EU Penalties Against Microsoft Upheld

So long Windows Media Player

http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=7157859
from JoeUser Forums

In the not-so-good news for Microsoft category, the EU has upheld the ruling that Windows XP in Europe will not have Windows Media Player.

"The evidence adduced by Microsoft is not sufficient to show that implementation of the remedies imposed by the Commission might cause serious and irreparable damage," the draft Court statement obtained by Reuters said.

Personally, I find this to be a bad move for European consumers. While it's always tempting to stick the giant in the eye, it's not the giant who will suffer in this case. At this stage in OS development it is very handy for both businesses and consumers to assume that the base OS includes video playing and music playing as part of the OS that supports a specific format (WMV in this case on video).

Read the whole article.

8,936 views 10 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Man....that was a big mistake for them....Windows Media Player is the way to go. I think its important that an OS come pre-loaded with a Media Player.

(mind you, I'm biased...I skin WMP...)
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I know you guys think I am a fruitcake, when it comes to MediaPlayer, "Heck!" ya probably, think I am a fruitcake regardless. MediaPlayer is an Agendized Item for MS. It is a gorilla in disguise, and I for one do not trust it, use it, or wish it was on my system. I told you before, and I say it again, the esteem, the developers of MediaPLayer hold the average public is deplorable, the focus grouping meetings at MS, for MediaPlayer were concerned more with DRM, than functionality.
I hope you guys remember, all of these (Pro) views, when you have Windows, lock-Crash and Burn, and you lose the licenses to your Digital Media. It was bandied around MS, that there was only going to be a 3 times support, for lost licenses. Answer me this, why should there be any limit to the duration of a media file, you have rights to? Also wonder on this, Digital Rights and licensing are enabled by default, and buried in the Mediaplayers options, and even though unchecked on update or install (for unimplementation) they remain checked. You have to go into the options and uncheck them again.
Now with WinAmp, biting the bullet, we as consumers are going to be in a sad, state of affairs.
Thank God, for DbPowerAmp, Media Player Classic, and a few other small alternatives.
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Microsoft has to release a WMP-free version of XP (hurray!). But note that no date was given for that release (as far as I know). And this does not mean that the "regular" WMP-infested version of XP will disappear, just that there needs to be a WMP-free alternative.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Never had a problem with WMP.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
~ Personally, I don't use WMP for anything if I can avoid it (Iuse JetAudio) but I do believe an OS should come with some type of media player.

~ I think the user should have the choice of which player to use. Wouldn't it be nice if Windows came with several different players ready to install and gave us the choice on which one we'd like to use/make the default player? I know it's not possible and will never happen but imagine being given the choice of using WMP, WinAmp, JetAudio or several other players.

~ Something like that reminds me of Litestep where the user defines which programs are the defaults such as text editor, media player, chat app.

~ If only Microsoft had the users best interests at heart instead of cornering the market or keeping everything proprietary...
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I use WMP and InterActual player.No problems with either.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I use Winamp most of the time but have no problems with WMP.

Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You can *still* install another media player if you wish to play back a format WMP doesn't support (RealPlayer, for example). In factm I have Several media players installed on my Windows XP SP2+ system (including WMP 10, which is included with SP2, but also WinAmp 5.07, RealPlayer, BSPlayer, and even MusicMatch 10). There is *absolutely nothing* anywhere in Windows (XP, or any other version of Windows) that has *ever* precluded this! What the EU is basically saying is that the PC users of the EU (their own citizens) are *sheep* and need Big Brother (the EU government) to make the decision FOR them.

That is a rather telling indictment of their own citizens by a supra-national (the EU is a collection of nations; it is not a nation unto itself) judicial body.

In terms of why I have Media Player 10 around (and no, it is NOT my default player for audio), MP10 *is* the best multi-format VIDEO player that I have found so far (and that's simply covering the non-MS video codecs and formats). MP10 is NOT my default player for audio (Winamp is) and that is my own *personal* choice. But I have to seriously wonder what the real gist is behind the EU decsion on forcing Microsoft to *unbundle* MP from Windows XP.
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Actually, I see it as the opposite. It's telling the EU people to decide themselves what media software they want installed intead of having Microsoft decide for them. Cause lets face it, if it comes pre-installed, very few people bother to install something else.
Personally, I don't like any player to take control of all my media files. I use WMP for it proprietary files, I use Real Audio for Real Audio files, I use Quicktime for MOVs, etc. For MP3's it depends. Sometimes WMP, sometimes Winamp.