Microsoft to PC Makers: No Icon Monopolies
Yahoo | at | by Mike
Microsoft is offering computer makers an all-or-nothing proposition when it comes to placing Internet service icons on machines to be shipped with the new Windows XP. If they put no icons on their desktops, that's fine with the software giant. But if they choose to include any icons, Microsoft's MSN service must be one of them -- no monopolies allowed. The company policy was announced Monday, following moves by several major PC makers toward independent deals with Internet service providers (ISPs) for desktop placement. Most prominently, Compaq Computer last week announced it had inked a deal to put the AOL service icon on its desktops.