Vista to be modified after Google complaint REUTERS Posted online: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 1017 hours IST Updated: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 1042 hours IST
CHICAGO, JUNE 20: Microsoft Corp has agreed to modify its new Windows Vista operating system in response to a complaint that its desktop search function put Google Inc and other potential competitors at a disadvantage, the Justice Department and Microsoft said on Tuesday. Under an agreement with the department and 17 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia, Microsoft will build into Vista an option to let users select a default desktop search programme. Advertisement The function, known as "Instant Search," allows Windows users to enter a search query and get a list of results from their hard drive that contain the search term. The agreement was made public as part of a joint report that the Justice Department and Microsoft filed late on Tuesday with the court overseeing Microsoft's compliance with a 2002 antitrust consent decree. As part of the agreement, a Microsoft executive said the company also had pledged to place links inside the Internet Explorer window and the Start Menu to make it easier for people to access that default desktop search service. The changes will be introduced in a service pack, or updated version of Windows Vista. Microsoft said it anticipates a test version of the Vista Service Pack 1 to be ready by the year-end. Under the agreement, Microsoft also promised to provide additional technical information to third-party developers, such as Google, in order to optimize the performance of their desktop search service on Vista. The changes stem from a complaint Google filed with the Justice Department in December, in which it argued that a feature built into Vista that allows users to search a computer's hard drive did not leave room for competition from other desktop search applications. Google said the feature violated the consent decree that monitors Microsoft's conduct as part of its settlement with the government. The agreement is expected to be presented to the judge monitoring the consent decree, US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, at a June 26 court hearing. The Microsoft consent decree, which settled the government's landmark antitrust case against the company, is scheduled to expire in November. However, some provisions have been extended to November 2009. Microsoft has called Google's complaint "baseless" and said it was in compliance with the antitrust settlement. Vista to be modified after Google complaint REUTERS Posted online: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 1017 hours IST Updated: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 1042 hours IST CHICAGO, JUNE 20: Microsoft Corp has agreed to modify its new Windows Vista operating system in response to a complaint that its desktop search function put Google Inc and other potential competitors at a disadvantage, the Justice Department and Microsoft said on Tuesday. Under an agreement with the department and 17 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia, Microsoft will build into Vista an option to let users select a default desktop search programme. Advertisement The function, known as "Instant Search," allows Windows users to enter a search query and get a list of results from their hard drive that contain the search term. The agreement was made public as part of a joint report that the Justice Department and Microsoft filed late on Tuesday with the court overseeing Microsoft's compliance with a 2002 antitrust consent decree. As part of the agreement, a Microsoft executive said the company also had pledged to place links inside the Internet Explorer window and the Start Menu to make it easier for people to access that default desktop search service. The changes will be introduced in a service pack, or updated version of Windows Vista. Microsoft said it anticipates a test version of the Vista Service Pack 1 to be ready by the year-end. Under the agreement, Microsoft also promised to provide additional technical information to third-party developers, such as Google, in order to optimize the performance of their desktop search service on Vista. The changes stem from a complaint Google filed with the Justice Department in December, in which it argued that a feature built into Vista that allows users to search a computer's hard drive did not leave room for competition from other desktop search applications. Google said the feature violated the consent decree that monitors Microsoft's conduct as part of its settlement with the government. The agreement is expected to be presented to the judge monitoring the consent decree, US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, at a June 26 court hearing. The Microsoft consent decree, which settled the government's landmark antitrust case against the company, is scheduled to expire in November. However, some provisions have been extended to November 2009. Microsoft has called Google's complaint "baseless" and said it was in compliance with the antitrust settlement. http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_full_story.php?content_id=167673 Vikas Kapoor, MSN+Yahoo+Skype ID: dl_vikas, Mobile: (+91) 9891098137. To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
