this is a happy day for the consumer indeed. there also should be a possibility for dx10 to be ported to Linux or winXP for that matter.

the EU should also sue nokia for it's newer symbian OS's not running anything without a nokia digital signature. what the hell is that all about?

European politicians are fucking stupid they have no clue about technology following their requests in developing software is like NASA asking 1 year childrens how to develop rockets that fly to Mars.

BTW Microsoft is selling a software package that can contain whatever piece of software they want to put in it, if some guys like to name this software package an OS that's their fucking problem but they are selling a software package that nobody has the right to tell what to contain or not called Windows.

Politicians proves once again their stupidity by asking Microsoft to not include Windows Media Player in the Windows package, this is like asking car manufacturers to sell cars without engines.

"Additionally, it will need to make a version of Windows that does not come packed with Windows Media Player."

What does windows media player have to do with anything. Whats next release windows without Paint? Internet Explorer? Sound Recorder? Come on.....

I think that the fee should be lower so small software companies can afford it.

This is to funny. Whats next, companies who develop software packages will be made to unpackage them, and share their source to everyone else?!?!?! This is will not help the consumer market at all. They will have to actively search for what their version of windows is missing (media player, browser, sound recorder ect....). Dumb euros.

"" I think that the fee should be lower so small software companies can afford it.
TomLeeM/BigWarpGuy""

Ok, so now companies are being told what to charge for product licensing to other companies!!

Microsoft should be able to charge whatever they want for their product. If people dont like it, dont buy it.........

WOW: If European politicians are so stupid will it make American politicians brilliant then? Just one word ends the debate: Bush.

EU has every right to clamp on Microsoft's abusing monopoly. And media players haven't got anything (integral) to do with operating systems. End of story.

I was hoping for 5000 Euro's or something around there. Also I really want microsoft to pay some really bug cash.

However to the people who are concerned:
You can just download CCCP, MPC, VLC, or any other kind of free video player that actually works as oposed to WMP. And if you really want to then you can download WMP from microsofts website anyway, its not against the rules.

I actually dont understand why any of this is a problem for people, you can download every program that does not get bundled with windows, all of them are free.

Mr WOW, can I call you that?, anyway, do you have any prof that the EU parlament and EU commission don't know anything about technology? NASA... 1 year olds...

and then we have the car comparison... can't anybody see that your comparisons don't work. The markets are completely different. There is a reason why we have anti monopoly laws.

Obviously, WOW, and Nukemaster have no idea what an operating system or a monopoly is. This is great news. An operating system should contain no more than the bare essentials, which include device allocation, a file system, and process management. This is why any UNIX based system (besides Mac OS) will always be more efficient. Why be forced to use Windows Media Player? Use a standard file type, and let the user have their player of choice... no more of this WMA crap. Don't get me started on Vista. Anyway, great news to anything that keeps the giant from growing! I don't hate Microsoft, but I'd just like to see a major change in industry to more UNIX/Linux support... ESP for games!!! GoGo OpenGL!

...but not with the engine. But forcing MS to offer a version of Windows without WMP is like forcing car vendors to offer a version of their cars without a radio.

I'm not sure how much help it is actually going to be for open-source developpers. MS could just as well sell closed-source libraries allowing a third-party to develop an application that can interact with they're product, but these libraries wouldn't be under the GPL license so the open source community could not do much with them.

Well, well, well...M$ bowing to EU rules?

I guess it is a sunny day for SUN. They started all this.

M$ arrogance is out the door.

Zune zucked too zoon, (Hasta La) Vista,.....
what is next?

Since Microsoft has such a big market share, it is no more than normal that they should be required to provide information that will make other products compatible with their stuff. Why do some of you guys have a problem with that? Stuff playing together nicely is of great benefit to consumers, why do you object?

Interoperability can enable a whole slew of neat features and now you won't have to pay Microsoft tax on every device you own for that to happen.

