YESTERDAY'S press conference where the EC regulators spanked the bottom of Microsoft had an interesting side story about what the regulator thought of Steve 'there's a kind of hush' Ballmer.

Neelie Kroes revealed how in meetings she found him more slippery than a well-greased eel.

She said that she could remember at least four times when, if you were naïve, you could have thought everything was fixed.

However, it turned out that nothing was ever fixed and Microsoft was not even trying to "deliver and implement."

In short, negotiating with Steve 'sounds of silence' Ballmer was like dealing with an estate agent who is trying to convince you that the kitchen really is not falling into a Victorian cesspit and will be cheap to repair.

Unfortunately for the Vole, Kroes really thinks that Steve is the sort of person where you have to count your fingers after shaking hands. This might cause a few problems for Microsoft when it comes to the EU deciding about any take overs of Yahoo. µ

L'Inq
News.com