Russia lets Microsoft off the hook
THE MICROSOFT EMPIRE has managed to avoid a repeat of antitrust actions in the US and Europe.
Everyone expected the cash-strapped Russian antitrust regulators to insist on a large fine for the Vole simply because lots of other countries had cashed cheques signed by Steve Ballmer for playing monopoly.
It seems that, having mounted a rigorous investigation that left no stone unturned, the Russians have decided that there is nothing to see here move along please.
Russia's state anti-monopoly service, FAS, said that it has closed its probe against Microsoft over cutbacks in supplies of its Windows XP operating system.
FAS had launched a probe of Microsoft in June, saying it thought the company had violated Russian laws by cutting delivery of Windows XP to Russia both as boxed software and pre-installed on PCs. It was also a little concerned about Volish software pricing practices in Russia.
However, it said that violations of Russian anti-monopoly legislation by Microsoft were not confirmed.
In fact, of all the antitrust allegations that might have been made against Microsoft, the charge that was leveled was perhaps the weakest the Russians could have considered.
Basically the complaint was that the Vole had stopped selling Windows XP to Russian retailers and computer makers, forcing customers in Russia into using Windows XP's successor, Windows Vista.
A terrible thing to be sure, but hardly an antitrust violation. µ
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MS has paid a bribe, which was lower than the expected anti-trust penalty. End of story.
Back then in the old days of the PDP-11 the Russians re-engineered the PDP-11 from DEC because they were not allowed to buy them (cold war et al).
At the end those guys understood the machine better then DEC themselves.
Looks as if the Russians have their own way of giving XP another life.
If is is to be believed what one can read on the ReatOs home page, there will be a re-engineered version of the NT kernel from React OS in a few years.
Which may mean, that you will have a platform that may use KDE 4.x as the front end and a ReactOS kernel for XP program and driver compatiblity.
That way XP compatiblitly would be available without Microsoft at no charge.
Windows XP forever?
Windows XP, the undead?
Who knows, maybe Microsoft will find themselves in a situation where they offer free Windows XP downloads just in order to keep the flag flying.
Should ReactOS succeed, this would mean a free XP compatible OS for the developing world and not that that.
The Arabs buy AMD and drag semi manufacturing to UAE,
the Russian take over Windows XP and make it available for free.
Opinions, anyone?
Of course they're going to let MS slide... what other Operatins System brings in so much revenue on the side.....
such as the malware suites XP Antivirus 2008, 2009, et al ?
Like in America, justice is for sale to the highest bidder. How many bottles of Vodka were shipped?
In Rah-shah we make invest-gation in mee-cro-soft monopole, da. Dis no monopol, they pay mah-nee for invet-gation make ok, da.
Please be good see-tee-sen and go khome, nothing to see kheer, or we make you go on long trip with maybe small accident, da.
Microsoft ok, kharasho?
Nobody expected Microsoft to be charged in a country where you can buy ANYTHING and ANYONE so easy.
I think, came dadies with big diplomats, and take care of the problem,- latter they drink vodka and fsuck girls in bath, with whose FAS and other big guys
thats the russian style, to deal big deals, like whose in the west are playing annoing golf and make big deals, they simply have bath with vodka and girls
"Nobody expected Microsoft to be charged in a country where you can buy ANYTHING and ANYONE so easy."
As easy as you can get a gun at your waters :) not so easy to get armed in Russia though. What you call "corruption" you do so because of your point of view, while majority of other than you folks think and act on very different grounds like mother nature's law for instance. your thin nature cannot let you believe that you too, personally could be stronger than the other, even for a paid moment. you call it corruption because it is not consistent with your ways of living and judging others and bribery with robbery is effectively integrated into your constitution/s. Do not spread lies just because you feel, while "thinkin" that you are correct.