whole argument that MS is a monopoly is BS anyway"  pcb1962 | 05/13/08
I prefer the euphemism...  zkiwi | 05/09/08
Message has been deleted.  fr0thy2 | 05/09/08
If you keep feeding the stray  fr0thy2 | 05/09/08
A better way to put it. If MS keeps breaking the law, they will get more  DonnieBoy | 05/10/08
Microsoft doesn't know how to write software  BALTHOR | 05/09/08
Only MS stockholders love Microsoft  fr0thy2 | 05/09/08
Are they really that flush?  TripleII | 05/10/08
They are. The reason they looked into finance  GuidingLight | 05/11/08
Get a degree in Computer Science  BALTHOR | 05/09/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  chuckleberry | 05/09/08
Triple the fine  fr0thy2 | 05/09/08
If you feed the stray...  John L. Ries | 05/09/08
Did it again  John L. Ries | 05/09/08
Message has been deleted.  fr0thy2 | 05/09/08
Separation of Powers  A.Sinic | 05/13/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  mrdt | 05/09/08
Microsoft should never pay they are above the law ask DOJ  Randalllind | 05/09/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  Loverock Davidson | 05/09/08
Only an 8.0  TripleII | 05/10/08
This isn't Mike Cox, Loverock is actually being serious. [nt]  olePigeon | 05/12/08
Impossible.  bmerc | 05/13/08
0.5  odubtaig | 05/10/08
Minus 5.5  Ole Man | 05/10/08
Message has been deleted.  jasonp@... | 05/12/08
Message has been deleted.  itanalyst2@... | 05/12/08
I totally agree  robt@... | 05/12/08
Now that's an oxymoron...  hasta la Vista, bah-bie | 05/12/08
Re: MS Pulling Their Products from EU  skeptic90210 | 05/13/08
Just give them a couple more years.  TripleII | 05/10/08
Well, the Euro is rising in value  zkiwi | 05/10/08
Gates converted their wealth to the Euro in 2005.  HypnoToad | 05/11/08
Reading between the lines  Ole Man | 05/11/08
No wonder they withdrew their Yahoo request!  HypnoToad | 05/11/08
Microsoft Should Ask Google For A Loan  itanalyst2@... | 05/12/08
Why? Microsoft has a much, much larger  Pliny the Elder | 05/12/08
Microsoft has a much, much larger cash reserve then Google does  pcb1962 | 05/13/08
Message has been deleted.  kush13@... | 05/12/08
I'm so tired of all the whining...  readwryt@... | 05/12/08
Right on!  Joe_Suchy@... | 05/12/08
Amen.  jlafitte | 05/12/08
Good uses?  magallanes | 05/12/08
Lafitte's Corollary to Parkinson's Law:  jlafitte | 05/12/08
They could have complied earlier  tony@... | 05/12/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  JJQ1000 | 05/12/08
soory they broke EU laws pay up  Quebec-french | 05/12/08
if China  Khyron | 05/12/08
hmmm  df@... | 05/12/08
I'e seen better arguments from a paper bag  zkiwi | 05/12/08
Watch as I dismantle your lame arguments one by one  bmerc | 05/13/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  sullivanjc | 05/12/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  tfry@... | 05/12/08
Microsoft should stop selling in EU  Joe_Suchy@... | 05/12/08
MICROSOFT VS EU  YIMATKC@... | 05/12/08
Microsoft should stop selling in EU!!!!  brightlight4 | 05/12/08
Won't happen  hasta la Vista, bah-bie | 05/14/08
Re: MS Pulling Their Products from EU  skeptic90210 | 05/13/08
That would be doing the EU a favor  starcannon99022@... | 05/13/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  don12string@... | 05/12/08
What he said...  30YrVet | 05/12/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  Bdidi5 | 05/12/08
Yes, STEALING, yes AMERICAN companies  30YrVet | 05/12/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  trm1945 | 05/12/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  dave_fincham@... | 05/12/08
if not for yanks we would be speaking German? ha ha ha you wish.  asksam2@... | 05/12/08
more than a wish, most call it history  jxb | 05/12/08
one word  asksam2@... | 05/13/08
Switzerland is not in the EU; Britain wasn't Rome; Monty wasn't Caesar  jlafitte | 05/12/08
wow to display such arrogance  asksam2@... | 05/13/08
Bundling is how companies save you money  oracle2world | 05/13/08
Cough it up, Microsoft!  3dtodd | 05/12/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  Bdidi5 | 05/12/08
You sound like a traitorous American  pcguy777 | 05/12/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  jlafitte | 05/12/08
I'd like to see the EU try to muscle a Russian or Chinese company  pcguy777 | 05/12/08
You can't heat your hovels with Windows....  jlafitte | 05/12/08
Russia would just shut off the gas  oracle2world | 05/13/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  bcauthors | 05/12/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  badders46 | 05/12/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  slk.hughes@... | 05/13/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  oracle2world | 05/13/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  WaSp868 | 05/13/08
I doubt they will win the appeal  starcannon99022@... | 05/13/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  smapesm@... | 05/16/08
EU Enforcement needs balance  tm2guy@... | 05/16/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  Samuel C. | 05/17/08
RE: Microsoft appeals $1.4 billion EU fine  tpculp@... | 05/17/08
A world without Microsoft?  as901 | 05/18/08

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