MS Exec Testifies In Favor of OS Manipulation

Niscenus writes: "The NYTimes, where free registration is required, reports that a Microsoft VP, Christopher Jones, explains that Microsoft must be allowed to prevent competitors' programmes from being installed for the consumer's best interest. Most interesting quote: 'In his written testimony, Mr. Jones said the states' proposals would confuse consumers, enabling competitors to cover up icons like the "Start" button on the Windows desktop screen that consumers use to navigate and even allowing a competing operating system like Linux to start up instead of Windows.' Any dualboot LiLo user who learned they can't defrag the hard way can understand this ..."

Somewhere down in Houston, Texas...

[xcomputer_man]

A young student is gloating to all his friends about how the whole of Slashdot was fooled into thinking his web site belonged to a Microsoft VP...

[Email from ISP tech support: your monthly bandwidth quota has been exceeded.]

Those $@#%#$%^*%% Slashdot editors! Arrruggh!!!

Re:Well. That throws me off the fence.

[bman08]

I learned "the hard way" that I can't have my toaster, fridge, washing machine and microwave on the same circuit. If only maytag could have been there to stop me.

Excuse me!

[Loundry]

Instead of posting stories about Microsoft and its gayness

Pardon me, sir, but I am gay, and I certainly take offense to being likened to anything Microsoft-ish.

Re:Microsoft is allowed to...

[Arandir]

It never ceases to amaze the stupid words that come out of Microsoft executive's mouths. I have serious problems with the DOJ's case, the various proposed penalties, etc. But I don't have much sympathy when they seem hell bent on on complete dissolution.

I mean, this is like a dope pusher on trial caught trying to sell a kilo to a juror! Any hope Microsoft had for overturning the conviction on appeal is destroyed. I've seen some mafiosos pull similar stunts, but you would think a corporate executive would have a few more brains.

Re:Christopherrjones.com

[weave]

That's not really fair. So he's an everquest nut and believes in the same God most other people in his country do. He at least makes decent looking web pages that have clean HTML, uses PHP under linux, and a text, page counter.

At least he's not worshiping some deity within the everquest world and making a web site about it. Now *THAT* would be cause for concern! :)

Learn from History.

[chris_sawtell]

It was exactly this sort of nonsense which was the root cause of the French revolution. The parallels
are there. There will soon be another revolution in the US and this kind of thing will be sorted out most effectively.

A jury of one's peers

[ottffssent]

Alright. The DoJ clearly isn't doing a good job. The states' case is just going to be appealed anyway and likely won't do a very good job either. Why don't we just apply the same standards you and I would be held to? Let's get together a jury of Microsoft's peers. Let's see here:

1) Microsoft is an OS vendor. Sun, Be (what's left of 'em), and Apple ought to be there.
2) Microsoft is an office apps vendor. Lotus might like a seat.
3) Microsoft is a video game console vendor. I'm sure Sony and Nintendo have some choice words.
4) Microsoft provides internet service. Let's add AOL/TW.
5) Microsoft provides a web server, a database, a mail server, and other such apps. Let's get someone from the Apache foundation, Oracle, Sendmail, and what the hell, the Samba team too.
6) Microsoft writes a lot of buggy code, so let's get an old Netscape exec in too to round out our dozen.

I'll bet we'd see some substantive remedies then!

Before you complain that Be is hardly a peer of Microsoft, consider how 12 upper-middle-class white folks can be considered peers of a poor black woman.

At least they are not lying....

[StarTux]

Perhaps if the lawyer asked:

"Are you a big evil monopoly that is out to take over the world, crush everyone and everything in your way?"

The answer might be:

"Yes, that is us".

Lawyer might then say:

"But if this appeals court goes against everything you want, would that not stop you?"

Answer could be:

"We would pull Windows from the market place, and watch IT fall apart as we are the structure that binds IT. We are the IT Gods and the court should realise that you don't mess in the affairs of Gods. Mess in our affairs and its bye bye IT".

Lawyer:

"Do you really believe you are IT Gods?"

Possible answer:

"Oh yes we are ."

Lawyer:

"What about Linux, what about Apple, would they not prosper?"

Possible answer:

"Huh? A stupid fat bad! They cannot even make a user friendly system, of course using a Unix like system has a lot to do with that. But it gets more popular hence we're clever enough to attack its GPL under pinnings".

Lawyer:

"Erm, Apple?".

Possible Response:

"What about Apple? We make fairly good profit off of them, but attacking right now is only what a stupid person would do in a court case that could decide our companies future, of course we're not going to try and finish them off until this case is over!".

Lawyer:

"I was referring to the user friendliness of OS X that runs on top of a Unix like system".

Bang, bang bang from the judge:

"Witness can stand down now please, I just cannot take anymore right now".

Re:The Soviet Union was Good

[Skuld-Chan]

Thats not so bad - I wouldn't mind being assigned a new job after losing mine in the .com bomb.