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by CIO Staff

Microsoft CEO Ballmer: E.U. OK With Vista Tweaks

News
Oct 16, 2006 2 mins
Small and Medium Business Windows

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer on Monday said he thought tweaks made to the company’s much-anticipated—and oft-delayed—Windows Vista operating system (OS) addressed all the antitrust issues the European Union had with the software and the governing body is satisfied, Reuters reports.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer

Ballmer spoke at a gathering in Rome, and said the Redmond, Wash.-based firm plans to distribute on Monday “Seattle time” the required Vista data to security firms that want to tailor their antivirus and other security offerings to the upcoming OS, according to Reuters. Microsoft has been accused by antivirus vendor McAfee and others of blocking access to the system’s core, or kernel, to create a monopoly for its Windows Live OneCare security offering, which was released in June. Kaspersky Lab, another computer security vendor based in Russia, later defended Microsoft by saying it didn’t see any efforts on the software maker’s part to block it from accessing Vista’s kernel.

On Friday, Microsoft announced that it had made changes to Vista to address the European Union’s concerns, as well as those of regulators in South Korea, to cut down on the chances of facing any additional antitrust measures, Reuters reports. It also said Vista-ready products would be available before the upcoming holiday season.

In early October, the software maker released what it said is the last test version of Vista, dubbed Windows Vista Release Candidate 2.

Microsoft Vista has been delayed on numerous occasions. It is currently slated for release to manufacturers and enterprises in November and to consumers in January. 

Related Links:

  • Microsoft Appeals E.U.’s $357M Antitrust Fine

  • Microsoft: Vista-Ready Products to Ship by Holidays

  • Microsoft Windows Vista RC2 Released

  • Rivals: Microsoft Locking Others Out of Vista Security

  • Microsoft’s Windows Live OneCare Now Shipping

  • Kaspersky: Microsoft Not Locking Rivals Out of Vista Security

This article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in.

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