EU: Avoiding Microsoft is “Smart Business Decision”
June 10, 2008 (2 Responses)
IT’S NO SECRET that Microsoft has had its fair share of grief from European Competition commissioner Neelie Kroes, but in perhaps her strongest speech to date she has recommended European businesses and governments to use software solutions based upon “open standards” going forward. In other words avoid Microsoft!
Kroes and Microsoft have clashed repeatedly over the past four years, resulting in Microsoft being fined nearly $2.86 billion for violating European competition rules. Although the competition commissioner did not name Microsoft specifically in either the advance copies of the speech or in the delivery of the speech itself, she made her meaning clear by referring to “the only company in the history of EU antitrust enforcement that has been fined for refusing to comply with commission orders” - in other words Microsoft, who currently hold that record.
“I know a smart business decision when I see one…choosing open standards is a very smart business decision indeed… No citizen or company should be forced or encouraged to choose a closed technology over an open one.”
- Neelie Kroes, EU Competition Commissioner
This is an ongoing battle between the EU and Microsoft which shows no signs of letting up and Kroes is not alone in her views on the software giant or open standards. The progression towards open standards and away from Microsoft has been underway for a few years now. Back in March 2007 Denmark announced its intentions to make the use of open standards mandatory for state, regional and municipal governments within a year. In May of this year (2008) they appointed five experts to evaluate the implementation of Open Standards in the country, so it’s all forging ahead in Denmark and looking bleak for Microsoft as a result.
In Germany the drive for open source solutions has been underway for years too. They have even published a manual (3rd edition) for public administrations migrating to open source.
Broadly speaking it’s looking pretty iffy for Microsoft in Europe when it comes to the future adoption of open standards and unless they change up a gear and decide to play ball I don’t think the EU competitions commissioner is going to let up on them anytime soon.
Maybe Bill Gates should send her a free XBOX 360…
[...] EU: Avoiding Microsoft is “Smart Business Decision†In Germany the drive for open source solutions has been underway for years too. They have even published a manual (3rd edition) for public administrations migrating to open source. Broadly speaking it’s looking pretty iffy for Microsoft … [...]
it comes to the future adoption of open standards and unless they change up a gear and decide to play ball I don’t think the EU competitions commissioner is going to let up on them anytime soon.