Wall Street Journal: Microsoft wants MSN icons on some PCs. The requirement seems to run contrary to the Redmond, Wash., company’s move two weeks ago to give computer makers more flexibility in configuring their Windows XP screens.
Not even the smallest opening for competition can survive Microsoft’s power-grabbing tendencies. After offering a pretense of openness, an almost meaningless offer at that, now Microsoft is showing again why no one should ever take at face value anything the company says.
Which makes all the more puzzling the remarks from Steve Ballmer and others, complaining about AOL’s plans to buy its exclusive way onto desktops. Microsoft has argued, without any sense of irony, that AOL is being anticompetitve by doing the same kinds of things for which Microsoft is so notorious.
Then again, what do you expect from our favorite monopolist?