EC will force users to pick a Windows browser, says Microsoft

[Lady LoTL]

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1183/windowslogo9661943vk0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

EC will force users to pick a Windows browser, says Microsoft
29th January 2009 01:28 GMT

No escaping choice
By Gavin Clarke in San Francisco
Posted in Applications, 29th January 2009 01:28 GMT

The European Commission may force PC users to choose between Microsoft's Internet Explorer and other browsers when they set up a new machine.

That's according to Microsoft's second-quarter 10-Q SEC filing, which claims the Commission is considering ordering Microsoft and PC vendors to "obligate" users to chose their browser when setting up a brand-new machine.

Mandatory choice would be enforced by the Commission as a remedy to its preliminary findings - called a Statement of Objections - this month that Microsoft violated European competition law by including IE with Windows, a move that prevented other browsers from competing with IE.

Microsoft also warned shareholders it's likely to be hit with a "significant" fine by the Commission, based on sales of Windows in the European Union.

The filing went on to speculate on the possible technical ramifications for Microsoft and OEMs should the Commission follow through and force users to declare for a browser.

According to Microsoft, such a ruling might require that OEMs distribute browsers from the company's rivals along with IE on new PCs. Finally, crapware you can use.

Also, Microsoft might be required to disable "certain unspecified Internet Explorer software code" if the user chooses a competing browser. The company didn't go into specifics, but that's likely to mean preventing IE firing up when a user hits a site or application that would search for and open either the default browser or browser that came with the operating system. Hardly a huge job of work, as this already happens for Firefox users on the Mac, who've eschewed Apple's Safari.

The Commission's Statement of Objections follows an investigation into Microsoft's bundling of IE and Windows, which was sparked by a complaint by rival Opera Software in January 2008. Opera alleged Microsoft was continuing to abuse its dominant position by tying its browser to Windows and by not following web protocols. ®

Source ~ The Register (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/29/microsoft_ec_browser_warning/)

Biting the hand that feeds IT... (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/29/microsoft_ec_browser_warning/)

[dfsadsadsa]

How come apple selling its operating system exclusively with its hardware is ok while Microsoft got into so much antitrust troubles because it includes just a single application ???

[NippleCake]

hopefully this will mean when i get a new computer i will never have to have internet explorer on it :)

[Swift]

better choose another OS then another browser :lol:

[Brenya]

I know what the Commission means. A friend of mine only uses Internet Explorer with Vista because he likes how well it is integrated with the Operating System... I don't get it, but I can see how integrating a browser with the Operating System can dissuade people from even considering alternative browser that may actually be better. So much for the free market, Microsoft.

[Aliyans]

its very bad deicision...user should have the right to use any browser he/she likes to.. as i use 3 broswers[FF,Chrome,IE] quite often i see this as very bad move by microsoft which will bring down its popularity

[Skiz]

If they can put all that bloat-ware on a new PC, why should M$ be allowed to put IE on there as well.

I don't like IE, but these lawsuits are silly.

[Barbarossa]

They forced them to remove native DVD playability from the standard windows media player installation in the EU.

Since then I've been asked by all my less tech-savvy relatives "Help! I can't play DVDs on my PC!?" and I've had to install something else for them to play DVDs with :frusty:

I agree, these "anti-trust" lawsuits are just a pain in the arse.

[central2rbay]

Commission members probably need to drive to the local bookstore, rather have their secretaries drive to the local bookstore to pickup a Microsoft Windows for Dummies book. And while sitting in front of the screen, having their aristocratic nephews tell them not to right-click but rather left, or better yet not to double and triple click every button they see, their phone receiver plays MSFT tech. support music on a 30 second loop - all the while trying to figure out how to change their "Default Browser"... Then the blue screen of death splashes before their eyes as they run triple- and quad-"x" clicks out of the 30 I.E. browser windows that should have been tabs to begin with! Giving them all the more reason to yell at their now so less fortunate nephews for losing pages and pages of Word typed documentation on why I.E. is nothing but the darkside.

Come now... shall we setup a quick vote for the FST community:

Question: What is your browser preference?
Answer: a) I.E. | b) Moz. Firefox | c) Camino | d) Google Chrome | e) Apple Safari


PS: Love the news section gang =) Thanks for the great posts...

