Microsoft "Men in Black" article

[jjbean]

I came across this article. I found it amusing, and sad at the same time. The part about the sunglasses made me laugh.

http://enterprise.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/04/16/2019244

[Redache]

I only skimmed it but it's pretty terrible how Microsoft are working these days. When does a company have the right to cross from the consumer market into the political?. I know this is only one state but what happens if Microsoft start doing this all around America, eventually outlawing Open Source Software. Granted I'm not an American so I can't actually comment on the political situation, but from what I see greed rules most of America's senate. That's just from what I've seen, I could be completely wrong.

Even though people hate the EU and some of the stupid legislation they have drafted, and the idea of a super state/lack of cultural diversity, they have done some good work in abolishing software patents and Neelie Kroes's (http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/kroes/index_en.html) vendetta against Microsoft.

[TravisNewman]

That's sad. MS basically threatened them!

[jjbean]

That's sad. MS basically threatened them!

The sad thing is that they wanted to try something that would save tax payers money, but as soon as someone thought they might loose money they send in the goons. It is a sad statement on American politics that corporations have this kind of muscle. I am not surprised.

[kano]

It's this kind of stuff that reminds me why I dislike Microsoft so much >.>

[steven8]

It's this kind of stuff that reminds me why I dislike Microsoft so much >.>

. . .and why I dislike government so much. They are in the big businessmen's pockets.

[tehbeermang]

I thought Microsoft funded an open source plug-in for Office that would allow the product to use/modify open format documents, publications and spreadsheets?

Edit: this project (http://sourceforge.net/projects/odf-converter)

If both are true, this is a case of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing.

[jjbean]

Even though people hate the EU and some of the stupid legislation they have drafted, and the idea of a super state/lack of cultural diversity, they have done some good work in abolishing software patents and Neelie Kroes's (http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/kroes/index_en.html) vendetta against Microsoft.

I hope she gets a lot done, it would be good for all of you in the E.U. This is the best that us Americans can do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft

If anyone wants to read all the legal mumbo jumbo: http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/ms_index.htm