Text 12988, 87 rader
Skriven 2006-09-19 18:45:58 av /m (1:379/45)
Ärende: Microsoft May Finger EU For New Vista Delay
===================================================
From: /m <mike@barkto.com>



http://www.techweb.com/wire/software/193002440

===
Microsoft may be setting up the European Union to take the rap for another
delay in Windows Vista, a research firm said Monday.

Microsoft and the EU's Competition Commission have been at loggerheads recently
over the American developer's next-generation operating system, with a spat
over security spilling out publicly. Microsoft has accused the EU's antitrust
agency of slow responses to its queries over Vista features, and whether any
will trigger rulings. At one point, it threatened to delay the release of Vista
in the EU unless the Commission gave it more guidance, but then last week said
Vista was on track for a January 2007 release in Europe.

The Commission, meanwhile, has said it's up to Microsoft to make Vista
compliant with the 2004 decision that so far has resulted in nearly $1 billion
in fines against the company. At the same time, Neelie Kroes, the EU's
antitrust commissioner, has pointed a finger at Microsoft's intention to bundle
security products, such as Windows Defender, with Vista.

The bickering may be a ploy by Microsoft to influence customers and investors,
said two Gartner analysts Monday. "Microsoft would like to have the court of
public opinion on its side," said David Smith. "There's some legitimacy [in its
complaint] that the Commission has not been as clear as they could have. But
when the slip happens, Microsoft would like to be able to say to people, 'look,
there were a whole lot of other factors in the decision.'"

Smith's colleague, Michael Silver, seconded the take. "Microsoft is looking to
drum up some public support here by saying that Vista should ship with all
security pieces intact, and with the same stuff in the EU version as everywhere
else."

No matter whether Microsoft manages to sway public opinion to its side, Smith
and Silver held to Gartner's earlier prediction that Vista won't make its
deadlines. In May, the analysts predicted that Vista wouldn't appear until the
second quarter of 2007.

"We don't think Vista will slip any later [than the second quarter]," Silver
said.

Instead, Silver and Smith see Microsoft making a decision at some point whether
to release Vista worldwide or skip the EU. "It depends on the timing of it
all," said Silver. If the Commission demands major changes that would
significantly drag out development, the Redmond, Wash. developer will cut the
EU loose, and release Vista in other markets first.

"Microsoft would like to avoid having a separate code base," said Smith. That's
exactly where Microsoft is at the moment -- under the 2004 ruling it must offer
an edition of Windows XP that omits Windows Media Player
-- and may be heading now with Vista.

Another possible strategy Microsoft might implement, said the two analysts,
would be to ship Windows Vista to volume-licensing customers before the end of
the year so companies could start testing, but withhold the OS from consumers
and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). There's less risk of running afoul
of regulators under that plan, said Smith, because enterprises won't be
deploying Vista on production machines any time soon.

As they had argued earlier this year, Gartner's analysts said a March or April
2007 general release of Vista might be Microsoft's best move. That would give
OEMs and retailers time to promote Vista, and keep its impending release from
interfering with the 2006 holiday sales season.

All this creates a reasonable doubt in the legitimacy of a January 2007
roll-out, and prepares the market for another slip, they said.

"It all comes down to how much is Microsoft bluffing [with the EU]," Silver
said.

In other news associated with Vista, the development team blog posted an entry
Sunday asking users to vote on whether they think the most recent edition --
Release Candidate 1 (RC1) -- is ready for prime time. A special "Is Windows
Vista Ready?" section of the user evaluation site "Windows Vista Scenario
Voting" has been established, the blog went.

"We want to take your opinion into account when we decide to ship Windows
Vista," Microsoft said.
===

  /m

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5
 * Origin: Barktopia BBS Site http://HarborWebs.com:8081 (1:379/45)