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A senior Microsoft Corp. executive says the company is concerned that uncertified third-party software loaded onto new computers by manufacturers could hurt the launch of consumer versions of its Windows Vista operating system later this month.

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.
Computer makers paid to add software
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.
“We call them craplets,” the official said. The term is a contraction of the words “crap” and “applet.” An applet is a small computer program or application.
The success of Microsoft’s first major revision to its operating system in years could rest on whether or not the uncertified applets cause widespread malfunctions in consumer versions of Windows Vista that ship with new PCs starting Jan. 30.
“They could work fine, or they could cause huge problems,” the Microsoft source said. “The problem is that we just don’t know. And if someone buys a Vista PC and has a problem, they’re going to blame Windows.”
Tests have shown incompatibility
MDG senior marketing manager Marc Boudreau said Microsoft’s concerns are valid. The Canadian computer manufacturer’s tests have shown almost 200 older software programs are incompatible with Vista.
MDG has done extensive testing of software on their computers and removed older DVD-writing software they found was incompatible and replaced it with Vista’s own software, he said.
Installing software that will appear as a link on the desktop as soon as a new computer is turned on by the owner is a common practice among major PC makers to increase revenue on each machine sold. The PC market’s razor-thin margins often leave manufacturers looking for a way to recoup costs through deals like the so-called sponsored links.
The Microsoft executive cited figures that show that even with established operating systems such as Windows XP, a significant number of new PC buyers are willing to pay a service fee to have all third-party software removed so they can have a “clean” system — as many as 30 per cent of new PC buyers at some retail chains.
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