[BawA]

i dont get it, if there wont be any Browser installed in the 1st place how the hell one can go to Opera/Mozila or whatever page to download one? CD's? that's heck of making things easy.
i sure hate when branded pc's and laptops comes with shitload of application but taking away basic things from it so one can make extra effort for it is just so f@ukedUp.

[Barbarossa]

i dont get it, if there wont be any Browser installed in the 1st place how the hell one can go to Opera/Mozila or whatever page to download one? CD's? that's heck of making things easy.
i sure hate when branded pc's and laptops comes with shitload of application but taking away basic things from it so one can make extra effort for it is just so f@ukedUp.

:lol: good point!

[lynx]

i dont get it, if there wont be any Browser installed in the 1st place how the hell one can go to Opera/Mozila or whatever page to download one? CD's? that's heck of making things easy.
i sure hate when branded pc's and laptops comes with shitload of application but taking away basic things from it so one can make extra effort for it is just so [email protected] doesn't say no network, it says no browser.

There are plenty of other ways to download files that don't involve using a browser. All that's necessary is a single address which will provide a list of available browsers and the URL of the installer for each. Once that's available a simple script can download the browser list, present that list and ask the user to make a choice, then download and install from the corresponding URL.

However, I suspect that a large part of Opera's complaint stems from the repeated use by Microsoft of features which do not comply with web protocols. The result of this is that sites generated to work well with IE often do not look good or work well with other browsers. If IE were made protocol compliant then these sites would not look good in IE either, forcing the web developers to produce protocol compliant web pages which would then look and perform the same in all browsers.

Giving people a choice of browsers would make the general population more aware that there are alternatives. That in itself is likely to make people aware of the sites that don't work in other browsers and is more likely to tempt web developers to get their software to work properly.

[BawA]

There are plenty of other ways to download files that don't involve using a browser. All that's necessary is a single address which will provide a list of available browsers and the URL of the installer for each. Once that's available a simple script can download the browser list, present that list and ask the user to make a choice, then download and install from the corresponding URL.
Do you think MS after taking their privilege will bring other choice's for its Windows user on silver platter? i hardly think that.

[ulun64]

How come apple selling its operating system exclusively with its hardware is ok while Microsoft got into so much antitrust troubles because it includes just a single application ???

Becos Apple's user never complain about it. Plus Apple make better OS than Windows. How to compare an apple and an orange?

[Cabalo]

How come apple selling its operating system exclusively with its hardware is ok while Microsoft got into so much antitrust troubles because it includes just a single application ???

Becos Apple's user never complain about it. Plus Apple make better OS than Windows. How to compare an apple and an orange?
:lol::lol: where did you read that ? :lol:

[SonsOfLiberty]

i dont get it, if there wont be any Browser installed in the 1st place how the hell one can go to Opera/Mozila or whatever page to download one? CD's? that's heck of making things easy.
i sure hate when branded pc's and laptops comes with shitload of application but taking away basic things from it so one can make extra effort for it is just so [email protected] doesn't say no network, it says no browser.

There are plenty of other ways to download files that don't involve using a browser. All that's necessary is a single address which will provide a list of available browsers and the URL of the installer for each. Once that's available a simple script can download the browser list, present that list and ask the user to make a choice, then download and install from the corresponding URL.

However, I suspect that a large part of Opera's complaint stems from the repeated use by Microsoft of features which do not comply with web protocols. The result of this is that sites generated to work well with IE often do not look good or work well with other browsers. If IE were made protocol compliant then these sites would not look good in IE either, forcing the web developers to produce protocol compliant web pages which would then look and perform the same in all browsers.

Giving people a choice of browsers would make the general population more aware that there are alternatives. That in itself is likely to make people aware of the sites that don't work in other browsers and is more likely to tempt web developers to get their software to work properly.

I was thinking the same thing, you don't need a browser in Kubuntu or Ubuntu to download Firefox :lol:

[starbucks]

seems stupid all around, who cares if they include the browser, anyone that knows anything about the internet will immediately download something else anyways. the people that do not know the difference would still choose IE, simply because its all they have heard of