Google presses for extension in antitrust suit

\'Microsoft\'s hardwiring of its own desktop search product into Windows Vista violates the final judgment\' in the US Government\'s antitrust case against the software maker, Google said. According to a report on the IoL site, over the last year, Google has complained to state and federal regulators that Microsoft\'s Instant Search program, which helps Windows Vista users search their hard drives, slows down third-party desktop search programs. Google also has said Microsoft makes it hard for PC users to choose alternatives to the built-in search, including Google\'s own free Google Desktop program. Google\'s antitrust argument turns, in part, on its claim that Instant Search is a new feature in the Windows operating system – one of the conditions that must be met in order for the court to find Microsoft in violation of the consent decree. Full report on the IoL site

Microsoft has fended off Google\'s antitrust complaints by agreeing to make it easier for users to choose competitors\' search programs. AustralianIT says that Microsoft\'s compromise with the US Justice Department allows Windows Vista users to set a non-Microsoft program as the default search engine on hard drives. Microsoft will also add a link to that alternate program in the Windows Start menu, but will not change the way Vista \'Instant Search\' technology works. Recent concessions by Microsoft are part of a broader battle between the two companies. While Windows continues to dominate the desktop operating system market, Google\'s ability to make money from search advertising has left Microsoft scrambling to catch up. Google has also stepped into traditional Microsoft territory in the past year with a set of free, Web-based programs for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. Full AustralianIT report