Nick Kent points out that Microsoft is whinging about the EU’s attempts to prevent it behaving anti-competitively.
The EU is saying to MS that it is a proven monopolist and anti-competitive threat. As such it is subject to detailed scrutiny including scrutiny of its favourite tactic of tying in partners and locking out competitors. It does so through its manipulation of its proprietary assets - in this case the nearly imminent Vista operating system. Naturally this warning about potential restraint on anti-competitive behaviour has not gone down well in Mordor.
MS have been busily spinning this as an attack by the EU on consumer interests with an implicit threat:
“Nice operating system you got their mister. Shame if anything happened to it. Shame if it never arrived, know what we mean. Course we can protect it if you want, for a small price …”
The EU resolutely denies it, saying merely that MS is entirely free to enhance the security of Vista (bwahaha … secure Windows, oh my oh my - priceless humour) but that it cannot lock out competing security offerings.
Oh and MS was prattling on about the billions of Euros at risk to the EU economy if it was asked to compete fairly. Strewth, they must think we are morons. Er, well given our reluctance to dump them perhaps they have a point.
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