“Nearly a decade after the government began its landmark effort to break up Microsoft, the Bush administration has sharply changed course by repeatedly defending the company both in the United States and abroad against accusations of anticompetitive conduct, including the recent rejection of a complaint by Google,” Stephen Labaton reports for The New York Times.
“The retrenchment reflects a substantially different view of antitrust policy, as well as a recognition of major changes in the marketplace. The battlefront among technology companies has shifted from computer desktop software, a category that Microsoft dominates, to Internet search and Web-based software programs that allow users to bypass products made by Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker,” Labaton reports.
“In the most striking recent example of the policy shift, the top antitrust official at the Justice Department last month urged state prosecutors to reject a confidential antitrust complaint filed by Google that is tied to a consent decree that monitors Microsoft’s behavior. Google has accused Microsoft of designing its latest operating system, Vista, to discourage the use of Google’s desktop search program, lawyers involved in the case said,” Labaton reports. “The official, Thomas O. Barnett, an assistant attorney general, had until 2004 been a top antitrust partner at the law firm that has represented Microsoft in several antitrust disputes.”
“The memo illustrates the political transformation of Microsoft, as well as the shift in antitrust policy between officials appointed by President Bill Clinton and by President Bush,” Labaton reports. “Microsoft was saved from being split in half by a federal appeals court decision handed down early in the Bush administration. The ruling, in 2001, found that the company had repeatedly abused its monopoly power in the software business, but it reversed a lower court order sought by the Clinton administration to split up the company.”
“Google complained to federal and state prosecutors that consumers who try to use its search tool for computer hard drives on Vista were frustrated because Vista has a competing desktop search program that cannot be turned off. When the Google and Vista search programs are run simultaneously on a computer, their indexing programs slow the operating system considerably, Google contended. As a result, Google said that Vista violated Microsoft’s 2002 antitrust settlement, which prohibits Microsoft from designing operating systems that limit the choices of consumers,” Labaton reports.
Labaton reports,” Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut attorney general, declined to talk about the substance of the complaint, or which company made it. But he said the memo from Mr. Barnett surprised him. ‘Eyebrows were raised by this letter in our group, as much by the substance and tone as by the past relationship the author had had with Microsoft,’ said Mr. Blumenthal, one of the few state prosecutors who has been involved in the case since its outset. ‘In concept, if not directly word for word, it is the Microsoft-Netscape situation,’ Mr. Blumenthal said. ‘The question is whether we’re seeing déjà vu all over again.'”
Much more in the full article here.
“Money changes everything.” – Cyndi Lauper
Vista search – another misery inflicted upon the American public by the current adminsitration.
.. or administration, if my fingers could type on a Sunday morning.
As long as the world is starting to realize the true nature of this multi-billion dollar evil empire (M$), its all good.
Hence why I hate Microsoft with a passion, because they steal everyone’s potential.
Its better that google cooperate with apple to deliver killing blow to microsoft. By develop more free or open source apps for apple.
It goes to show what happens when you put a low IQ person on the top leading a group of low IQ people limited to an OS that promotes low IQ-ness
This is just a game!
Google is doing this because when they release their ***deleted*** it’s going to be MICROSOFT that is going to cry and wail.
Google is spending billions to build data centers all over the country.
For what we don’t know yet. But Apple is in on it.
DIE REDMOND BASTARDS!!!
Is this really a surprise to anyone?
This administration is more pro-corporation than the Reagan administration.
The only difference here is Pro-Bush people probably applauded the corporate protection moves by Bush.
Corporatism = Fascism – so says Benito Mussolini
So basically this complaint is just designed to lesson the impact when Google releases their product that cripples Microsoft.
Really, who in the heck needs to run two disk search engines at the same time anyhow? Sure it’s going to slow the computer down.
Rather weak complaint I say. But it obviously has a purpose, perhaps flush out the M$ paid people in Washington.
Microsoft is sure to wail up a storm if Google steps firmly in their backyard.
Perhaps Google will release their own OS?
Free? With Google Office? Free?
Hahahahaha!! Watch out for flying chairs!!
Gee, one bunch of sleazy thieves in cahoots with another?
NEVER! This is America!
MDN Magic Word: Quality … oh, really? HARDLY!
This is from 2003
http://news.com.com/2010-1071_3-1021938.html
But think what four years of giant dollars can do in Washington D.C.
And THIS is from 2007
http://tinyurl.com/yp7443
It’s been said that Microsoft is a law firm that happens to write software…Pretty close to the truth.
The move by the Bush admin to protect Microsoft was one, I believe, to protect his ecomomic record. When the Bush admin took over in 2000, the economy was in a very shaky position. Antyhing done to MS at the time would have probably sent Wall street into a panic and hence there would have been a ripple effect on the economy.
The Bush economic record has been fairly good if you look at the numbers. I just think they don’t want to upset the apple cart
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> so as to keep a decent record on the economy.
$200 billion a year in world taxes buys a lot of wars. The world has to pay for Team America’s ‘World Police’ somehow!
Let me see now
Google has a rather weak compaint that running their disk search and Vista’s at the same time slows the computer down, like anyone really needs to run two search engines at once anyway.
So Google doesn’t get what it want’s, like all of us have to bear sometimes in our lives. (Can I get out of jail early? -Paris Hilton) and then because it lacks merit it’s automatically the political president in charge’s fault?
Or is this just sensationism writing by a left leaning journalist to foster hate against the present political party in charge that was rightfully elected by the majority of the country?
Who’s being played here? The stupid asses that fall foaming at the mouth for race, politics or religion.
