"one of the proposed solutions by the EU was to offer users of newly purchased PCs a kind of “ballot screen” and let the customer choose which browser they wanted to use."



Thats silly, if people arent savvy enough to switch to another browser, what difference would a ballot make?

Here. Please tell the EU that if they decide to make Microsoft deliver software for a rival company in Safari, Firefox, or Chrome then Microsoft will decide to stop selling and supporting software in Europe. Good luck businesses and governments that rely on Windows.

notice that more and more government agencies in europe are ditching windows in favor of linux so the "punishment" is not heavy...

A lot of people don't realise there are other options out there. For ages my friend's mother was using IE ("the internet" as she called it). When I downloaded firefox for her she said she was "using a different internet now and it works better." Some of the not so tech-savvy really have no idea what's available to them.

Um, how would anyone be able to download a different browser if IE wasn't included in the first place? I don't see a damn thing wrong with offering people out-of-the-box internet connectivity. Allowing you to remove it from your system altogether...that's something that could probably be included. And I agree that Apple should also have to follow the same rules then. I want the ability to uninstall Safari because I like IE8. /BS

Really stupid, as a tech support agent, I can just imagine the number of calls going up for the company I work for and Microsoft support. For Microsoft support there will be ton of client complaining about not supporting the other browser. Extremely stupid, never seen that before.

LOL. Linux is making progress but I hope you don't honestly believe what you just typed.

It's also not really fair to Microsoft because it essentially forces them to support browsers they have nothing to do with.

Personally I don't even want IE installed on my machine new or old give me the option to un-install Microsoft IE.

You used the words "Microsoft" and "fair" in the same sentence. LOL

That's like buying a Ford, but insisting on a Chevy radio in it, or a Pontiac grill. Microsoft, the vendor, offers "The Product" for sale. You either buy "The Product," or you do not. The choice is entirely up to you. If you don't like some portion of "The Product," the onus is on you to investigate alternatives, or possibly pay a third party to do something about it for you.

The EU needs to smarten up. Users have the complete freedom to select their browser by simply downloading it and instlaling it.

If Microsoft disabled the ability to install other browsers...sure...complain away...

Need we remember how the EU screwed with Windows Vista (and now 7) by not allowing microsoft to lock the kernal. So esencially instead of us getting a PC that is not vulnerable to any really big problem virii, we get a PC that is just as vulnerable because in order for antivirus software to work you cannot lock down the kernal. This was the EU's fault that we didn't get a more secure OS.

The EU needs to stop thinking about how to increase their budget and needs to start thinking about the users in this whole ordeal. The users are certainly NOT their concern. Once again a government body more concerned with lining its own pockets than protecting the consumer.

If a company has a monopoly it is because they have a better product, it has nothing to do unfair business practices. You cannot survive with a crappy product even if you do have unfair business practices.

This is no different than the useless move to aid auto companies to survive their own mistakes. Sure jobs would be lost...but in the end there would be innnovation and far more jobs created. Loss now...mega gain later...but no, lets have government involvement and slow down progress to a dead crawl.

My rant for the day.

One thing EU should do is stop trying to be a smartass and ask the consumers throughout their member nations about this proposal.

They claim to be acting for the people, but I don't see them consulting ordinary folks in Berlin, London and Paris.

Or maybe EU is just full of shit like always.

I didn't realize I didn't already have a choice on what browser I use.

By using a download tool like, wget, ftp, scp, etc. I don't know why you think you need a web browser to do this. The same tool that gives folks the choice to download can use those protocols to get it.

How does any government tell a company that makes a product that they should somehow link, connect, install, offer, whatever words you wish to use, a competing product within their own!? I don't believe the EU is looking out for consumer protection. I believe they have major control and financial issues. I don't believe very many copies of WinXP N sold. The consumers did not want that crap.

If you offer the choice, where does it stop? Just putting in IE and firefox would make Google cry that they're not in the list. And then Opera would cry, then some totally obscure browser would cry and we'd have a million choices of crappy browsers...

You gotta love Europe!

It's a good thing our President is trying to model our country after them.

Why would consumers be against a free, bundled browser? As long as I can go ahead and install OTHER browsers whenever I want to and none of them impede upon the use of the other browsers, then what's the problem?

