The BBC News Wesbite informs us today, and I quote, The EU Praises Microsoft Reform Plans. Microsoft have met the June 1st deadline to outline their response to the long drawn out battle over how it would improve the way it opens up its Windows operating systems to rivals. OK – I can see the bigger picture here just like I could when various US State and Federal courts battled Microsoft over Internet Explorer a few years back. In both cases, I might add, using vast amounts of taxpayers money to do so.
What I don’t really follow is the issue of Windows Media Player. Why are the EU so insistent that it be removed from standard copies of Windows? The notion that it allows consumers more choice is laughable. I agree that most punters installing XP will be happy to have Media Player and therefore wont look around for alternatives. But does the EU seriously want to foist Real Player on them – who seem to be the prime mover behind the scenes here? I wouldn’t suggest installing Real Player to my biggest enemies – it surely is one of the nastiest most insidious pieces of software ever developed. Added to which, MS Media Player actually seems to do a pretty good job in my experience.
So, the USA didn’t want Microsoft putting out it’s OS with a free web browser – which despite its many and varied faults was at least better than the main rival at the time. And now the EU doesn’t want Microsoft putting out it’s OS with a free media player – also better than it’s main rival.
Meanwhile, in both the US and the EU, Apple can happily sell OSX with both a ‘free’ Safari browser and both ‘free’ Quicktime and DVD media players. What am I missing here?