560°

Mozilla to Join EU Suit Against Microsoft

The European Commission (EC) has granted Mozilla, the open-source collaboration behind the Firefox Web browser, the right to join its antitrust case against Microsoft, a spokesman said Monday.

The Commission, Europe's top antitrust authority, charged Microsoft last month with distorting competition in the market for Web browsers by bundling in its Internet Explorer (IE) browser with the Windows operating system.

If the charges stick, then Microsoft could be forced to change the way it distributes IE, as well as pay a fine for monopoly abuse.

Lord Anubis5985d ago

We love you Mozilla. Pull a win for us.

GWAVE5985d ago

Just one more lawsuit in the vast, vast library of lawsuits leveled against Microsoft. Hopefully Microsoft will be taken to task. Better yet, I hope they continue to lose market share. As a consumer, I don't want ANYone to have a monopoly, least of them Microsoft.

meepmoopmeep5985d ago (Edited 5985d ago )

revenge of Netscape v.2.0

yamamoto1145985d ago

Wait, doesn't this mean that they can have a case against Apple for bundling Safari with Mac OS X too?

Lord Anubis5985d ago

yamamato, they could but apple supplies only hardware not so much their operating system. Since apple sells their hardware with their operating system rather then just sell their operating systems to vendors it would be more tricky to pursuit.

pixelsword5985d ago (Edited 5985d ago )

...the problem is that we consumers will get the shaft ultimately in this matter because if MS loses the antitrust it won't lower the price of Windows because the prosecution claims it's a "bundle", and bundles are often free software. Furthermore, once Microsoft distributes this "another way" (read: with a price tag or as free but separate on the net or in stores) this will allow every browser, including Firefox and Chrome, to do so as well.

So basically, they're suing them with the hopes that Microsoft will charge for their browser; once Microsoft does, these free browsers with open source support will suddenly become just as business like as Microsoft. If Microsoft doesn't charge, that's where Microsoft loses: Microsoft has to pay for it's labor to make changes to it's software, wheras Firefox is open source, so it doesn't have that burden, and things like research and development are a non-factor.

I'm not saying that they shouldn't, because they have the right to get paid like everyone else; but once this happens, what will happen to the open-source programmers that put all of their time and ideas into this that don't get a check? They get screwed, and since you don't really have rights to money regarding open source contributions, I don't think a lawsuit against them will stand in court.

Just a semi-educated guess though; waiting to see what happens, myself.

SiLeNt KNighT5985d ago

I like the sound of this.

This could be the final nail...or at least nailed up half way...

FF FTW

Pixel_Addict5985d ago (Edited 5985d ago )

Microsoft is a software developer who makes operating systems for a separate market; the PC market. Dell, Intel, HP, Acer, and other PC manufactures use Windows to run their products.

Personal computers are still DOS based and Windows lays on top to make navigation and user interface easier. Windows is just a program that runs off of DOS, that is why you always have to sit through a DOS bootup before starting Windows. Mean while Apple's personal computers (Macs) do not have DOS and its interface can not run independently from the hardware. People mistakenly think that Leopard works and engineered the same way Windows is. It is not.

Microsoft in the 80s copied Apple's user interface, but avoided (narrowly) a lawsuit buy claiming that Windows worked in conjunction with DOS. There for the programming and engineering of Windows was different.

Microsoft is nothing more than a software vendor servicing a separate market and product. Apple computer and its operating system are one in the same. In order to make an Apple computer run independently from Leopard OS you'd have to essentially change how the Apple computers work.

Ju5985d ago (Edited 5985d ago )

@pixelsword

That's BS. Safari is based on Konquerer, the KDE open source browser. Following your rule, Apple abuses open source.

However, open source also works the other way. Depending on the license, products may be charging a fee - or not. Also, changes to code based on open source (and most use the GPL, or LGPL) usually get contributed back into the original source code, and I think that what Safari/Apple is contributing back to the open source community.

Just because MS would charge for their browser doesn't allow Mozilla do the same without recognizing its contributors. Not without taking the risk of getting suit to death by its contributors.

uie4rhig5985d ago

coz mozilla exec said that they don't want to be bundled with Windows ( http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news... )

but i do hope they will strongly go up against Microsoft, only then will Microsoft compete better (i.e. bring out better IE) or IE will just die basically.. either way it's a win-win for us consumers :)

All though I wonder what MS will cook up to make this 'browser war' more fair if (or when) they lose..

Godmars2905985d ago

If MS knew anything about playing fair Netscape would still be around.

uie4rhig5985d ago

i donno about that, at the time imo internet explorer was infact better than netscape.. yes my opinion, however, IE become more and more sloppy by the release, and eventually mozilla came out, pretty much same as netscape, didn't really get into mozilla, then firefox came, and i pretty much loved it and switched fully within a few weeks..
point is.. IE used to be a good browser IMO..

Rapture3335985d ago

Haven't they already been sued for this before?

Godmars2905985d ago

As I recall, at one time Netscape held the lead when the major competition was them, IE and AOL with AOL falling fast. Then, with PCs tied up though Windows through the business sector, not home, day MS declared its assets proprietary, restricted, and Netsacpe's reliability nosed dived. IE became the only browser.

I said it once already: the only reason we have Firefox, other browsers, is because MS lost an anti-trust suit during the Clinton Administration. Other suits were pending, but they got dropped when Bush took office.

prowiew5985d ago

This lawsuit is a little dumb. A quote from the opera guys who started the lawsuit. "The only way to give users a genuine choice is to strip out IE from Windows and either replace it with a rival browser or offer users a list of browsers to choose from," he told IDG in an interview.
You cant strip IE from windows. Windows itself uses the explorer for a lot of tasks. Also, if you strip IE. How you gonna download opera or firefox browser?
Also, firefox (my fav browser) is not pro of this lawsuit. Is opera that is trying to gain some ground. And this goes only for europe.

The Lazy One5984d ago

That is pretty funny. Unbundling IE gives people no fallback browser to download other better browsers for free.

I really doubt mozilla/opera will win this lawsuit, because windows is really a bundle of products with an operating system. If they win, what's to stop maple from suing M$ to no longer include calculators with their system. Or other wireless network connection wizards suing over the default in windows.

I really don't think it'll turn out. When windows was bundled with PC's the case was better, because it was being bundled with a different company's product. In this case, IE is really already a part of another windows product.

+ Show (12) more repliesLast reply 5984d ago
Gun_Senshi5985d ago

in EU Microsoft always lost.

Go Mozilla sue MS!!! You have our support

Trebius5985d ago

When we didnt have many choices for internet surfing, Mozilla came through in the clutch with something new, basic and excellently crafted for speedy performance. Now there are a lot of other competitors, but I have not used IE since 99. Microsoft needs to be brought to justice for this, they've tried things like this before, and have gotten caught. Enough is enough, if people can do something better than you, dont try to bring them down, try to BETTER yourself. They've been doing the same shadiness for so long and we all put up with it...well I for 1 hope Mozilla gets what they deserve.

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