Why EU sucks

[DD]

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,69906-0.html?tw=wn_tophead_14

The EU sucks for unjustly demanding the money and secrets of MS. I can't stand it when poor people think wealthy people owe the world something. The idea that the strong and powerful should drop to their knees in service and slavery to the pathetic and weak. That philosophy seems to plague Europe and is spreading to America. Yeah I think MS is shitty sometimes, but they still have the right to do whatever they want with their products.

I think Microsoft should withhold all products/support in EU countries until they stop behaving like baby-tards. MS can easily stay afloat with its gathered wealth and fuel from other countries, and the economic turmoil it would cause would be devastating.

Here's an interesting follow-up:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/09/06/HNthinktankshelpms_1.html

The quotes by the FSF official are hilarious. They do not want to allow the think-tanks to talk becuse they are afraid they will present smart and valid points which will persuade the commision not to be retards. I also like how they call them "mere" think-tanks. Like it's a bad thing to be smart.

He urged the Commission to stay true to its course in the case and not to let "U.S. company interests rule over those of European consumers and the economy."

This is funny. The European consumers are buying up the OS so much that it is causing the FSF issues. Microsofts interests are the same as the consumers. The only conflicting interests are by that of small companies who cannot get consumers to buy their shitty products.

Anyways, any chance you get Europeans, you should fight this. Hopefully you guys see the bigger issue here. Hopefully you guys see how important Free market, Intellectual Property, and Trade Secrets are.

[Bic-B@ll]

from what i've been seeing, the eu has a problem with microsoft trying to get rid of competition and is forcing them to do things like provide the option to use competitor's products ( choose from wmp or winamp or mmjb). which is sort of silly.

[RD]

The law is the law.

[TomWithTheWeather]

[Fletch]

1) If you're a European government, you certainly don't like the idea that almost all of your governmental systems and data are in the hands of a company from a different country. Globalism be damned, a government's priority is to protect it's own country. It's the same reason governments don't want huge debts to other countries. You don't want to become their bitch.

2) The EU's in't unjustly asking for money and secrets. Their asking MS to stop it's monopolistic practices or face a fine, which they have all legal right to do within their jurisdiction. You're absolutely correct that MS can say "piss off" and stop selling in the EU. Of course that move would be severely petulant and not do any good as it would just be handing Linux and Apple the second biggest market in the world. It would essentialy knight one of them as the heir apparent to the MS throne.

3) MS is engaging in monopolistic practices and racketering. Almost every major government in the world (including the US) has slapped them with it. You can't have access to the Windows code needed to get most power applications working correctly without paying MS a fee. MS has set up a shoddy OS with so many holes that you have to run power apps to avoid security holes. Thus nobody developing a power app can actually get theirs to market without paying MS. MS gets money for everything put to market on it's OS. That's called racketering. In addition to hardwiring in IE and WMP, thus creating huge market leverage in the secondary markets, MS definately has some shitty business practices (Hi Xerox).

4) The fine they recieve is a very small percentage of what they make. MS justifies it at this point as a cost of doing business.

[RD]

And to once and for all end your image of a poor and weak Europe, of the top10 richest countries, 7 are European (including the first 5 spots) with the US at 7th place. You literally exist at the mercy of us and our loans, be damn grateful we dont have your kind of attitude towards weaklings

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co ... P_(nominal)_per_capita

[⌐■_■]

Fuckt that aditude RD. It's because of the US we got this wealthy. Why must we all think of this as if it were a race?

I see another cold war coming... :arrow:

[FrieChamp]

Why must we all think of this as if it were a race?

Because competition vitalizes business

[-Stratesiz-]

Good points Fletch.

First, we are all dependant on one another, you can't look at one country alone. We live in a global economy.

Second, we've experienced that a completely free economy does not function well which is why some form of control must be maintained for the sake of everyone. More weight must be put on stakeholders rather than shareholders.

[RD]

Fuckt that aditude RD. It's because of the US we got this wealthy. Why must we all think of this as if it were a race?

I see another cold war coming... :arrow:

We should all be grateful to each other and not be like "rich countries dont owe the world shit and poor people are a weak and pathetic plague", right? Or didnt you read the thread fully

[Skjalg]

Fuckt that aditude RD. It's because of the US we got this wealthy.

Speak for yourself.

Back on topic; If MS wanna sell their shit in europe, they gotta follow europes law.

I dont think i can explain it any simpler than that.

[RD]

Yep, the law is the law, nobodys above it