What is Digg?174 Comments
- shakin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+114MS sure isn't good at bluffing. If MS doesn't ship Vista to half the world then XP will remain the standard OS. Games and business apps won't be developed for Vista. Businesses over here will be hesitant to upgrade if they think it may cut them off from doing business with European companies.
It's obvious that they will ship Vista everywhere because their market dominance is too important for them. - jrsims, on 10/12/2007, -2/+107I want to see them do it!
I hope they're not bluffing. I want Microsoft to not ship Vista to EU and I want to see what happens. - threepio, on 10/12/2007, -9/+80Memo
From: EU
To: Microsoft
Re: Unambiguous Definition of What We Want
Dear 'softies,
In relation to the above topic, what we want is to keep sticking our finger in your eye. Frankly, we find you to be a bit laughable and we've enjoyed keeping you on your toes by maintaining an alternately iron grip/loose fondling of your naughty bits. To be honest, ***** with you is the best bit of fun we've had since drawing straws and having to watch Britain take part in the Iraq thing; incidently, thank you for that, we have no shortage of good times ribbing Tony about that at parties.
To be honest, we're not completely arsed about you not selling us Vista Ultimate Media Super Business Center Not With Windows Media Player. The Germans have started using Unix, the rest of Europe is popping over to Mac OS X and the chaps in Russia mentioned something about "The People's Distro" and "Ubuntu will Bury You!"
So good luck with that. Cheers, and thanks for the good times.
p.s. - Know where we could find a good anti-virus for Mac OS X? we can't seem to find one anywhere. - gosix, on 10/12/2007, -3/+54Dugg for the title. Classic!
- theFluke, on 10/12/2007, -18/+51We don't need no steenkin' Vista
- wurzelgummage, on 10/12/2007, -1/+30I'd like to point out that we Europeans have The Pirate Bay.
- exsst, on 10/12/2007, -5/+33Agreed.. XP is fine for me, and when microsoft makes a sleeker version of it that isn't bloated to hell with crappy clones of firefox, I'll use it.. but until then I'm sticking with XP for my main desktop for music making, and ubuntu with my laptop for chatting/emailing/web browsing/coding.
- Curufir, on 10/12/2007, -1/+26@Hhhhhthealien
We aren't the ones with an 8.5 trillion dollar credit card bill. - joel8x, on 10/12/2007, -3/+27On Earth 2, this might happen. Really now, wouldn't it be something if MS decided to hand over the keys to their monopoly by just refusing to sell their products? Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+27If this happens, the Europeans should be extremely grateful.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -11/+34@ iamcitizen
No, they'll just pirate Vista. Just like people do w/ XP now. Nothing will change, just less money for MS. - Snay, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23Yes, like MS would cut itself out of a massive market.
- xutopia, on 10/12/2007, -4/+24EU to Ballmer: It's alright you can keep Vista. We'll just download Linux or get a mac.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+23Message to EU... seek alternatives. Who in the hell is this guy to threaten you with blackmail tactics. This should also be a wake up call to American companies. Great way to sell more software, bully your clients into cooperation. Nice PR move Ballmer you jackass.
I think MSFT needs a couple executive upgrades to go along with their os - atdigg, on 10/12/2007, -13/+32The only way they "compete" with other OSes is through market dominance not through security or quality in general, and most definitely not price.
So a company that offers a product that's worse than others in these important categories:
- security
- quality
- price
can maintain its market only by twisting arms and making sure they use as obscure technology and protocols as possible so nobody could offer a product that could replace theirs. That's why IE and its twisted web rendering is important to Microsoft... that's why Firefox will hurt Microsoft faster than any other product. - shrewduser, on 10/12/2007, -7/+25"No, they'll just pirate Vista. Just like people do w/ XP now. Nothing will change, just less money for MS."
don't be so sure, linux is a mightier force in europe, just check out google trends to see how much more (they eclipse the U.S.A) a move like no up to date O.S for new PC's could easilty see manafacturers installing linux (probably SuSE, which is a german distro) and that would spell the end for M$ in euro-land. - wfmk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19Yeah, right. They're going to block the wealthiest economic region in the world?
Bollocks! - Tsuroerusu, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19If Microsoft don't wanna ship Vista in Europe, I say bring it on!
It'll just offer Novell and Red Hat HUGE HUGE HUGE opportunities in gaining more market share on the desktop, SLED 10 is already much much cheaper than XP, let alone be Vista, so I say go for it Microsoft, please go ahead and don't ship Vista across, I'm sure Linux users everywhere will be thanking you if this allowed us to gain like 10 percent of the desktop in Europe, or maybe even more. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17early adopters get screwed. being last is not a bad thing.
- oxyrubber, on 10/12/2007, -8/+24Is this not one of the biggest reasons for no government to depend on non-contracted proprietary software?
Windows has been inferior to other OSes since about 3.1. Their marketing and strong-arming OEMs with exclusive distribution rights have kept them on top of the desktop OS market. If XP remains their only OS in the EU market, it will grow stagnant and within a few years other more effective OSes will begin to take over the market share. - Curufir, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16450 million people living in mostly first world countries with excellent local -> dollar exchange rates. Yup, nobody needs that kinda market.
