Did the EU-mandated browser-selection screen achieve either the stated goal of antitrust or the under-G goal of creating a Microsoft rival?
Wasn’t the ONLY beneficiary of the monumental EU antitrust stupidity a company that gamed the system by #1) paying the early presumptive beneficiary - Firefox, from the Mozilla Foundation - so much money that they fell asleep at the wheel of business, marketing, and innovation until both their market share, and relevance matched the shittiness of their flagship product?
Didn’t the ‘local hero’ princeling-in-waiting - Opera, from Opera SA – the browser that everyone just knew was browser the EU wanted to win out, proceed to incredibly, and spectacularly flame out, even in the mobile space? Seriously, does anyone, even in Sveeedeen (Sweden, to those not in the know), use Opera as their primary or only browser?
What about their operating system restrictions, you ask?
You dare to ask?
Okay, let’s split that question into two: desktop and server OSs.
In server operating systems, the EU’s attempt to hobble Microsoft by pilfering Microsoft IP by way of forcing royalty-free access by putative European server operating system developers has, how can I put this kindly, failed beyond even the worst scorched-earth scenario the morons at the EU office of Competition could have imagined.
No one emerged. Not from the EU.
In fact, the Linux server operating system that was on a growth trajectory has flatlined.
And innovation there still, ahem, follows the leader: Microsoft Windows Server.
In client OSs, well, “The year 2xxx is the Year of The Linux Desktop”.
That tells it all.
Apart from the attained secondary goal of wresting billions of dollars from Microsoft, the EU’s antitrust case produced nothing.
Nothing, was accomplished.
The citizens of the EU gained, well, nothing!
It was much ado about nothing!
Well, apart from the monies scored from Microsoft.
Resultantly, into the Stupidity Hall of Shame are your December 2014 inductees, Karel Van Miert, Mario Monti, Neelie Kroes, and Joaquín Almunia.
Morons, alla them!
© 2002 – 2014, John Obeto for Blackground Media Unlimited
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