Microsoft Accuses Adobe of Unfair Practices

In what has to be a very ironic turn of events Microsoft is actually accusing another company of interfering with consumer choice and free competition.

It seems that Adobe is bad mouthing Silverlight 2 and claiming that AIR, Along with Adobe Media Player, Tweetdeck and Twhirl are much more popular.

The problem is that the download numbers Adobe are pointing to are from bundled downloads (are you listening Mitchell Baker). Adobe has been pushing AIR and other applications on anyone downloading Acrobat Reader. Unsuspecting downloaders have AIR and AMP forced on them with no method to opt out of the installation. This does sort of make for skewed numbers as I am not sure how many people would actively download those products on their own.

Microsoft for their part is still pushing Silverlight 2 and claim over 100 Million downloads of the new media format. (of course you are asked to download it every time you hit an MS site)

Read more here at the Inquirer.

"Adobe claim that they have 100 million downloads of AIR, and that 'the vast majority are being driven by great, popular applications', listing the likes of Adobe Media Player, Tweetdeck and Twhirl as the most popular examples. Yet they have been actively bundling AIR with Adobe [Acrobat] Reader, one of the most downloaded applications on the Internet, and you don't even have an option to opt out of its installation.

"By framing AIR in this way, Adobe are hoping to create a self-fulfilling prophecy - but the reality is rather less positive."

Sneath goes on to suggest that Adobe was using underhand tactics to prevent Silverlight from clawing back market share from Flash, which has an undeniably strong hold on the media delivery arena. "They want to protect their Flash market share by shutting out new market entrants," he opined, "but just saying something doesn't make it true."