This version of Opera is no longer available please enjoy this BSOD instead.

Anyone else think it's odd that this is such a big deal for FREE software?

Its all a big pile of crap IMO. Who cares! Its not like u can just go to google and download another one if u want..

So will these "updates" be for worldwide users? or just EU?

And yes this is retarded to begin with - it is FREE software

Let's let the EU go out and BUY their own C++ compiler and WRITE their own browser! Or maybe they should write their own C++ compiler too.

Agree, I love to rag MS as much as the next person but the browsers are all freeware... so why the big deal? Sue Apple for shipping their OS with Safari, this whole thing is a joke the EU commission's just making an example.

Guys.. don't you notice that the main target user group for those changes are those who are not tech savvy.. note that the majority of users use what they have.. not what will do the best job for them..

It is necessary to have such an option so that there's more chance that you all use good piece of software to browse the net.. (don't you think that the better browser should get the most users.. not the one which is bundled with your OS..)

What about language discrepancies? If they have to dl it off the internet while doing the install what if say FF has yet to support the language you are installing in? Or will it just always DL the English version. If I was Microsoft i would always make it dl the English version just to spite the EU.

even thow i live in EU ... fuk EU.

Non-tech savvy people won't know which is better and will be confused or just pick the one they know, IE. You have non-tech savvy people using IE for years then give them a choice like this they will stick with IE just cause they know it and don't know the rest.

If this is being done for browsers, then why not for other apps? I mean, what about Notepad or Wordpad? There are other vendors out there who make text editors. And then what about Paint or Calc?

Come on. You want a ballot for every single app included in Windows? Where does it end? It's all a bunch of BS. Microsoft's Windows, Microsoft's choice to include what they want. If you want a different browser, if something is bothering you about IE, then do some freakin' research. It's not that hard to Google the topic.

Lots of angry yanks here. Tells a lot about their nature.

Yes because when someone expresses discontent about something the EU has done, it must always be generalized into the whole 'Angry Yank' category. What a clever, insightful person you must be.

I have one question is Apple gonna be forced to do this as well after all they also include their own broswer in their OS. I say if one if forced to do it then all companies that make a OS should have to follow suit & do the same no matter how much market share they have or in Apples case don't have. If Microsoft can do this with Windows 7 so close to release then surely to god Apple can too they must have at least one or 2 good tech type people work for them.

Safari is not a necessary system component in OSX. It can be uninstalled without any problems, however, IE is a completely different story.

EU says, "NO! NO! NO!, your missing the point! We don't want you to cooperate; so stop offering solutions. We just want your money!"

When will fair play come with Open Office.. i hate wordpad!! notepad I can deal with.. but wordpad just has to go!!

it seems like hardly anyone commenting on this was coherent during the time browsers weren't free and microsoft's crap wasn't integrated into the OS so deeply that it could not be practically removed. everyone is complaining that other operating systems have browsers included with them but only 1 person so far as mentioned that those other operating systems can operate just fine without those browsers installed. this is not true with windows and internet exploder... you have no real choice at all... sure you can install other browsers but you will always have to use IE in one shape or the other, so wot choice do you really have? none.... and that is exactly what microsoft wanted/wants and continues to force on all windows users... even this options crap is merely lip service to the real issue... the price of the software has nothing to do with it, although microsoft is responsible for the lack of cost in all browsers since they decided to make IE both integral to windows operation and the default browser anyone sees all for "free"! wake up sheeple!

The plan is to make the personalized installation so complex, that people annoys, and just alows "default install" with anything from MS

Not in Win7 - Can be removed from there!

You seem to have completely contradicted yourself... how will people not tech savvy enough to know about other browsers be able to understand the differences between them and make an informed decision about which it best. For these people, the less hassle and choice they have to make the easier the experience of using a computer will be.

Also, come on... its a browser, how much does it really have to do for non-techie people?

and no... I dont think that the best browser should be automatically advertised with an operating system developed by a company, when that company makes its own browser which is at worst functional and adequate.

IE is not a necessery component of windows, it is sometimes a necessery component of other third party applications though... I wonder what happens to looking at screenshots of games from steam with no ie installed, 'cos it automatically uses ie on my machine, even with firefox set as default.

Also (another point, I really should pause befoer hitting submit) I personally hatye it every time I get another screen asking me questions about set up when installing windows, I want it to just install automatically after i choose the drive, none of this faffing around with options... I'm perfectly capable of making changes after my pc has been rendered operable.

Maybe YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND the word "MONEY".... you can't really make money out of notepad or paint yet.... so thats why no one is claiming anything....

But with browser.... why do you think yahoo and ms are making a 10 years deal??? what do you think IE8 search engine will be by default? probably not google!

If Microsfot makes the OS they can have IE built into that OS (period). They are not stopping you from getting another browser in any way shape or form. They have had it in the OS builds since God knows when just as all other OSs have a browser in thier OS. I guess the EU should sue Apple since the iPhone and iPod Touch both have browsers built in and THEY WILL NOT LET YOU CHANGE IT.

I am so glad I don't live in Europe.

im tech savy and i use IE , because otehr browsers are jsut pices of shit , most of which tend to ahve 10x the ammount of built in advertising than IE , that is what this is about , EU wants euro browsers to be able to advertise more shit to people.

I remember downloading Netscape Navigator for Windows 3.1. That was free. And as far as I remember, IE didn't even exist at that time yet. So I don't see where you're going.

What's next? Windows Explorer, TCP/IP stack, Media Player, File System...

People use Windows because of what it offers.

The EU is just greedy and trying to steal from a big rich company.