"That said, if they’re going to make Microsoft offer users the chance to choose, they’d have to insist Apple do the same."

I'm not sure that Apple would be considered the same as Microsoft on this one. Apple only sells their OS (bundled with their web browser) for use on their hardware. They sell a total package, plus they have only a fraction of the market share. Microsoft's model is to sell the OS (bundled with their web browser) to pretty much every system builder. System builders have the option to install/uninstall features as they see fit for their pre-configured systems. If there was a huge public outcry for HP or Dell systems (for example) to have Firefox or Chrome installed from the factory, they already would be. Unless the EU can prove that MS is coercing system builders in some way to not do that, I'm not sure how this is Microsoft's fault or problem. If system builders are simply choosing not to, uncoerced, than the market has spoken, so what's the problem?

Go Go Go Europe! Make Microsoft fight for browser market share, make them innovate and perfect if they want market share. They simply have double digit worth of market share simply because they bundle their browser, not because it's better than competing browsers.

I always used alternate browsers or tried them, I'm a FireFox user now, I was a Netscape 3.0 and 4.0 user, but I also used IE 4 over Netscape back in the days simply because it was better and faster at that time.

EU somehow does the right thing, in order for web standards to take place over quirky implementations, there needs to be strong competition in the browser market.

I %100 agree... im sure a lot of us can relate this to our parents. Imagine now for one moment.. mom & dad spend $1500 and bring home a new Dell, first boot up they are asked "what internet browser would you like installed? IE, Firefox, Crome, Etc." They will be SOOO confused, whats the point... give them IE, if they want to change they can... AND it's free! so are the others!



true that!

I

I use IE and firefox. Microsoft is not going to quit bundling IE with windows. Not ever.

i love my firefox and the many add-ons that i use... using a friends firefox, let alone a different browser altogether, feels likes wearing someone elses shoes... and in M$ case, they stink. While it's not too much of an issue to download the ~5MB installer once i finish getting windows set up, it would like to have an option to not install IE on the computer altogether... although sometimes it's nice to have another browser for troubleshooting, thing is i havent had a problem with firefox that required even trying a different browser, or if you work with HTML a lot.

Basically, it really doesnt matter to me in the end... not enough to really care. In fact this entire comment is a waste of time.

I don't know why they think this will make a difference. Most people don't know there is more then one browser out there, so when given the choice of which one to use, the will say "I use windows, so I must need the Microsoft one." and install ie anyway. People will not download every choice out there just to see which one is better so this will not make any difference at all. By the way, I have FF, Chrome,Safari and IE8 intalled. Chrome and Safari suck balls. I use IE8 and don't see any reason I need to use FF.

Microsoft is allowed to bundle their browser because it is part of the package need to use a computer. They are also looking at bundling anti-virus with Windows which is also allowed.

Firefox and other broswers are pretty much "aftermarket" parts for the Microsoft Windows Operating system. Anyone who wants them are free to download them to run on Microsoft's operating system and Microsoft does NOTHING to prohibit this.

There is nothing monopolistic for a company to bundle their entire software package with an operating system or any piece of software.

Why don't they sue google for taking up 70% of the search engine traffic! or for how much google can invade your pravcy etc.

Oh yeah right. What's the URL to wget firefox? I sure as hell don't know it and I'm in IT. How the hell is a casual user going to figure that one out? You'd have to provide the links, but then why not just give them a browser?

By the way, Tom's, I would go with Firefox, then Chrome, then Opera, then IE, then Safari.

When I get a new computer the first thing I do is start up IE.... and immediately download Firefox. From then on I don't use IE unless I absolutely have to. I have full freedom to do that and having IE on the machine to start with is fine with me.

I have an old laptop with XP on it. Early on it got infected by adware from an unscrupulous hotel we visited. I worked for a long time to get that infection cleared up but parts lingered and IE would mysteriously pop open occasionally trying to show me a website. I even tried deleting IE. What did XP do but go on the web, FIND IE, download and INSTALL it! Oh well, finally it was MS's own "malicious so... tool" that helped me get completely rid of the infection. The machine still has IE and I still don't use it, and I still don't worry about it.

I think the EU is out of touch with reality, and maybe they want to generate fines for their own use.

Perfect explanation. The only thing Microsoft should have to allow is the removal of IE.