Ron Schenone

4 More States Join Microsoft Policing Request

Posted by on Oct 22, 2007 | 8 Comments

At first there were only 6 states that wanted Microsoft to be kept on the DOJ hit list as a monopolistic company in need of being scrutinized. Now 4 more states are joining in requesting that the monitoring of the Redmond giant be extended until 2012. The states of New York, Maryland, Louisiana and Florida now have joined with California and five other states along with the District of Columbia, is requesting that the watchful eye be extended.

We must first look at what the first 5 years of monitoring has done. I sincerely doubt that the original decree has reduced Microsoft’s control of the PC market. They continue to dominate both in the operating system and office suite market. Though other companies such as Apple or Linux may be nipping at the heals of Microsoft, I doubt the company will be closing their doors any time soon.

The main purpose goes back to when Microsoft made IE a part of the OS trying to kill off competition from Firefox and others. But that wasn’t the end to the story. When Vista first came out, Symantec and McAfee were jumping up and down saying they were having trouble getting their software to work with Vista and it was suspected that Microsoft may of been doing something to shut out these software companies and trying to get people to use Live One Care instead. Google has some issues getting their search feature to work in Vista as well and SP1 is addressing this problem.

So now the real question is. Can Microsoft be trusted to stop their past practices of blocking out the competition?

It seems that 10 states don’t believe this is the case.

What do you think?

Comments welcome.

[tags]states, microsoft, monitoring, operating system, software, symantec, mcafee, google.[/tags]

  • http://livecdlist.com malignedtruth

    I agree with the 10 states to keep Microsoft under close scrutiny.

    The Microsoft ‘deal’ with DOJ on the easy terms of the Antitrust Trial results, in exchange for NSA back doors, and AT&T wire tapping, was a FEDERAL one, that obstructed true justice.

    41 States have endorsed or switched to GNU/Linux and *BSD for their governments, all schools, and meet Open Standards. Everyone is thinking ‘outside’ the Microsoft box.

    Open Source GNU/Linux and *BSD are immune to the million Microsoft virus/malware/Trojan /bots/exploits and the Storm Worm/Trojan/virus/Bot.

    FREE is better. Try it out. http://www.mepis.org

  • Colonel Booter

    Your article makes some great points, but you refer to GNU/Linux as a ‘company’? That makes you look like an ignorant jackass, which I’m sure you are not. Here is a great website for you to review: http://www.gnu.org

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Thanks for the comments and the link. :-)

  • Kyrant

    Why is it everyone is still missing the main point here? Monoply can only exist in a totally controled market, the very fact that we are argueing about the rights of other companys prooves that a monoply is Not in effect. Let MS do whatever it wants. If they push too hard, people will stop buying from them. Leave government regulation out of it. Let the Market decide. Ultimate control is after all in the hands of the consumer. Honestly the government has much more important things to worry about than something like this or at least it bloody well should.

  • Washii

    A monopoly can only exist in a totally controlled market? Better update quite a few of the past Congresses (Congressi?) that having “majority stake in a market” and “artificially lessening means of competition” aren’t monopolies anymore. You know, the Congressi that had to handle Standard Oil and Rockefeller.

  • Kyrant

    Precisely my point they never were in the first place. Simply because the government has done something wrong before does not mean they are right to do it again.

  • Kevan
  • Bill

    Microsoft ethnicians are as trustworthy as Alaskan politicians!