Why be so narrow with your thoughts and blind to seeing everything from all points of view?
Hate is a emotion that serious errodes your health and makes people who are guided by it, manipulated by it from others, look like complete and utter fools.
Fear is the key, fear leads to hate, hate to anger and anger to violence.
No fear. No xenophobia, no problem.
Whaterver one would call the the opposite of the Midas touch, the Bush admisintration has it. Ergo, a close association with MS is in everyone’s best interest.
Give me money and I’ll do whatever you want. Breaking the rules and starting wars, anything, whatever you want, but you better have a lot of money.
Here we go again.
When the First Lady was preaching from her White House soapbox, she advocated the creation of a Palestinian state. Never mind that this gratuitous policy pronouncement was at variance with the First Husband’s official position concerning Israel.
But shortly after launching her unannounced Senate campaign, she immediately reversed herself by declaring Jerusalem “the eternal and indivisible capital of Israel.” In this transparent move to pander to the N.Y. Jewish constituency, she didn’t even bother to acknowledge, much less reconcile, her prior inconsistent statement.
Then the Terrorist-Pardoner in Chief granted clemency to 16 Puerto Rican terrorists over the vehement objections of all law enforcement agencies and the emphatic condemnation of both houses of Congress. Such an outrageous abuse of presidential authority cannot reasonably be explained, apart from Bill’s effort to enhance his wife’s standing with the N.Y. Hispanic voters.
Hillary, it should be noted, publicly supported her husband’s decision to pardon the unrepentant anarchists. But as soon as it became apparent that the move had backfired, Hillary switched gears again.
She made a public statement asking the president to withdraw his offer of clemency — instead of just going into the other room and talking it over with him. That is, if you believe their insulting joint denial that they had colluded on the matter. With her about-face she not only alienated N.Y. Puerto Ricans, but also seriously offended certain N.Y. leaders by failing to consult with them before announcing her turnaround. N.Y. Rep. Jose Serrano said that another such misstep could be fatal for Hillary’s campaign.
Hillary is also coming under fire from Democrats for relying exclusively on her small cadre of advisors and ignoring the leadership of the party structure. Said N.Y. Congressman Charles Rangel, “Nobody is so good they can make decisions by relying on one or two people and without communication with the leadership of the party.”
Being an equal-opportunity offender, Mrs. Clinton has also managed to alienate the N.Y. African-American community. It seems that she has been unwilling to make herself available for a meeting with black community leaders of New York City.
In addition to her policy gaffes, the Clinton’s home purchase in Chappaqua with the support of Democratic fund-raiser Terry McAuliffe, has drawn Hillary heavy fire on ethical grounds. And her flagrant abuse of public funds to subsidize campaign air travel convinced 46 Democrats to join 215 Republicans in voting to make her fully reimburse those expenditures.
The all-knowing Mrs. Clinton even unwittingly provided some comic relief this week by demonstrating her intimate concern for NYC’s mosquito problem. She was responding to a question about lobbying her husband for federal funds for the city’s mosquito-killing campaign. “I have been concerned about malaria for many years,” said Hillary, revealing that she was painfully unaware that encephalitis, not malaria, is the problem.
Let’s also not forget Hillary’s foray into psychoanalysis when she blamed her husband’s serial philandering on his being whipsawed between two battle-axes in his formative years.
Finally, in her Senate campaign, Mrs. Clinton is in the process of resurrecting the issue that led to the plummeting of her approval ratings in the past, universal health care. Happily for Republicans, Hillary subordinates even her political opportunism to her uncompromising socialistic passions.
So what’s the net result of all this? A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows that 40 percent of Americans now have a negative view of Hillary, up from 25 percent at the start of the year.
Hillary should have listened to those of us who tried to tell her that she could only remain popular if she clings to her victim-status. When she delves into the policy-arena, whether from her Pennsylvania Avenue pulpit or as a senatorial candidate, she forfeits all sympathy lavishly bestowed on her by an anachronistic press still romanticizing the virtues of Marxism.
“Really, who in the heck needs to run two disk search engines at the same time anyhow? Sure it’s going to slow the computer down.”
That’s kind of the whole point. Microslop built a feature into its desktop search utility that slows Google’s search utility down. You can’t turn the M$ utility off, so which one do you think people are going to use? This is blatant anti-competitive design built into Vista, a clear violation of the 2002 settlement worse than identical to the Netscape debacle that started it all. Seems like a pretty strong claim to me.
Turns my stomach how M$ not only leverages its OS dominance in forcing acceptance of its own software, but includes features in Windows to sabotage the competition.
++++++
GW Bush is an Apple guy!! He has an iMac!!!! How could he!!!
++++++
Thanx for the above piece of political ‘balancing’.
The Rs did this. Oh, yeah! Well, the Ds did that.
Are you 12?
MS’s actions EVENTUALLY hurt EVERYONE.
Thanx for the above piece of political ‘balancing’.
The Rs did this. Oh, yeah! Well, the Ds did that.
Are you 12?
MS’s actions EVENTUALLY hurt EVERYONE.
Thanx for the above piece of political ‘balancing’.
The Rs did this. Oh, yeah! Well, the Ds did that.
Are you 12?
MS’s actions EVENTUALLY hurt EVERYONE.
Thanx for the above piece of political ‘balancing’.
The Rs did this. Oh, yeah! Well, the Ds did that.
Are you 12?
MS’s actions EVENTUALLY hurt EVERYONE.
I thought this was supposed to be a site about Macs. What exactly is there about Macs in that article?