I expect Ballmer loses a lot at poker. - edzieba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15The prices in the EU will be jacked up anyway, as the price for any electronic goods are. It's the infamous not-being-the-US tax.
- bryguy000, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17I hope that they do do something that stupid. Help bring down the evil empire a bit faster.
- exsst, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18Yeah but come on, it's well funny! and hey, it gives linux more oppertunity and gives people space to breathe with their windows XP. Windows XP isn't bad at all now that they've smoothed out the bugs... and people don't want vista, not any time soon anyway.
- InvisionUK, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16I'm sorry for having to point this out to you, but Europe have been known to be both incredibly stubborn and fickle. There is absolutely no way in hell I can see us backing down.
And quite frankly, with open THREATS like this, MS deserve all they get. - Zique, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16More like 450 million people. But still, it is the largest economy in the world, it's not like Microsoft will actually go through with that threat.
- bonked, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15I'm hoping the dancing monkey boy follows through - more adoption of other OSs will make for a nice playing field.
- BobbyOnions, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16730 million people?
Yeah, like ANY corporation is going to risk selling to that market. - bluekangaroo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16From a TinyXP download site ( http://thepiratebay.org/details.php?id=3410982 )
"Some releases are unpacked, then altered, then
re-packed, it is called "stealing work" and to
safeguard against this I have included about ten
seperate countermeasures..."
Ironic, since that this is from pirate bay and he's worried about people stealing his work! - Clearz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12"That also explains why so many Europeans want to move to the US. See how many Americans want to permanently move to EU"
So bloody what. Yous take a few individual people in to the USA while we take entire countries into the EU. We took 10 more countries into the EU in 2004 (105 million people) and will take another 2 in 2007 (32 million people) with many more countries scrambling to be let in. I would love to see how your economy would do if even 1 country like mexico became part of the USA in the morning.
@BIllyBobFett
You are right about the per capaita thing but that is because of the 105 million new ppl. Nearly all the older EU ***** live a higher standard than the US - cosmo7, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12Ballmer: Bill, we're going to CUT OFF the EU!
Gates: Wow! Is that wise?
Ballmer: It's the ONLY WAY to preserve our MARKET DOMINANCE
Gates: OK. How do we DO IT?
Ballmer: Open up the MARKET DOMINANCE WIZARD!
Gates: Uh...
Ballmer: It's in the control panel you idiot.
Gates: Oh right. Uh?
Ballmer: In the DISPLAY SETTINGS of course
Gates: Oh right. OK, lets uncheck Europe. Hey there isn't an OK button.
Ballmer: Hmm. What happens if you close it and open it?
Gates: It's still checked.
Ballmer: What if you right click it?
Gates: It just does that stupid What's this? thing.
Ballmer: Click help.
Gates: [taps keys]. Apparently the help center has never heard of it.
Ballmer: Is there anything on MSDN about this?
[laughter]
Ballmer: Maybe we have to change a registry setting?
Gates: Oh screw it. Tell the EU we agree to their demands.
Ballmer: Yeah. - davidod87, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14"At any rate, why do you assume I'm American ;)"
Because you're a *****. - f0dder, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Why hasn't the EU adopted Macs or Linux?
- InvisionUK, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11You really have no idea do you?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -24/+34@jrsims
They'll switch to GNU/Linux :-) - netrag, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10So is that a threat or a promise?
- supermansuper, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11No OS for you! Next!
-OS Nazi - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13This can only be a gift to the EU...no Windows!
- elterid, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12No, sorry. It's more like:
EU: We've already told you what you can't do here, but check your product anyway so it complies with our rules.
MS: Buut that is haard woork. U do it 4 us plx. or else! >:( - trogdoor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Windows 98 ruled!?
Yes it was better than ME but come on, nobody actually likes 98, do they? - BobbyOnions, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12@.*alien$
Ahem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29 - bmson, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12naive
- mcrosby, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10I just really hope this happens! I'm in the UK, and I say good riddance to M$ - It will prompt Europe to develop other operating systems, and this can only be a good thing for Europe.
- troydoogle7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7we seem to be the last to get movies, the last to get vista, the last to get playstation 3... The only person who is winning is my local shop in Manchester that sells dodgy dvds from under the counter....
I would be delighted if they didn't sell vista here.... would be a great shot in the arm to other os's. most businesses won't run it for at least a year, so work wise am not fussed. Would love to see what will happen to ubuntu edgy+1 if that happens! Woot Europe= ubuntuland
OT: Clerks 2 is only coming out here in novemeber and already everyone who wanted to see the so called movie has seen it" hopefully a bad box office turnout here will send the right message! - mcdavis941, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9In other news, Apple computer released sales forecasts showing a sharp uptick in units shipping for the European region ...
- Mooinakan, on 10/12/2007, -6/+13Poor EU doesn't get Vista.. Isn't that more of a blessing?
- thedak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Actually, they DO have to. If they do not install it on their systems they do not get the OEM price and suffer.
- tizz66, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Commissioners, Commissioners, Commissioners, Commissioners...
- kidwithshirt, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9This is gonna be something that never happened, in about 3 days
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12Do I have it right?
MS: Check and approve what we have so we know there won't be problems after launch when it's too late to change evverything and you'll sue us anyway
Europe: No, we will judge the end result, and sue you. -
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