For God Sakes EU, Leave Them Alone!
By Nathan Weinberg
Expert Author
Article Date: 2006-02-01
The European Commission is apparently dissatisfied with Microsoft's move to license the Windows source code, saying they never wanted it in the first place.
According to this Ars article, the EC was surprised at the offer, since they didn't want the Windows source code, they wanted Microsoft to open up its server protocols for licensing by competitors.
Forgeting about that Microsoft would essentially have to start up a whole new business licensing those protocols and create documentation (since one British computer scientist and some consultants are complaining that they can't figure out all of Windows on their own), but isn't the EC overstepping the bounds of common sense? They forced Microsoft to disable multimedia playback in Windows, pay millions, and now they want Microsoft to hire employees and build protocol documentation systems. Who exactly was so egregiously wronged as to make this necessary? Where are the victims? Does this help them in any way?
I say, take the source code and be glad you got anything.
About the Author:
Nathan Weinberg writes the popular InsideGoogle blog, offering the latest news and insights about Google and search engines.
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