What is Windows XP Home Edition N?
Microsoft’s Windows XP Home Edition N, released only in Europe, does not contain the Windows Media Player found in other versions of the popular operating system (OS). The European Commission, deeming it anti-competitive to bundle the proprietary reader, and ordered it removed from both the home and professional versions of XP in 2003.IssuesDigital media players access audio, video and images on personal computers. By including the proprietary Windows Media Player in the proprietary XP OS, a practice known as bundling, Microsoft gained an unfair market advantage, some competitors complained.HistoryThe commission, the executive body of the European Union, issued its unbundling order following a five-year investigation of complaints about Microsoft’s protocol licensing in Europe. “The commission,” Microsoft complained in response, “is seeking to make new law that will have an adverse impact on intellectual property rights and the ability of dominant firms to innovate.”SignificanceUnder i