That's BS with the car vendor comparison, suckiest comparison ever.

This is great news for all the people with windows.

So the EU is trying to make consumers have to go out and search for a media player? If I wanted to go out and search for software then I would get linux anyways. If I'm going to spend $300 on Windows I want a media player so I dont have to go out and search for one. What dumbasses, this is not about stopping a Microsoft "monopoly", its about getting rich off American business.

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"Additionally, it will need to make a version of Windows that does not come packed with Windows Media Player."

What does windows media player have to do with anything. Whats next release windows without Paint? Internet Explorer? Sound Recorder? Come on.....
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While Apple is selling you MacOS X with QuickTime, Safari, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Mail, etc. Microsoft has to make Windows versions without Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, etc. Why don't they do like with WIndows 98 where you could choose if you wanted to install an application or not?

"I actually dont understand why any of this is a problem for people, you can download every program that does not get bundled with windows, all of them are free."

It has nothing to do with Windows or Media player. It is because this ruling was made outside of US. If this was US ruling there would be no complaining at all.

Basically, because all these programs are integrated into windows from stock (and same with apple, even if they havnt been taken to court), because they exist, most users never need to look outside of the stock configuration to try and use software from other companies to do those tasks. So open source, or even other proprietry software makers cant get a leg into the industry even if their software is superior to microsofts software because it will never been needed or found.

Which if you look at it, is anti competitive. In fact, it would be VERY good if other companies had a chance to weed away at microsoft profits for the consumer and ill explain in the AMERICAN WAY why:

Competition means lower prices. Competition breeds innovation. Competition allows consumers to always find whats best, and the money will go into whats best. Money will go into what people want.

In other words, because there is a chance for people to create software and make money, by making better software then microsoft, you will be better off. In return, if you dont want to buy anything other then MS, ms themselves in order to retain profits and market share to keep investors happy, they have to make their product superior. Which means that the competition has benefited those who COMPLAIN about the competition.

So all you crybabies who complain, think a little. Take this out of just music, but to web browsers, if it wasnt for FIREFOX, Internet explorer 6 would still be the main browser, no tabs, no skins. Just ugly old browser number 1. Now this is with HUGE competition from microsoft. Immagine less competition, this could have been developed earlier, and refined much past its current state given more people who were willing to donate more, and hence more people be employed to full time dedication to fixing the browser to users wants.

Perhaps the alternative to Windows is ReactOS? http://www.reactos.org Instead of paying big bucks to Microsoft, they could help support the developement of a free open source clone of Windows that they can get the source code for and have their software be interoperable with without having to pay fees for?

Microsoft not only bundles IE with Win but also made it part of the Win OS. MS claims that removing IE would cause Win to crash. MS not likes to bundle apps but make it part of the os which forces everyone to use it (Win users; non-win users don't have that problem which why I like to use eComStation http://www.ecomstation.com ).

MS chose to bundle/make part of the OS some software, for their own commodity in programming the OS. Sure they can put the basic empty OS for sale and add every component on demand, but the interoperability would be much more complicated. Still they are heading that way, making it less complicated for others (being forced to maybe) with additional work on themselves. I hope windows 7 come with 3 layers to chose from at the moment of purchase, the basic kernel that was mentioned in a previous tgdaily article, the basic user interface without IE and WMP and stuff, and a complete layer full of those software. And you could get each software separately, or any of the competition's, but probably most people would still get the highest layer/package of software. And nobody could sue them for monopoly, or else everybody who built and sold software packages could be sued. I wonder, what if they did not sell it, what if they offered it for free, but still offering you a choice when you bought the OS in the first place? EU would find something to say on that, based on past experience.

make a version of MS for retail in Europe. The feature list of this OS is the window enviroment, command prompt, and a windows installing agent. Then they can leave it to the tedious and tech savy euro's to have fun finding all the crap they wanted in the first place. (And charge them more too.)