Four major PC makers have no plans to sell the media-player-free version of Windows, which Microsoft was ordered to offer by Europe's competition commissioner.
Microsoft will make an updated version of Window XP N available on Wednesday, but none of the computer manufacturers that ZDNet UK spoke to are considering preinstalling it on desktops or laptops. Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Fujitsu Siemens all said they have no firm plans to install Windows XP N, citing a lack of customer demand. A Dell representative added Tuesday that customers expect to have a media player included.
"Dell will continue to offer European customers Microsoft's Windows operating systems including the Windows Media Player utility on Dimension desktops and Inspiron notebooks," the representative said. "Customers purchase computers expecting them to come equipped with the capability of playing back digital media files, and it's our obligation to meet this need. (Windows XP N will) not (be offered) at this time. We'll monitor the market to see if XP N is in high demand."
News source: C|Net News.com
Microsoft will make an updated version of Window XP N available on Wednesday, but none of the computer manufacturers that ZDNet UK spoke to are considering preinstalling it on desktops or laptops. Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Fujitsu Siemens all said they have no firm plans to install Windows XP N, citing a lack of customer demand. A Dell representative added Tuesday that customers expect to have a media player included.
"Dell will continue to offer European customers Microsoft's Windows operating systems including the Windows Media Player utility on Dimension desktops and Inspiron notebooks," the representative said. "Customers purchase computers expecting them to come equipped with the capability of playing back digital media files, and it's our obligation to meet this need. (Windows XP N will) not (be offered) at this time. We'll monitor the market to see if XP N is in high demand."
News source: C|Net News.com
Any body that governs is a government. If you don't belive me, look it up in a dictionary.
The EU governs many aspects of life in the EU, therefore they are a De Facto government.
End of discusion.
And I assume if you want to argue semantics, you're using the dictionary definition for "monopoly" which makes the entire MS/EU thing a non-issue. Whee!
a govt for governments
yeah?
To make it easier for competitors to compete with WMP, etc.
However, their work doesn't do much if they don't get any assistance from the OEM's, of course.
It would have been useful for the EU to actually find out what people wanted before going after MS. But then - no big fat cheque...
No, because there isn't an OEM that's been declared a monopoly.
the things people would do for money
mitodna
To make matters worse, you can't just uninstall it via add/remove programs :/
you have to click on the "add/remove components" tho ...
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%INFmsmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
remove completely.
Those of you who would like to see Internet Exploer being an optional component raise your hands
... replied the impatient and silly Kirk26 after waiting 4 minutes. :p
I don't like the IE integration either, and although we need a web browser preinstalled to download another one easily, IE should really be uninstallable. As for the Explorer integration, they'd have a good opportunity of getting rid of that in Longhorn, and design Explorer as an Avalon application for system management instead, and let IE 7 live on as a separate application to compete with the separate Firefox, while they're doing some heavy maintenance on both IE and Explorer anyway.
Errr, I'd rather have it come with IE than 4 different browsers to choose from and 8 different media players. And what would XP noIE come with if I buy it off the retail shelf??
Now? well, that's up for debate.
Being an OEM version, it would not be possible to find on a retail shelf, and if bought on a pc, the oem manufacturer would put whatever product they were endorsing, or that you ask them to, depends on the situation and who the oem is...
however...
if there were such a theoretical product you could pick up off the retail shelf, I'm sure you would have no problem noticing the copy of the free cd with all the free apps on it, likely featuring Firefox and Thunderbird, with the free version of Opera along with many more apps for you to try, sitting right there by the register just like they used to do ALL THE TIME before MS pulled it's sneaky tricky crap with IE. Is it just me, or do alot of you guys seem like you're too young to remember ANYTHING but Windows, and how stuff has been only for the last 5 years?
Last edited by 58940 on 15 Jun 2005 - 22:08
THis version of windows would be cleaner and use less memory
Anywyas also it should be cheaper. The main reason that the windows no media player wont sell its because cost the same that the full featured one so i rather get the full than the stripped down LOL, its just common sense make the things cheaper and more people would buy it.
OEM versions of Windows XP are VERY obtainable, in fact I don't buy the retail version for price. The only requirement to obtain an OEM version of XP is buying a computer-related piece of hardware, I've done so while buying a surge protector even!
