Tuesday, June 12th 2007
Google Complains About Microsoft's Vista
Internet search giant Google filed a 49 page document with the U.S. Justice Department and state attorney general charging that Microsoft's Windows Vista impairs the performance of "desktop search" programs that finds data stored on a computer's hard drive. Google believes that Microsoft is not complying with the 2002 antitrust ruling because "The search boxes built throughout Vista are hard-wired to Microsoft's own desktop search product, with no way for users to choose an alternate provider." Microsoft says it has already made more than a dozen changes to address regulators' concerns.
Source:
Breitbart
26 Comments on Google Complains About Microsoft's Vista
"omg we sue u!"
"Oh well, sue you too!"
Nobody's saying that they need to change their code so that google can make money off of Vista, it's that they shouldn't be allowed to change their source code so that Google can't make money off of Vista.
One is okay, one isn't. Please remember that you're dealing with a convicted anti-competitive monopolist, here.
Microsoft is under special rights, after getting that label.
Both OS's have this, and always have.
Googles case now is that Microsoft is purposefully BREAKING google's desktop search too.
(its good to note to delete safari, you just drag the app to the trash :p )
If google's gone ahead with this, they probably have a pretty good case. It would be stupid to not have a firm basis for this unless you've gathered a decent chunk of information against microsoft.
I do know there's some internal beef between Google & Microsoft... However I know this much: I know a guy who was working for MS directly handling that first suit between Google & MS, knew Bill Gates & Sergey Brin and Larry Page (creators of google) personally...
... and now he works for Google...
If Vista is intentionally directly blocking/disabling/inhibiting third party desktop searches, then it's definitely out of line, and Google's got a case.
They're already starting to piss off Microsoft now, but they're still just a fly biting at the edges of Microsoft's big time money makers (Office, Windows) -- if they release an OS, the full Evil Flaming Red Disembodied Eye of Microsoft's lawyer-machine will be turned against Google, and from that point on they'll be doing everything they can just to fight off Microsoft's lawsuits and "intellectual property" challenges.
I'm gonna read up on that OS too. Thanks for the link.
Businesses do not have absolute control over the products they create -- if that was the case, you'd still be eating TV dinners with vegetables grown with DDT and driving cars sold to you with cheap and faulty breaks. Businesses do not, by design, have your best interests in heart, and that's why here in America (and elsewhere) we have this thing called "regulation" -- it helps keep businesses in check.
Now, no one is saying that Microsoft has to build a product that allows others to make money off of -- however, legal precedent says that Microsoft has to not use their market position to unfairly cause other businesses to lose money.
Let me give you an example:
Scenario #1: Microsoft creates desktop file-system searching program. Google also creates desktop file-system searching program. Microsoft's application is better -- it has a snappier interface, quicker results, and looks great. Users choose Microsoft's application -- no one uses Google's and Google loses money.
Scenario #2: Microsoft creates desktop file-system searching program. Google also creates desktop file-system searching program. Google's is better -- it has a snappier interface, quicker results, and looks great. Users choose Google's application -- however, Microsoft creates the operating system that both Google's and Microsoft's file-searching programs run in (Windows), and thus Microsoft subtly changes their code so that Microsoft's application now runs better and makes Google's run slower and return crap results. Users are tricked into using Microsoft's application -- no one uses Google's and Google loses money.
Do you see how Scenario #1 is "fair" and Scenario #2 is not? Hell, you could even say that #1 is more "moral." ;)
...not to mention legal.
However, you also do have to take into account the monopolization aspect, as the US has indeed spent a hundred years in anti-monopolizing... and while this may not seem inherently moral in itself (for morally a company who dominates should be allowed to dominate - they earned it), it is more politically and economically strategic; a nation run by monopolies becomes a threat not only to the political entity, but also to free trade and competition, thus rocking both the government and the economy.
Even still, it should be no surprise that morality is incongruent with legality anywhere in this world anymore.
Apparently, the law agrees: Microsoft to Change Desktop Search
Boy, you gotta love our buddy Bill -- he's done so much for the computing world, but in the end, the name "Microsoft" will go down in history as a name that represents mistrust, wrongdoing, and (depending upon who you ask) downright evil.
Jeepers, these guys are just goin at it aren't they? "But mommy, look at what HE did!!!"
This is the general accepted definition of a monopoly.
This is what the Government decided to kill, Price raping and crappy products. M$ does not like this anymore because they can no longer make huge sums of money, and have to spend more creating competitive products again.
M$ still wants the competition to fail so that by default they are the only consumer choice and every other company has no chance.
This is defiantly not legal or moral. While the EU has a track record of taking it too far, the US has usually done according to the will of the people. I hope this continues, and the Government slaps some big fines on M$.
So.. they got a fully functional firefox on every OS you can imagine.
Why isn't microsoft bursting at the seams to make IE cooperate?
OOooooohhhh wait....