Microsoft and AntiTrust

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While there is US antitrust action with Big Tech, why is Microsoft left out of that party? Windows is very much a platform, just as much as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are. Are the politicians barking up the wrong trees?

Which of these 5 companies is the least customer/consumer friendly? Which of these 5 companies have the most security problems?

Is the real issue antitrust or is the real issue ongoing proper platform regulation when platforms grow huge and become critical to national security?

The “tie-in” issue: Can the customer easily remove or downgrade the Edge browser from Windows? Can the customer easily remove Microsoft’s Search (SearchApp.exe) from Windows? Can the consumer easily protect their privacy under Windows? Can the the customer figure out how to configure Windows for maximum security without buying another product from Microsoft? Can the consumer easily keep OneDrive (Microsoft’s cloud) off their Windows installation? [These questions are not how to do this, but how easy it is for the average customer. (While I can do this, I am not a typical customer.)]

What should the relationship be between Office and Windows? Should a platform be monolithic or modular?

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Fred

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MSFT still on catchup with the others and haven’t quite achieved the plumbline?
Remember, there’s rust in Trust wherever you turn these days, sign o’ the times unfortunately.

WaaS = Windows as a Syphon...suckers!

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Somewhere I heard this version:

Microsoft is being left out of the Big Tech anti-trust actions today because, back when, they had their hand slapped for the IE/Media Player tie-in. So they have already been punished for the transgression and now can do no wrong.

Consider the tie-in for Edge, Defender, Bing Search, Teams, News & Interests/Widgets, XBox (you can’t really uninstall), One Drive, telemetry, etc, etc.

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Ultimately and without question it all comes down to the choice of “the consumer”, whether that be by individuals or by businesses large or small.  Office is available on a Mac.  If Linux and Open Office or <your favorite combination here> were truly viable alternatives, Microsoft would not have the market share that they have.

PKCano wrote:

Consider the tie-in for Edge, Defender, Bing Search, Teams, News & Interests/Widgets, XBox (you can’t really uninstall), One Drive, telemetry, etc, etc.

Among that list I use Defender because it works and it’s included.  I use News, but my options for display in News are limited, MSN is not among them.  I also use Weather, for its minimalist display.  I don’t use Edge at all, nor Bing Search, both of which are severely lagging in market share.

Firefox is my default browser, and DuckDuckGo is my search engine.  I don’t use Teams.  I do use OneDrive as part of Microsoft 365, but it is not a Microsoft OneDrive setup.  I’ve moved the folder to a different partition on a different drive, and the data I want in OneDrive is put there via Robocopy run in Task Scheduler.

I use StartIsBack++ on Windows 10, and StartAllBack on Windows 11, both highly configurable.  I have a Windows 7 style Start Menu on both sides of my dual boot.  I use O&O Shutup10 to control telemetry.  I have a stable of extensions and BHO’s in Firefox to keep ads and trackers at bay.

Is Windows a platform?  Yes.  Is Windows a monopoly?  Hardly.

Android has a greater market.  No OS has even 50% market share.

oldfry wrote:

Windows is very much a platform, just as much as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are.

  Not quite.  Windows is one of many vectors through which Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are accessed.  There’s a subtle difference.

Create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates, in case you need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do. We don't all have to do the same things.

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Very good question. Rules do not apply the same for small and big players.
Steal 1000 USD, you will be punished. Steal 100 000 000 USD and nothing will happen. You will have lawyers, you will impede the process and nothing will happen to you. Its the same all over the world.

Warning, conspiracy comming:
I bet Microsoft has trust with US governemnt or US infrastructure. Why? Because it has so many information and data (Im not saying MSFT is selling data, but definately he ANALYZES that data).
Also, very rich people always have contacts on highest places, in the governemnt. I bet my shoes on that.

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? says:

i digress, in America follow the money:

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-launches-azure-government-top-secret-for-us-national-security-contracts/

 

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The April 2, 2022 Page B1 article below helps explain how Microsoft avoids government antitrust scrutiny through government ingratiation.  Sorry, the article is protected by a paywall.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-microsoft-became-washingtons-favorite-tech-giant-11648872240

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Microsoft holds the US government by the *** with Windows , Office, Azur, …
Any anti trust investigation will shake the stability of US government computing infrastructure.
The EU, on the other hand, is not intimidated by Microsoft

Not only there is no anti trust there is no class action against Microsoft inflicting huge damages with bad updates, bad upgrades, security breaches…and the new Windows 11 requirements that will cost $trillions buying new PCs.

Moderstor note: Modified inappropriate reference. Please refrain.

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