Windows Explorer shouldn't need IE, they serve different purposes. In fact, I hate having to disable all the "view folder as web content" and like settings every time I setup Windows on a computer for myself, family or friend.
Last edited by 3601 on 17 Jun 2005 - 03:48
Duh! As I've said, if I bought an OS and, out of box, couldn't play media files or get on the WWW, I would be a tad bit pissed.
i am not saying bad about who buying the XP N, by the way, is mplayer2 is included?
mitodna
for the fifty-billionth time...
OEMs can install other music software even if wmp is there..ever heard of unattented install?
-or-
Ever heard of XP LIte? Its a program that allows you to remove stuff from the windows xp setup!
I wonder y OEMs aren't doing that! OMFG maybe because they dont care...and there is no demand!
Last edited by 111262 on 16 Jun 2005 - 11:04
Last edited by 3601 on 18 Jun 2005 - 18:04
Last edited by 3601 on 18 Jun 2005 - 18:09
What’s the big deal? WM is unobtrusive.
But that is EXACTLY the deal. WM *is* unobtrusive, and MS was hoping nobody would notice how they are trying to leverage services through their OS (which is quite illegal under their anti-compettitive restrictions.. if only the law would be upheld), since the conduit (which they DO NOT want people to uninstall... hence the reason they *purposely* make it very hard if not next to impossible to remove) to do just this will already be convieniently installed on the vast majority of desktops. I guess it's working judging by the replies I've been reading over the last few months. Wish some people could take off the blinders.
IE is not because the help and support center and the windows explorer use its code!
And is microsoft earning any money from WMP? NO! What services come with it? MSN Music and MSN Radio! Is that a problem: NO! Because Itunes is the same and I dont see people complaining about that
I wouldn't want to buy a computer, then spend half the day searching for a media player!
I have used WMP for ages now and I never had any problems with it! It is an excellent media player. Other alternatives I can think about:
Itunes = Excellent as well and integerates into taskbar like wmp!
Quicktime = same as itunes
Real = nice design but I dont like the product too bundled up with spyware?
Coolplayer = customizable and light but no way as powerful as wmp
Winamp = An excellent alternative to windows media player
Quintessential player = I dont like the design, but its a good player
Foobar2000 = light again
And all those above ^^^ are free and corporations don't earn money from them, aside from real, winamp and quicktime who add more functionality if you pay! So why should Microsoft be blamed! If it bundled WMP with windows and then asked people to pay, which is stupid, its a totally different matter.
Oh. and what about the huge number of sites that rely on wmp for videos and songs to be played on them. It would take up too much time to convert them all into a different formats and it would annoy the consumer because they now have to go download the wmp instead of it just loading up.
OEM manufactures have three options:
Leave WMP
-or-
Bundled another media player via unattended installation
-or-
Use XP Lite to remove stuff from the windows setup
Its like saying: Hey look good software, it ownz all the rest but it doesnt help competition so we should not use it!
Last edited by 111262 on 16 Jun 2005 - 10:50
That's why the OEM's will bundle a (non-microsoft) media player in.
and OEMs can bundle another media player even if WMP is there already....ever heard of unattended installations??
But OEM builders already do bundle other media players, they have been doing for years. Look at any OEM PC and it will more than likley come with music match, Real Player, Quicktime etc. Microsoft hasn't stopped the OEM's from adding these players.
For Example
First one i tried and it comes with Itunes, Real Player AND WMP.
Last edited by 16997 on 16 Jun 2005 - 13:47
OEM manufactures have three options:
Leave WMP
-or-
Bundled another media player via unattended installation
-or-
Use XP Lite to remove stuff from the windows setup
I believe most go with the first option...because they dont care as there is no demand!
Last edited by 111262 on 16 Jun 2005 - 11:00
Dealing with extra stock will just make OEM's jobs harder and I doubt the new windows is any cheaper than the regular (I could be wrong mind you).
^That has to be the stupidest statement here...i have never heard people [aside from the EU] go complaining to the OEMs about wmp being bundled...so obviously people dont care do they....so therefore there is no demand for one without wmp installed
OEMs can install other music software even if wmp is there..ever heard of unattented install?
-or-
Ever heard of XP LIte? Its a program that allows you to remove stuff from the windows xp setup!
I wonder y OEMs aren't doing that! OMFG maybe because they dont care...and there is no demand!
Last edited by 111262 on 16 Jun 2005 - 11:06