back to article Europe loosens the straps tying Apple and Microsoft to tough antitrust rules

The European Commission has reversed its decision that some Apple and Microsoft offerings qualify as "gatekeeper services" under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), meaning the bloc’s toughest regulations won’t be applied. The Tuesday decision means Apple's iMessage and Microsoft's Edge, Bing, and Advertising won’t be subject to …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    mmmm

    who got bought?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: mmmm

      It does seem a bit suspicious... there was an article talking about the fall in popularity of Firefox and, in my opinion, one of the reasons for this is Windows pushing Edge like crazy. Some links open in Edge even when it's not the default browser, it keeps asking me to change the default bowser even though I said "no" repeatedly. The way it asks implies that Edge is somehow better...

      A couple of non IT people I work with installed Firefox but within a few weeks they were no longer using it, not as a result of an informed choice just Microsoft's badgering and phrasing of questions pushing them to Edge.

      Google is no better with Chrome..... but that's a story for another tirade :-)

      1. Pascal Monett Silver badge
        Flame

        Google's Chrome

        Chrome is a cancer. Install anything Google on your PC and you'll get Chrome whether you want it or not.

        I once installed Google Earth on my home PC. The next day, Chrome's icon showed up in my task bar. After installing Google Earth and launching it, it went and installed Chrome "for" me.

        I uninstalled Chrome and thought nothing more of it for the day. The next day, Chrome's icon was back in my task bar. That annoyed me immensely, so I uninstalled Chrome again and checked my Services. Sure enough, there was some service which was running and named in a way to make it clear that its job was to check that Chrome is installed. I killed that service with fire. Thinking I was finally free of the blight, I went on to do other things during the day.

        The next day, that damn Chrome icon was back, along with the service. Google Earth had restored everything to Google's specification, and fuck me and my opinion on what is supposed to be running on my PC.

        That is when I decided that nothing Google would ever be installed on my home PC ever again. I nuked Chrome, Google Earth and every attendant service once and for all.

        Now, since I use Gmail for my professional life, I might as well use Chrome on my work laptop, so I installed Google Earth there. That laptop is already infected with Windows 1 0, so, a little more . . .

      2. imanidiot Silver badge

        Re: mmmm

        Want to know how bad it really is? Just hit Ctrl+Alt+Windows+Shift+L (yes, it's a big combo, just try it). And be horrified. Yes. That combo is hard-baked into Windows. There's no off switch. Now try +T instead, or +W. Microsoft has lost the plot.

        1. FILE_ID.DIZ
          Thumb Down

          Re: mmmm

          Neat trick.

          Who the fuck uses Word often enough to warrant that non ADA-compliant key combo. I'd take Excel over Word every day.

          But then again, I keep it pinned to my taskbar, so unless I have 12 screens like some traders do (finding where the mouse is hiding can't be fun), right-clicking the Excel icon on the taskbar is easier than those key combos.

          1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

            Re: mmmm

            I'd take Excel over Word every day.

            Ugh. That's like choosing between leprosy and the plague.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: mmmm

      All of them. Or majority at least.

      Bribing EC members isn't even illegal by EU rules so that's the norm, not an exception.

  2. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    Developers

    It would seem contrary to the interests of a company to treat the very people who make its platform interesting in such a money-grubbing, condescending way.

    Thankfully, this decision does nothing to change how the EU considers Apple's Play Store.

  3. elsergiovolador Silver badge

    Arsessment

    Following a thorough assessment of all arguments

    I can picture opening all those brown envelopes and counting cash was probably quite exhausting...

  4. Charlie Clark Silver badge

    Subject to review

    The legislation has some poorly crafted categories. No doubt it will take the courts to sort this out.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  5. mark l 2 Silver badge

    So does this mean that the promise of being able to rid Windows of Edge in the EU is down gone with this chance in ruling, and it will still be there trying to force its way as the default browser after every Windows update?

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