Microsoft Faces EU Scrutiny for Alleged Abusive Bundling of Teams

[R0H1T]

While Microsoft has its share of criticisms, it does not prevent you from purchasing alternative software.

That's not exactly why EU fines/fined MS or Google in the past. I haven't followed much of this but could be a good move if MS does make the office "suite" better overall.

I think chrome took off thanks to android.

Nope, chrome was already probably the best browser by 2012-14 then especially after Mozilla took a hammer to addons with webextensions a couple(?) of years later! They also kinda piggybacked on webkit engine by Apple, the final nail was of course Opera switching to the chromium engine.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

New Outlook is an abomination. It's just worse than what it replaced because it's missing a significant number of features its predecessor still has, falls into the trap of low-density, finger-friendly phone UI for a desktop-only app, and defaults to being absolutely no use whatsoever over the web version. Why even bother making a desktop app for a cloud service if it's not going to do anything the web interface already does?!

In some cases, those features it's missing are the sole remaining reason that customer is still using Microsoft for their email in the first place. They literally have no idea what their paying customers are paying them for in the first place :\

I think that’s the point. Eventually you don’t need to install anything, just use a browser on whatever platform you’re using. It means running outlook and teams on Linux (or MacOS or ChromeOS) through a browser no different than if you had Office installed in Windows. MS is no longer making multiple versions for different OSes. It makes sense, but ironically it’s the Windows users that suffer the most by losing things in the translation and hoping it eventually gets added back in.

That's not exactly why EU fines/fined MS or Google in the past. I haven't followed much of this but could be a good move if MS does make the office "suite" better overall.

Nope, chrome was already probably the best browser by 2012-14 then especially after Mozilla took a hammer to addons with webextensions a couple(?) of years later! They also kinda piggybacked on webkit engine by Apple, the final nail was of course Opera switching to the chromium engine.

Yes, and by then, all those things I mentioned were in place, and Android devices were becoming the go-to device over the PC. Millions upon millions of Android devices running Chrome as the default browser sure helps with market share. Then go to Google.com and they ask if you want to install Chrome for the best experience, and why not? Back in that time, Google was viewed more favorably than they are today, which sure helped. People at the time were rooting for them to make an OS to replace Windows.

 

[Prima.Vera]

Why did that take so long, and where is enforcement of this in other markets outside of the EU?
Teams is just one problem with MS, among many and more severe ones, like data collection and privacy, monopolistic consolidation of other markets like gaming, and AI

Exactly! I always wonder why US, or the Asian countries, or even Australia, are so weak and incompetent in controlling those callous mega corporations that think they can do whatever they want eihout any consequences.

These victories are an illusion, products simply become more expensive as a side-effect, and Europe as a whole is rapidly heading for economic and political collapse.

Apple is happy to have a reason to charge more for everything.

That's by far, sorry to say that, the most delulu statement I have ever read on TPU forums. Bravo sir.
Amazing, every word of you just said...was wrong.

 

[Denver]

Exactly! I always wonder why US, or the Asian countries, or even Australia, are so weak and incompetent in controlling those callous mega corporations that think they can do whatever they want eihout any consequences.


That's by far, sorry to say that, the most delulu statement I have ever read on TPU forums. Bravo sir.
Amazing, every word of you just said...was wrong.

It's okay, I just don't expect everyone to have the knowledge to see reality so deeply, to the point of seeing cause and effect, unraveling over the long term. I'm 100% sure I'm right. Why don't you research the effect of the European Union's actions against Apple?

There are many wrong things going on within large corporations, no doubt about it, but the one mentioned here is not one of them. MS doesn't put a gun to your head and force you to use their software, the market is rich in alternatives, including free ones.

 

[R0H1T]

Why don't you research the effect of the European Union's actions against Apple?

What effects? It's only come into force this year didn't it?

 

[Chrispy_]

I think that’s the point. Eventually you don’t need to install anything, just use a browser on whatever platform you’re using. It means running outlook and teams on Linux (or MacOS or ChromeOS) through a browser no different than if you had Office installed in Windows. MS is no longer making multiple versions for different OSes. It makes sense, but ironically it’s the Windows users that suffer the most by losing things in the translation and hoping it eventually gets added back in.

Yeah, it certainly feels like Microsoft are abandoning desktop OSes. If you look at the latest version of Windows 11 it's still fundamentally running on Windows NT under the hood. You think you can do what you want with settings apps but even simple stuff like setting an IP address or turning on microphone boost has Windows presenting it's 25-year-old legacy interface based on MMC snap-ins that haven't been updated or changed in close to 30 years.

Microsoft have shifted to a services provider, something that Office365 cemented into place as the tipping point. Everything Microsoft does now is to funnel you to their online services and the concept of a Windows PC being something you have freedom and privacy to control and use as you want is very definitely starting to disintegrate.

 

[Dr_b_]

It's okay, I just don't expect everyone to have the knowledge to see reality so deeply, to the point of seeing cause and effect, unraveling over the long term. I'm 100% sure I'm right. Why don't you research the effect of the European Union's actions against Apple?

There are many wrong things going on within large corporations, no doubt about it, but the one mentioned here is not one of them. MS doesn't put a gun to your head and force you to use their software, the market is rich in alternatives, including free ones.

Bundling products is anti competitive, they dont have to put a gun to your head and force you to use it, but its already there, it gets used by everyone, and it turns into a doom loop. Teams is the most pervasively deployed "collaboration" app. Do agree with you that MS has other much more severe problems besides this though. Disagree with you about all the enforcement action against apple for making its store and in app purchases locked down, or the USB C port thing, or anything else apple is doing, just not seeing how going after them is a bad thing