"Spirit of Cooperation" prompts Redmond to revisit desktop search policy

While admitting no wrong-doing, Microsoft plans to change how desktop search works in its Vista operating systems by the end of the year. The move comes in response to an antitrust complaint by rival Google, which charged that Microsoft makes it difficult for end-users to select a desktop search option (the technology that makes it possible to search for items on a computer as quickly as search engines can search for items on the web). Microsoft's changes will allow end users and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to select a default desktop search program in Vista that's not Windows Instant Search. "Microsoft believes that Google's complaint is without merit," lawyers for the Redmond company wrote in the status report, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. "Nevertheless, Microsoft worked with the Plaintiffs in a spirit of cooperation to resolve any issues the complaint may raise." While encouraged by the move, Google is still not satisfied. "Microsoft's current approach to Vista desktop search clearly violates the consent decree and limits consumer choice," David Drummond, Google's senior vice president and chief legal officer, said in the statement. "These remedies are a step in the right direction, but they should be improved further to give consumers greater access to alternate desktop search providers."

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