Perspective on EC vs Microsoft

I've held back from posting about the recent buzz around a statement made by the EC regarding the security features in Windows Vista.  So no ranting here - although I might want to - just a link to an article on FT.com.  This article is simply a letter from a businessman in Germany which has an interesting persective.  I'm not going to comment, just read and digest it.

https://www.ft.com/cms/s/9df351ce-438d-11db-9574-0000779e2340.html

Long has a more cynical but quite comic take on the situation on his blog too.

https://www.istartedsomething.com/20060913/screw-security-says-eu/

David Mitchell from Ovum asks for clarity:

"There has been very little uptake of the version of Windows XP that excludes Media Player functionality. A version of Vista that removes security-related functionality has the potential to be an even greater turkey. Security is a major concern for the European market and needs to be addressed on multiple different fronts. If the EU is going to ask Microsoft to remove security-related functionality then it needs to be very precise in its request and very clear about why it is making it. It has the potential to cause a major market disruption, with no benefit whatsoever for the end-consumer. Appropriate and timely regulatory intervention may benefit the consumer, but only if that intervention reflects real consumer preferences in the market and recognises the overall market evolution that is underway."

 

Technorati tags: vista, ec, europe, security