EU Think Tank Urges Full Windows Unbundling

leffeman writes "An influential Brussels think tank is urging the European Commission to ban the bundling of operating systems with desktop and laptop computers. The Globalisation Institute's submission to the Commission says that bundling 'is not in the public interest' and that the dominance of Windows has 'slowed technical improvements and prevented new alternatives entering from the marketplace.' It says the Microsoft tax is a burden on EU businesses: the price of operating systems would be lower in a competitive market. This is the first time a major free-market think tank has published in favour of taking action against Microsoft's monopoly power."

Waves of Mass histeria

[phantomcircuit]

I can see it now... waves of people returning their "broken" computers....

This is TERRIBLE! Stop the socialist commies!

[Anonymous Coward]

We need to privatize the government so these kind of ideas don't happen. I for one think Microsoft is an awesome company that sells really good operating systems at an affordable price. Hell, Microsoft lets me post on Slashdot with a pirated copy of Vista. Uh oh, 24 hours? What is this? NO CARRIER

Anonymous Coward Sig 2.0:
--
Write George W. Bush in for president in 2008!
Linux is communist!

Re:Interesting...

[Anonymous Coward]

"This is the first time a major free-market think tank has published in favour of taking action against Microsoft's monopoly power."

So basically it is the first time a "free-market" think tank has recommended policy that is against free-market principles. Makes sense. I guess it would be equally worth noting when a socialist think tank recommends policy in favor of a free-market. Am I right?

To All Microsoft Astroturfers,

This kind of thing is just too mild. Shriek that we're all hippies and probably carry fake bombs into airports. Come on! Earn your keep!

I recommend MS can sell Vista only ( no more xp)

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

That alone should remove their monopoly.

Re:Interesting...

[iminplaya]

Monopolies are bad for business, bad for innovation, bad for consumers.

Well, they're good for somebody. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many of them.

Re:Interesting...

[Omnifarious]

Let me guess: you're an anarchist ?

Sometimes. On alternate Sundays and some weekdays according to a complex cycle involving the moon and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. :-)

Re:Interesting...

[imdx80]

reminds me,

Three people are stranded on a small island. One is a physicist, one is a circus strongman, and one is an economist. After a few days of surviving on fruit, they discover a cache of canned food, and they have to decide how to open it. The physicist says to the strongman "Why don't you climb that tree, and smash the cans down on the rocks, and burst them open?"

The strongman says, "No, that would spatter the stuff all over. I can open the cans with my teeth!"

The economist says "First, we must assume that we have a can opener."

Microsift Unveils New Joe-Bob(tm) Software

[gabrieltss]

As for you comment about too many choices, give Joe SixPack default options and recommendations. Or hell, let him go into the store and ask what he should get for his computer. If he's not smart enough to know what his computer should do, then why is he customizing a computer?


MICROSOFT UNVEILS NEW JOE-BOB(tm) SOFTWARE

by Andrew Burke ([e-mail])

          REDMOND, Wash. -- April 10, 1995 -- Microsoft today announced the
release of Joe-Bob(tm), a new software package that the company hopes
will open up a huge untapped computer market. With the motto "The
software for the rest of y'all(tm)," Joe-Bob reaches out to the same
demographic group that buys 4x4s, supports the gun lobby, and drinks
Miller Lite.

          "Computers have been commonly seen as for leftists and
intellectuals," explains Microsoft spokesperson Willy Maclean, "but
we've recently seen people like Newt Gingrinch embracing new technology

-- the time is right for the rest of America to get wired!"

          Instead of a desktop or office metaphor, Joe-Bob(tm) puts the user
in a garage. "Click on the Lynyrd Skynyrd tapes, and get a complete
music library in digital stereo. Click on the pinups, and get hooked up
to the Internet's hottest gifs," the promotional materials explain.

          The package does not include a word processor or spreadsheet, but
does have software that keeps track of the football season, lists the
best roadhouses between Florida and Nevada, and can even order
spareribs and beer at the click of a mouse.

          "This is righteous software, man," says beta-tester Billy Grugg.
"It thinks like I think." Brad Cunningham agrees: "I take it
everywhere," he says, pointing to a Pentium laptop racked under his
12-gauge in his pickup truck. Microsoft is offering desktop users a
special clip-on beer holder for their monitors.

          "Look at what's popular out there," says Microsoft Chairman Bill
Gates.

          "Four of the top-10 Usenet newsgroups are about sex, and splatter
video games like Doom and Mortal Kombat are bestsellers. We're just
catering to a demand, that's all."

          Microsoft is reportedly distributing badges and bumper stickers
saying things like "Joe-Bob: Make Your Disk Hard," "Go Microsoft -- Go
Intel -- Go America," and "QuickTime is for Pinko Hippie Wimps."

          Apple declined to comment.