Since each european country is a smaller market, MSFT has been doing things over here, that americans would never accept, and maybe that's also a reason why MSFT has a worse image here than in the U.S. A year or two ago it was virtually impossible to run a company with 100 employees or more without buying Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office. Some information, that was required to be delivered electronically to the state, was required to be delivered in MS Word (!). Unfortunately, this is changing now.
The ideas being presented in the european parliaments right now is, that by demanding state institutions to spend money on open-source solutions instead of closed, pre-compiled software, the source-code will be available for the community afterwards. Since the institutions we talk about account for approx. 50% of GNP, that has an influence on the market.
You should feel lucky, if you have the choice of using Corel WordPerfect. In my company we do not have the choice. And we do like the freedom of choice as much as you do.
I was criticised for my anti-MSFT comments on the DOJ case. I'm not anti-MSFT as long as their products is an option. Maybe it is in the U.S., and then I might understand your aversion against the DOJ, but many other places, MSFT went much further than in the U.S., and if the DOJ case doesn't result in something, that effectively makes MSFT products an option instead of a requirement, I see it as if MSFT would be saying: "We don't need a European or asian market. U.S. domestic market is all we need." Wake up!!! |
