[News] Microsoft Tries Forcing Move to a Windows-only World Wide Web
Roy Schestowitz
,----[ Quote ]
| The plug-in, available on Firefox's add-on site, is compatible with
| the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the XP SP2 and Vista OSes.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20070417/tc_pcworld/130816
They want to encourage content providers to spread Windows Media Player and
its proprietary codecs all over the Web.
Microsoft's Silverlight Promises to Disrupt Linux Web Users
,----[ Quote ]
| Just as it seemed that Linux users (especially 64-bit users) would
| finally be able to enjoy streaming content with a minimum of
| hassle, Microsoft's new Silverlight software promises to throw a
| wrench in the works. Because of sites like Google Video and
| Youtube, Flash video has become a common means of streaming
| multimedia over the Internet.
`----
http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1418.html
Related:
Microsoft's 'Everywhere' excludes Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| This browser add-on enables rendering of WPF content, but
| "Everywhere" doesn't include Linux.
`----
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/7794/53/
ECIS Accuses Microsoft of Plotting HTML Hijack
,----[ Quote ]
| An industry coalition that has represented competitors of Microsoft
| in European markets before the European Commission stepped up its
| public relations offensive this morning, this time accusing
| Microsoft of scheming to upset HTML's place in the fabric of
| the Internet with XAML, an XML-based layout lexicon forn
| etwork applications.
`----
http://www.betanews.com/article/ECIS_Accuses_Microsoft_of_Plotting_HTML_Hijack/1169824569
Software rivals say Microsoft's Vista illegal in Europe (at CNNMoney.com)
,----[ Excerpt ]
| Software manufacturers, citing 2004 European Commission finding,
| contend the operating system violates server laws in Europe.
|
| [...]
|
| "Vista is the first step of Microsoft's strategy to extend its market
| dominance to the Internet," the ECIS statement said.
|
| It said Microsoft's XAML markup language was "positioned to replace HTML,"
| the industry standard for publishing documents on the Internet.
|
| Microsoft's own language would be dependent on Windows, and discriminatory
| against rival systems such as Linux, the group says.
|
| They said a so-called "open XML" platform file format, known as OOXML, is
| designed to run seamlessly only on the Microsoft Office platform.
`----
,----[ Quote ]
| From: Bill Gates
| Sent: Saturday, December 05, 1989 9:44 AM
| To: Bob Muglia (Exchange); Jon DeVaan; Steven Sinofsky
| Cc: Paul Mariz
| Subject: Office rendering
|
| One thing we have got to change is our strategy -- allowing Office
| documents to be rendered very well by OTHER PEOPLES BROWSERS is one of the
| most destructive things we could do to the company.
|
| We have to stop putting any effort into this and make sure that Office
| documents very well depends on PROPRIETARY IE capabilities.
|
| Anything else is suicide for our platform. This is a case where Office has
| to to destroy Windows.
`----
http://www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/2000/PX02991.pdf
Windows Vista Product Guide: Free to Download, $149 to Read
,----[ Quote ]
| 'Windows Vista Product Guide' was released in two formats:
|
| Microsoft Office Word 2007
| The standard .doc format isn't good enough, you need to be able to
| read a .docx file, so all those users of Office XP are just plain
| out of luck on
| this one.
|
| XPS
| What the heck is XPS? I hadn't heard of it before now, (a quick
| Google tells me XPS is Microsoft's proprietary rival to PDF)
| but apparently you need a special reader for it (which is
| kindly enough built into Vista, but nothing else).
`----
http://itsvista.com/2006/12/windows-vista-product-guide-free-to-download-149-to-read/
Adobe could still sue Microsoft: paper
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft's new Vista software, due to be released early next
| year, contains a version of fixed document formats which would
| compete with Adobe's PDF format. Microsoft has pledged to make
| changes to its version.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061118/tc_nm/adobe_microsoft_dc
Vista to give HD Photo format more exposure
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is looking to supplant the ubiquitous JPEG with an image format
| of its own--and it's hoping the debut of Windows Vista will help do the
| job.
`----
http://news.com.com/Vista+to+give+HD+Photo+format+more+exposure/2100-1045_3-6153730.html
John Bailo
> Microsoft's Silverlight Promises to Disrupt Linux Web Users
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | Just as it seemed that Linux users (especially 64-bit users) would
> | finally be able to enjoy streaming content with a minimum of
> | hassle, Microsoft's new Silverlight software promises to throw a
> | wrench in the works. Because of sites like Google Video and
> | Youtube, Flash video has become a common means of streaming
> | multimedia over the Internet.
