Microsoft getting soft?
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7257411.stm

So, everyone ready to develop for Windows 3.1? :smug:

Not at all. By becoming more open, and friendly and compatible with more software, Windows only grows larger.

Have you ever known Microsodt to do anything open, friendly and compatible? The leopard that changes the color of its spots is still a leopard.

How many people here know that they have been forced by the EU to do this? This was mandated by the EU anti-trust courts, and MS has been fined twice for not complying already!

Funny how MS makes it sound like they are doing everyone a favor! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


-S

Spot on and thanks EU! You've done something that would have been in litigation in the US for YEARS!

MS has the best spin doctors... ;)

Well, they left 'open' many networking ports. Or were even so 'friendly' for hackers to not even provide a firewall in their earlier Windows versions at all (pre-XP). And keep making their software very 'compatible' to the techniques that trojans/worms use. While also showing the activity a leopard is known for when it comes to fixing those issues (meaning mostly lazy).

While I agree with forcing them to be open, the EU also forces ridiculous stuff on microsft. Selling a version without it's own Media Player? WTF? Isn't there a case where they want to force them to discontinue bundling IE with Microsoft? Sure, nobody may like it, but uh, without some sort of client already installed, how are you going to go online to get one you like? Pay for IE? Pay for a boxed copy of Firefox?

I hear ya, but being secret with your protocols for sharing network drives or printing on shared printers so that Linux boxes have a hard time connecting without reverse engineering the protocol is also just as and even more so rediculous.

This is what MS opened up - simply because they have been forced to. If MS played nice with it's products and didn't try and close out the likes of Linux, then I'd have to totally agree with you, but this part here is something only a monopoly would pull. Imagine if Linux locked out its protocols from Windows? It doesn't work that way.

Am I making sense?

-S

I wonder if this will give people the ability to take stuff made for say Windows 95 or 3.1 and make it Windows XP or higher compattable if they have the sources for both.

Read that story and I've started to believe that Hell is freezing over ;):rotfl:

They'll still find some way to screw it up and make it so difficult to get that it won't hardly be worth it. You know how they are. :nope:

I have no idea...:smug: If it will work for my PC games..but I guess I'm a bit happy with 'tis one as well. Need a new computer and program anyways.

What about Apple machines? That is a proprietry OS and all that goes with it?

Or is it just because Apple aren't so big in the market.

If they put even a minimalist client on it, it'll be an effective lockout because 80% of consumers are lazy and will just use it no matter how feature-lacking it is. If they are to be serious about re-opening the market, no client is exactly what they have to do.

It isn't that hard. I'm sure there are other computers from which you can download your favored client.

apple makes computers still?