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Kerrie Meyler

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EU vs. Microsoft – Remedies Questionnaire and Concerns

By Kerrie Meyler on Wed, 06/10/09 - 11:41am.

The European Commission has sent around a questionnaire to PC makers and Microsoft software rivals concerning its preferred remedy to restore fair competition in the browser market. This questionnaire has nine questions - most of which seek feedback on the remedy - which is a proposed "ballot screen" with a list of browsers users would see the first time a new PC is connected to the Internet. The deadlines for replies to the questionnaire is June 12.

Questions include which browsers the companies feel should be included on the ballot screen, how to design the screen, and whether the browsers' software should be pre-loaded in full or if the ballot screen should just include a link allowing easy downloading of the browsers.

There are also three less innocuous questions - trying to ascertain if Microsoft is trying to influence the outcome of response to the questionnaire.

Now the European Commission could be paranoid, or its fears may be founded. Last month the EU fined Intel for paying computer makers (via rebates) not to use a rival's products. Intel has denied this finding.

However, asking a software rival how they think their product should be presented on a "ballot screen" or if Microsoft is trying to influence an outcome does not lend itself to unbiased answers.

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About Managing Microsoft

Kerrie Meyler, MVP, MCSE, MCTS, MCT, is an independent consultant and trainer with over fifteen years of experience in IT. While at Microsoft in Field Technical Sales for four years she focused on infrastructure and mangement, presenting at numerous product launches. Kerrie has presented Operations Manager 2007 at TechEd 2007, MMS 2009, MMS 2011, and internal Microsoft conferences, receiving company recognition and awards including a SPAR MGS award. Kerrie worked with Microsoft Learning to develop functional specifications for the original Operations Manager Microsoft courseware, 2550: Implementing Microsoft Operations Manager 2000 and did the beta teach for that course.She also participated in development for several System Center certification exams.

Kerrie is the lead author of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Unleashed, System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007 Unleashed, System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Unleashed, System Center Opalis Integration Server 6.3 Unleashed and System Center Service Manager 2010 Unleashed.

Check out an excerpt from System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed, Chapter 3: Looking Inside OpsMgr.

You can also check out an excerpt from System Center Configuration (SCCM) Manager 2007 Unleashed, Chapter 3: Looking Inside ConfigMgr.

Read a sample chapter of System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Unleashed at Chapter 1: Introduction and What's New.

You can also read a sample chapter of System Center Opalis Integration Server 6.3 Unleashed at Chapter 1: Introducing Opalis Integration Server 6.3 and System Center Service Manager 2010 Unleashed at Chapter 1:Service Management Basics.

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