And it will stay that way.
Microsoft -- get off us!
--
Roy Schestowitz
John, it is important that folks like you spread the word among colleagues.
Microsoft uses slogans with words like "Anywhere", leaving developers under
the impression that it can be as accessible as Adobe Flash. It's not! And
being proprietary, in the hands, of Microsoft, it will probably be
'extended' in nasty ways to assist the monopoly, through integration.
--
~~ With kind regards
Roy S. Schestowitz | Useless fact: Florida is bigger than England
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Roy Schestowitz
> Microsoft Releases Media Player for Firefox
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | The plug-in, available on Firefox's add-on site, is compatible with
> | the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the XP SP2 and Vista OSes.
> `----
>
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20070417/tc_pcworld/130816
>
> They want to encourage content providers to spread Windows Media Player and
> its proprietary codecs all over the Web.
>
> Microsoft's Silverlight Promises to Disrupt Linux Web Users
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | Just as it seemed that Linux users (especially 64-bit users) would
> | finally be able to enjoy streaming content with a minimum of
> | hassle, Microsoft's new Silverlight software promises to throw a
> | wrench in the works. Because of sites like Google Video and
> | Youtube, Flash video has become a common means of streaming
> | multimedia over the Internet.
> `----
>
> http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1418.html
More on the first:
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/D3BFGBkvntrNlx/Microsoft-Throws-Firefox-a-Bone.xhtml
"The plug-in itself, according to Colin Teubner, an analyst at Forrester
Research, is not open source. "I think most people in the open source
community will see this as a pro-WMP move, not a pro-Firefox or pro open
source move by Microsoft," he told LinuxInsider. Microsoft, Teubner
speculated, has evidently decided that market dominance of WMP is not enough
to drive market dominance of Internet Explorer , previously the only browser
with embedded WMP. Therefore, to keep WMP as the dominant media format for
the Web, where it is threatened by Adobe Flash-based video, Microsoft needs
to make sure WMP is not limited to just Internet Explorer."
So a seemingly move to 'open' platforms turns out to be a double-play
intended to snub and eliminate Linux (and Mac?) users lock them out of
services/site. Antitrust? Haaalllllooooo........!
--
~~ With kind regards
Roy S. Schestowitz | Get the most out of your hardware. Get Linux.
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU/Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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John Bailo
> John, it is important that folks like you spread the word among
> colleagues. Microsoft uses slogans with words like "Anywhere", leaving
> developers under the impression that it can be as accessible as Adobe
> Flash. It's not! And being proprietary, in the hands, of Microsoft, it
> will probably be 'extended' in nasty ways to assist the monopoly, through
> integration.
>
The sweet thing about this is that they are starting to get a taste of their
own medicine. As someone who searches for a consumes a lot of Internet
A/V (for many years now), I have watched the gradual movement of standard
from RealMedia to WinMedia and then to mp3, mpeg and Flash. Flash, even
though proprietary, is a godsend for Linux as it always plays video just
fine and is perfect for any streaming application.
At some point MS may not be able to keep up with Flash and other streaming
protocols and be left behind.
--
Hadron Quark
Flash totally sucks for Linux. The client is buggy and always behind the
curve. I would sooner it were in Windows formats since players like
mplayer work perfectly, in the res I want, in a proper z-ordered
resizable window. Flash is the invention of the devil.
--
They are most deceived that trusteth most in themselves.
Mark Kent
Well observed remarks, in my view. It does indicate that Microsoft have
thrown in the towel regarding IE, for the time being, though. This is
probably the first of many retreats which we will see Microsoft make on
the Windows platform. Of course, having made room for Firefox, will
they have to make room for Flash video soon, too? What would really
help would be if there were an open alternative to Flash, though.
--
| Mark Kent -- mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk |
| Cola faq: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/ |
| Cola trolls: http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/ |
Roy Schestowitz
There are at least two open source implementations of Flash. swfdec and gnash
(not sure about the name of the first). The former plays Flash 7 videos from
YouTube just fine. The last time I checked, gnash had good overall
compatibility with Flash 7 as well. With Flash 8, Adobe with their so-called
'Open'/standardised Flash added a proprietary codec (royalties), which was
stupid.
--
~~ With kind regards
Roy S. Schestowitz | Previous signature has been conceded
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