Microsoft Pri0

Welcome to Microsoft Pri0: That's Microspeak for top priority, and that's the news and observations you'll find here from Seattle Times reporter Sharon Chan.

E-mail Sharon| Subscribe | Blog Home| Brier Dudley's Blog

February 27, 2008 7:34 AM

In the bad timing category: EU fine rains on Microsoft launch parade

Posted by Benjamin J. Romano

The reports from Europe are probably echoing around the Los Angeles Convention Center, where Microsoft's "Heroes Happen Here" launch event is scheduled to get going this morning. Despite his best efforts to make peace with Neelie Kroes, the European competition commissioner who announced $1.3 billion in fines against the company, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's launch of three big products later today will be overshadowed by the European regulator.

Ballmer is set to give a keynote speech extolling the virtues of Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008. Check out today's story for more on what these products, particularly Server 2008, mean for the company and the market. I wonder if he will make reference to the fines -- and whether Microsoft will appeal them. I doubt it. I imagine this is particularly frustrating for Microsoft, especially given its effort last week to position itself and its products as even more open and interoperable -- an announcement that was greeted with a skeptical statement by Kroes even as Microsoft executives were still holding a press conference.

I also wonder whether the fines were announced now with Kroes knowing that Microsoft was trotting out major products. Here's her press release.

Digg | Newsvine

Submit a comment

Posted by Alaric

9:49 AM, Feb 27, 2008

And please let's not forget that the fine must be paid in Euro's... ordered on a day when the Euro hit an all time high against the Dollar.

Posted by steveballmer

7:00 PM, Feb 27, 2008

Filthy, hack EuroLawyers!

http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com

Posted by IndividualRights

1:48 AM, Feb 28, 2008

Microsoft's policy of appeasement toward the EU had to fail, just as it failed to deter decades of persecution by US regulators before that.

Now blood-suckers on both continents will have incentive to close in for more, at devastating cost to the economy and producers everywhere. How can you continue to create innovative products that are part of the fabric of everyday life worldwide, whilst fending off arbitrary, unpredictable governmental decrees?

Suppose Microsoft had devoted even a _fraction_ of the tangible $2.4 billion bled from it so far, to waging a public campaign in defense of everyone's right to their property, and the right to dispose of same on any terms they wish.

Now _that's_ moral and practical: simply the right of contract, the right to life and liberty as guaranteed under the original American system of government. Same as selling your car, right? Suppose power-lusting witch Neelie Kroes started messing with that. First they came for Microsoft...

Oh, wait. Microsoft has appealed to antitrust to hamstring its competitors as well, like Google. Oh well. That's "pragmatism" for ya. I suppose someone else will have to mount a principled defense of property rights and expose the evils of antitrust, like here:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/3a8v2h

Posted by steveballmer

5:38 PM, Feb 28, 2008

Everybody should know what I think of European Laws, they are stupid, socialist and contradictory! But, sometimes that is a good thing! You see, they are so confused about what their own laws are from state to state that we can pick and choose which to "interpet" as being in full compliance with! LOL, By the time we pay those greasy-haired, black-toothed, garlic-smelling, cheese-sucking, shack-dwelling, lie-telling, funny-talking, American-hating, baggy-pantsed surrender-monkies, I will be a very old man introducing Windows Hologram Server 2016!

http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com