RealNetworks sues Microsoft | Seattle P-I

[Ediacara]

Friday, December 19, 2003

RealNetworks sues Microsoft
Legal action alleges attempt to dominate digital media market

By DAN RICHMAN AND TODD BISHOP
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS

RealNetworks Inc., the Seattle-based software maker dogged by Microsoft Corp. throughout its 10-year life, yesterday filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against its nemesis, alleging that the Redmond company has tried to use its monopoly power in PC operating systems to unlawfully dominate the digital media market.

In the suit, which could extend Microsoft's 13-year-long antitrust woes for at least three more years, RealNetworks is seeking $1 billion or more in damages and an injunction requiring changes in Microsoft's business practices. Barring a settlement, the jury trial will take place in the high-tech hub of San Jose, Calif.

RealNetworks alleges in the lawsuit that Microsoft's anti-competitive practices let it rise from virtually no presence in streaming media in 1997 to lead RealNetworks in market share for digital media players by 2002. Microsoft's conduct "poses a dangerous probability of creating a monopoly in the digital media markets," the suit says.

More at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

[arcane1]

1. I hate Real Player!!!!!

:argh:


maybe if they didn't load the damned thing full of spyware, or didn't change all your files to RM files without asking, or wasn't constantly going online when you aren't even using the frikkin thing, maybe THEN they could get along with other software corps


REAL PLAYER SUCKETH!!!!!!

[Nomad559]

3. I Agree

Real Player Is CRAP ... I now use "Real Alternative" to play Real files.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. Well, if you load Mandrake Linux...

And then find a Penguin Liberation Front file mirror, you can instal either MPlayer or Xine. Both play every format around, including Windows and Real formats, as well as Quicktime. They are free and don't send personal info to anyone. They both work great, too.

[Nomad559]

5. Red Hat CEO Says Windows Is Better

:evilgrin:

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5101690.html

Matthew Szulik, chief executive of Linux vendor Red Hat, said on Monday that although Linux is capable of exceeding expectations for corporate users, home users should stick with Windows: "I would say that for the consumer market place, Windows probably continues to be the right product line," he said. "I would argue that from the device-driver standpoint and perhaps some of the other traditional functionality, for that classic consumer purchaser, it is my view that (Linux) technology needs to mature a little bit more."

[chasqui]

16. OPEN SOURCE

I love RMS for his idealism

[JailBush]

2. I wish someone would crush Microshaft, once and for all!

Talk about organized crime! I was hoping a combination of legal problems, cosmic security flaws and Linux might send Microsoft into a tailspin, but it sounds like the company expects to grow stronger over the next decade. Now Microsoft wants to exploit its "trusted computing" agenda in controlling the Internet. I hope someone stops Bill Gates before it's too late. He may already be more powerful than George W. Bush - and he's just as evil.

[BiggJawn]

6. They flatter themselves...RealPlayer sux

RealPlayer is SHIT! I HATE it! It's spyware, it takes control of your registry and even elbows Sound Forge out of the way, it thinks it can play "Quicktime" movies (it can't) Media Player is better (and that ain't by much!)

They should be glad they have a reputation for having a shittier product than MickeySoft. Plenty of competition on the bottom...

[Enraged_Ape]

7. My computer never ran better than when I deleted RealPlayer

RealPlayer is so buggy and infested with spyware that, IMHO, it almost qualifies as a virus.

And the fact that it constantly tried to summon RealNetworks when I wasn't using it--and at random times--I found especially chilling.

[arcane1]

8. you said it best, Enraged Ape

"it almost qualifies as a virus"

that sums it up perfectly. RP's attemts to co-opt my OS are no better and no less predatory/monopolizing than Microsoft

[Heddi]

9. Removing RP from my computer

was as annoying as removing BonzaiBuddy and Comet Cursor from my computer. No matter how many times I did add/remove, it just wouldn't go away.

So many sub-sub-sub-sub folders, then all my music was in some weird format that took forever to just get to be regular WAV or MP3 files....

We had RealJukebox for a while---what a contrived peice of Shit. I, too, was dismayed at the fact that this peice of shit program was continuously contacting RealNetwork via my computer connection, and seemed to shut down the computer (lock it up, I mean) if I turned off the modem so it COULDN'T get online and do willynilly with whatever it wanted with my computer information.

[BiggJawn]

11. RealJukebox was a joke!

I know I still have parts of it floating around like spyrochetes on my work computer, but eh, I'll have a new one in a nother year anyway.
When I go to download a stream or file at home, if it's a "*.RM" or ".RAM" file, I'll not touch it.

Bonzibuddy was a pain-in-the-ass, too, like that spyware Outlook "cutesy enhancement" thing.

[Heddi]

14. Bonzia Buddy was downloadable satan

We downloaded it YEARS ago---before we got smart.

Played around with it, and thought it was funny the way it would say whaever you type in this funny robot voice.

So when we tired of this ugly purple monkey, we 'turned it off' (meaning bonzai buddy). Ha. What a joke. You can never turn 'off' Bonzai Buddy.

A few hours later, we hear our computer dialing up (back in the dial-up days), and look to see what's going on, and lo and behold, our little simian friend was taking it upon himself to dial-up our computer, connect to his 'home base' and download god knows what off of our computer.

We tried DESPERATELY To stop the thing from connecting online. It wasn't using our dialup service--it was using its own clandestine dialup service.

Finally got it to stop dialing up by unplugging the phone line.

I swear to God it took about 8 hours to totally unload that crap from our computer.

A few years ago, my mom sent me an email telling me about the wonders of this great new desktop friend "Bonzai Buddy"---I told her to run away from her computer as fast as she could and not to look back.

I still don't think she's got that thing totally off the computer yet, and that was....3, 4 years ago?

[KoKo]

10. Could someone explain how Real Player employs spyware and operates

independently when you aren't using it? I don't know what you all are talking about, but I love my Real Player. I've been with them since the first one they ever made. I've had more problems with IE causing crashes than RP and I have a spy buster. But, maybe it's because I don't have any MP3 Programs conflicting.

I started worrying reading the replies on this thread, that I was missing something I needed to know about.

thanks....if anyone can give me a non-geek explanation. :-)'s

[Enraged_Ape]

13. You've been very lucky that you haven't had problems...

or at least that you haven't noticed any.

On at least two occasions I had strange system crashes and was getting repeated bizarre errors. The problems completely went away, and my system speed noticeably improved, when I removed RealPlayer (using a third-party uninstaller, to get rid of all traces of it).

And I find it amazing that you haven't noticed that RealPlayer continually tries to send info to RealPlayer Headquarters. If you run behind a firewall, you get pretty tired of the alarm going off.

[Voltaire99]

12. Two loathsome companies

They really each deserve this battle -- Microsoft with its predatory monopolist behavior, and Real with its privacy-abusing spyware. May it prove mutually bloody.

If you're looking for a good way to manage mp3 and do Net radio, grab the free iTunes for Windows from Apple. It's light years ahead of Real Player or Windows Media Player in terms of ease of use, unobtrusiveness, and fun.

[Mr.Green93]

15. Winamp

is my favorite.