Will we Anti-Trust Microsoft in the Future?

It’s not that long ago, really not a distant memory, when Microsoft were hauled before regulators in the US and Europe for several years over the anti-competitive practices of bundling Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player with Windows.  Competitors such as Opera and Real Networks (remember them?) said such practices were damaging their own success and as such Microsoft had to spend millions of dollars defending themselves only to mostly lose and have to offer both versions of Windows without Windows Media Player and also the Browser Ballot screen in the EU (which I have to admit is a very good idea anyway) so that users could make an informed choice about what web browser they wanted to use.

Since this happened such software has begun to creep back into Windows.  Windows 8 is without doubt the worst offender ever with a new Metro version of Internet Explorer embedded into the new Start Screen as well as the desktop version present also.  It is the first version of Windows to include anti-virus software and now we learn that the ARM-version of Windows 8 will also include desktop versions of Microsoft’s next office suite, codenamed “Office 15? in the form of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.  So what’s happening here and could Microsoft face more anti-trust action in the coming years?

To look at this we have to look at the competition.  When Microsoft were going through their anti-trust actions there really wasn’t any.  At first they just had two desktop operating systems to compete against, OS X and GNU/Linux.  With this they had a monopoly, but one that they’d worked hard for and earned.  With the software things were a different issue where there were a great many web browsers, media players and more.

I began to wonder what might happen with further anti-trust actions when Microsoft announced that, for the first time, they would be bundling anti-virus software with Windows.  ”Windows Defender” isn’t like the existing Windows Defender that first appeared with XP, it’s a re-badged version of Microsoft’s free Security Essentials product.  So far no other anti-virus vendor has kicked up a fuss, though that may still happen.

We had further news though this week that Windows 8 on ARM processors will also include bundled versions of the company’s next generation Office suite in the form of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.  Surely then this would cause a real storm and trigger another anti-trust investigation right away?  Actually I don’t think it will, and it’s likely that Microsoft may never face another anti-trust investigation again.

There are several reasons for this.  The first is that in the last few years all manner of popular and effective competition has sprung up in the operating system space, in the form of iOS, WebOS, QNX, Chrome OS and most notably Android.  Each and every one of these operating systems (with the notable exception of ChromeOS which is entirely cloud-based) come pre-installed with a bespoke web browser, media player and more and all but iOS come with a pre-loaded Office productivity suite.  This then is surely what will have triggered Microsoft’s decision to bundle a version of Office with Windows 8 tablets.

It’s a savvy move too.  They will undoubtedly be cut-down versions, similar to the Office web apps, and will be used to try and up-sell people to the full version of Office on their PCs in the same way that Office Starter, which is commonly shipped free of charge with new PCs does already.

It is very easy now then for Microsoft’s lawyers to argue that bundling Office 15 with Windows 8 tablets isn’t anti-competitive at all, especially as they don’t do it with the desktop version of the OS.  They’re just copying what other tablet operating system makers have been doing for some time now.  With the anti-virus argument it might be a harder argument to make, and it is possible we will see some of the smaller or even major anti-virus vendors complaining to the US authorities or to the EU.  It’s much more likely though that they’ll simply dismiss Windows Defender as being “rubbish” (which it isn’t I should add if you’re considering it) and trying to convince people to buy their own suites anyway.

So what do you think the legal future is for Microsoft given everything they’re bundling with Windows 8?  Why not tell us in the comments below?

Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook or Twitter. Microsoft gets anti-trust approval for Skype buyout
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Microsoft Office Live Update
Microsoft expands anti-piracy program
Microsoft Product Key – Microsoft Office Key Remover About the Author:Mike Halsey is a Microsoft MVP for "Windows Expert". He is also the author of Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press and the Windows 7 Power Users Guide, a how-to guide for non-technical Windows users on how to get the best out of Microsoft's new operating system, with step-by-step and quick guides. You can follow Mike on Facebook, Twitter or on his own website The Long ClimbAuthor: Mike Halsey MVP, Saturday February 11, 2012 -
Tags:anti trust, anti virus, excel, microsoft, office, onenote, powerpoint, security essentials, windows 8, windows-defender, word

Click on the following link(s) to read more about Microsoft

View the original article here

Hydrogen Powered Cars: The Future Is Certainly at Hand

Quicker than you imagine, you're going to start seeing hydrogen fueled autos here and there. This despite the fact that at this time most individuals don't even know such cars exist. It is not something that you notice available at the local gas station. We'll have to wait and see whether hydrogen powered cars actually take over the roads or not. The interest in hydrogen powered vehicles definitely will perk up when folks start hearing how you can go a month without refills.

Having an eye to pollution and energy problems, key car builders are considering various ways to deal with these issues. They're ready to release the hydrogen powered car as a possible answer. Although you are not able to actually purchase a hydrogen powered car yet, you can convert your existing engine to run on hydrogen right now. Hydrogen powered vehicles continue to be prohibitively expensive for the average buyer; in fact, they may never be affordable for the ordinary person. But to create a feel for what it will be like to drive a hydrogen fueled car, you can consider converting your car today. You really can easily save a lot by using water instead of gasoline, so if you would like to increase your mileage by 35% to 100%, you should look into having your car converted.

Learning how a hydrogen operated car works is simply not difficult. As soon as your engine is converted, you make use of clean water as fuel. The hydrogen will be removed out of the H2O molecules and the gases are burned up in the combustion chamber for fuel. This will power your car, enabling it to burn very cost-effective fuel and drive as much as you want. Better yet, because hydrogen produces absolutely no pollutants, it is extremely friendly to the environment. You can find a set up so you can alter your own car's engine to hydrogen yourself and get all the benefits of doing so. There's plenty of information online giving you instructions on how to convert your vehicle, and all of the materials you will need.

These days, many people feel that it's chancy to convert their cars to hydrogen power, since they are ill-informed. Combine that with most peoples' disinterest regarding our environment, and they're going to do nothing until they are forced. Hopefully you're an individual who, rather than waiting around, likes to act. Supposing so, you could be spending less for fuel and supporting the environment as soon as you convert you car to hydrogen. You may need to consider whether there will be any places to fill up your car, or you'll need to mainly depend on a home source.

You are going to definitely want to do a lot more research before you decide to actually convert, and online is the place to look. You'll acquire even more of an appreciation for the beauties of driving a hydrogen car once you come to understand more about it. tv series

View the original article here