Posted on Friday, January 12 2007 @ 0:35 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
A senior Microsoft executive
fears unfortified third-party software preinstalled onto new computers by manufacturers may hurt the launch of Windows Vista later this month as this software could be incompatible with Windows Vista:
In a discussion Tuesday night at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Microsoft official told CBC News Online, on condition of anonymity, that the world's largest software maker is frustrated by legal shackles that prevent the company from restricting what kinds of software major computer makers install on new PCs.
"We can't do anything about it because it would be illegal," the executive said in reference to restrictions placed on the company following a U.S. federal anti-trust lawsuit against the company.
The concern arises from third-party software that hardware makers commonly install on new computers in exchange for a fee, many of which have not been tested and certified by Microsoft to work with Vista, the executive said. They include things such as links to online services, and demo versions of programs.
