As the European Union continues it’s pursuit of Microsoft^®; their lack of understanding of basic rights has drastically been revealed to the world.

An Associated Press article recently reported on the conflict between the EU and US based Microsoft. At stake is Microsoft’s right to the basic code that makes up the Windows operating system. The EU has requested for some time that Microsoft share its proprietary code with European competitors. Their stated reasoning is that Microsoft has such control of the technology market in European countries that competing companies can not even begin to compete.

If you remember, the United States government brought an anti-trust suit against Microsoft in 1998 claiming that the software giant was taking actions to actively hinder its competitors.

… if one firm controlled the licensing of all Intel-compatible PC operating systems world-wide, it could set the price of a license substantially above that which would be charged in a competitive market and leave the price there for a significant period of time without losing so many customers as to make the action unprofitable. Therefore, in determining the level of Microsoft’s market power, the relevant market is the licensing of all Intel-compatible PC operating systems world-wide.
–United States v. Microsoft Corporation (Civil Action No. 98-1232, http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f3800/msjudgex.htm#findings)

Microsoft’s choke hold on the technology market actually threatened to completely exclude competing companies from the market altogether; not to mention the above stated possibility that Microsoft could set the licensing fees for their operating system much higher than needed, thus causing undue harm to the consumer.

When the dust settled, Microsoft had lost, no surprise there, and each of the states within the United States got a piece of the pie. Microsoft refined its methods and the world moved on.

Now the EU is after Microsoft but the tables have turned in a manner no one expected. Microsoft may just be in the right this time. The Europeans want Microsoft to share the basic code that forms the Windows operating system.

Microsoft has been writing a handbook for developers on how to write programs for the Windows environment. The EU Antitrust Commission has come back numerous times, however, demanding more and more information be shared in the documentation.

The Associated Press article reported that:

In March 2004, the EU ordered Microsoft to pay 497 million euros ($613 million), share code with rivals and offer an unbundled version of Windows without the Media Player software for what it saw as an abuse of its dominant position in the industry. The Court of First Instance, the EU’s second-highest court, has not yet set a date to hear Microsoft’s appeal.

Requiring Windows Media Player be removed from Windows is as ridiculous as asking Burger King® to stop including fries with your Whopper®. Business thrives on competition and secrecy can mean the difference between conformity and true competition.

If Microsoft’s code was shared with competing companies the world would end up with multiple clones of Windows. The possibility of a competitor developing new and innovative software would be reduced exponentially. By forcing the release of Windows code, the EU Commission would actually be forcing a Microsoft monopoly more powerful than ever before.

We’ve shipped a new version of Windows, we’ve paid a historic fine, and we’ve provided unprecedented access to Microsoft technology to promote interoperability with other industry players. In total, we have now responded to more than 100 requests from the Commission.
We continue working quickly to meet the Commission’s new and changing demands. Yet every time we make a change, we find that the Commission moves the goal post and demands another change.
– Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith

Microsoft may not be everyone’s friend. In fact many people intensely hate Bill Gates and his software megalith. But Microsoft is an American success story; the kind of story that the EU will never have. The idea of free speech and an all inclusive natural right to what we create is not ingrained into the European mind as it is in Americans.

BERLIN (Reuters) - A 44-year-old German businessman whose digital camera was stolen at a restaurant was relieved when he managed to buy exactly the same model on the eBay Internet auction site to match his accessories.

But he became suspicious when it emerged the seller came from his home town. It proved to be the same camera.

Police said Thursday they were questioning the 34-year-old vendor who, a statement said, “claims he got the camera at a flea market, but was also offering other cameras on the Internet.”

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish villager who ran away with his friend’s wife has offered his own wife in exchange, newspapers said on Thursday.

Farm laborer Cengiz Esme said Gulhan, his wife of 18 years, disappeared a month ago after leaving their village to go shopping in the southern Turkish town of Tarsus.

The 36-year-old said his village friend Mehmet Yaksi had telephoned him the next day and said: “I’ve run off with your wife …. You take my wife,” the Radikal daily reported.

