Topic: Microsoft to South Korea - Our way or no way.

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

SEOUL (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) has threatened to withdraw its Windows software from South Korea if the country's antitrust agency orders it to unbundle its Instant Messenger and Media Player from the operating system.

Link to Groklaw discussion

As you know, Microsoft is being investigated for antitrust violations by South Korea's Fair Trade Commission. Microsoft paid RealNetworks $761 million, and RealNetworks announced it would drop its lawsuits against Microsoft, including the litigation in Korea, but Korea said it intended to continue the investigation anyway. Microsoft has a message for South Korea -- let us do things our way, or we'll take our software and go home. You think I'm kidding? Read it for yourself from the Reuters story:

[Javora]

Sad, very sad.  I guess since South Korea doesn't have the market share clout of the EU or the U.S that Microsoft will just do as they please.  I do see an up side to this however, since South Korea has such a rabid gaming environment.  Microsoft pulling Windows out of South Korea might be just what Linux needs to get the gaming industry on their side.  The more I think about it, this could be the start of something big for Linux and Mac OS.  I'll have to try and keep an eye on this.

[Commander Maxillius]

hmmm...


South Korea..


Erik Bethke's in South Korea...


Erik Bethke runs Taldren Korea


Taldren made the SFC series


S.K. is losing Windows, thus will be switching to a different OS, likely the Unix based Linux and Macintosh


SFC ON THE MAC!!! w00+!!!111!!1!1!!oneoneone

[Nemesis]

Since this was in a SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) filing in the U.S. it is possible that it was merely a stupid way to phrase things and what they meant was slightly different.  For example they could mean that if South Korea orders them to immediately cease selling Windows with the disputed integrated components that they would be unable to immediately begin selling Windows without those components and for a time would be out of the market because they would need time to reengineer their product. 

I do find it hard to believe that they would need that much time to remove the media player and messenger when they already have a media player removed edition in Europe and there is no (legitimate) reason that I am aware of to integrate the actual code for messenger with other programs.  In fact if they think that there is any possibility that they can lose the case they should have begun the revised version immediately upon the threat of this action.

[prometheus]

Sometimes, I wonder if Microsoft actually want to push all their customers away to Linux or the MAC...  Although I must say, I don't let Real Player anywhere near any of my computers either...

[Nemesis]

Sometimes, I wonder if Microsoft actually want to push all their customers away to Linux or the MAC...  Although I must say, I don't let Real Player anywhere near any of my computers either...

I think that it is more they think they can force everyone to play by their rules and are trying to do so.  Add fear that they are losing control and willingness to do anything to retain it.

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

SOFTWARE GIANT Microsoft has released two new Windows versions in South Korea to comply with the country’s anti-trust rulings.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission fined Microsoft 32.5 billion won ($34 million) and told the Vole to build two new versions of Windows for breaching its anti-trust laws.

I guess the Koreans were unwilling to be pushed and Microsoft was unwilling to walk away from a market.  Now if only the EU stands firm.

[Just plain old Punisher]

I hate instant messenger programs.

As far as the media player crap is concerned, eh, I really don't have a problem with that. Microsofts media player is better than real player or quicktime crap that makes you download freakin Itunes software.

I've had more troubble with Itunes than windows media player.

[Nemesis]

I dislike the unneeded integration of functions.  If I want to run a server (like Dynaverse) why does Microsoft compel you to run a GUI?  What does a typical server need a GUI for?

Modularize things and let people use the modules they want and replace those they want to use a competitors version of.  That way I can run the MS OS, the MS Windows OE, Firefox browser, no messenger and Videolan as media player. 

As is I can't ditch the components I don't want and they use up memory and storage and add potential security and stability flaws.