Esme pleaded for Gulhan to return and said he was ready to forgive her and make a fresh start elsewhere. The reports said Yaksi’s wife, a mother of three, declined to comment on the situation.

So many questions, so little time!

There is one item on your geek’s wish list, a new computer. Let us to take a look at the basics of choosing a PC that is right for your technophile.

There are two notable types of computers on the market today; Microsoft^® Windows^® based and Apple^®.

Processor speed, RAM memory and the video card are the three aspects that geeks look at when picking a computer.

The rule of thumb for processors: the larger the number the better. Intel^® makes processors for Windows based PCs; speeds are listed as Gigahertz, written GHz. Intel’s Pentium^® class processors are their top-of-the-line for consumers. Intel also makes the Celeron^® class, which is marketed to the part time user for simple word processing and e-mail checking. Although the Celerons are well made, your geek wants a Pentium.

The newest Pentium 4 processors run at up to 3.8 GHz, fastest in the industry. You can easily shell out $1000 or more for a PC with a 3.8 GHz processor. I use a 2.8 GHz processor for my graphic design needs and have no complaints. A word of caution, do not buy anything lower than a 2 GHz processor.

AMD^® also makes processors for Windows based PCs. They are also measured in GHz and the same rule applies: buy the fastest you can afford. The newest AMD Athalon^® processors are 64 bit as opposed to Intel’s 32 bit. (Note: Intel does have a 64 bit processor and with the release of Microsoft XP Pro 64 we may start seeing more consumer computers with 64 bit based Intel chips. As of this writting this has not occured yet, but will soon.) This concept is new on the consumer market. Think of the bit size as a block, the larger the size the larger the block. The 64 bit processors process information in larger blocks and thus the concept is that processing can be completed more rapidly. It is a nice concept; unfortunately just because you have a 64 bit machine doesn’t mean it runs faster, your software must be programmed to make use of this feature. 32 bit software runs at its normal speed on a 64 bit machine, which is why the processor speed is still important.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory and is different than your hard drive. Your hard drive is where you store information for long time periods. RAM on the other hand is where currently running programs are stored. So when you open Microsoft Word^® and start writing that report, your typed words are stored in RAM. This allows you to delete and add words to your file in real time. When you are done, you hit the save button and your file is saved to your hard drive.

So, the more RAM you have, the more programs and files you can use at one time. When choosing a PC for your geek, 512 MB is the minimum amount of RAM you should get. Again, if you can afford more, more power to you.

Never purchase a PC with “onboard video”. That means that the video processing is done by the main processor, which only slows down the PC.

Your main processor plugs into the mother board. This board connects all the tiny components of the computer together. A video card plugs into the mother board and has its own memory and processor. The video card is dedicated completely to video which frees up your main processor to do other work.

Two video card developers stand out in the market: nVidia^® and ATI^®. Both makers produce nice video cards and are very popular. When picking a PC the video cards are listed according to the amount memory on the card. Each card has its own RAM on board. I’m sure you know what I’m going to say next… The more RAM the better.

64 MB, 128 MB and 256 MB cards are you choices. Your geek would love a 256 MB video card, but they can be very expensive. A great idea is to get a 128 MB card. This size will allow them to play some awesome games or design some awesome graphics. If they decide later to upgrade to a 256 MB card they have that option.

Reuters reported last week that the teaching of Limbo may be removed.

Limbo, the traditional Catholic answer to the age old question, “where do deceased infants go?” has started to show its age evidently. I have never been able to find any sort of reference in the Bible even hinting of a Limbo or state of waiting for infants.

Apparently neither did Pope John Paul II because last October he asked the Vatican’s theological commission to “come up with ‘a more coherent and enlightened way’ of describing the fate of such innocents.”

Now, Pope Benedict, who lead the theological commission until his crowning is said to be considering the recommendation of the commission to eliminate the Limbo teaching.

My question is if the Pope is supposed to be the Divine, and sole, representation of Christ on modern earth, how come Popes keep changing theologies. God never changes. Hmmmmmm.