EC will force users to pick a Windows browser, says Microsoft
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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. ®
COMMENTS
@TeeCee: Choose Your Default Browser Here:
@ TeeCee Posted Thursday 29th January 2009 08:38 GMT
"If you want a real target here, try a few of the Linux distros with FF installed and KDE as the desktop and see how many times Konqueror sets off into web land rather than handing over gracefully to the browser of choice......"
Per Mandriva 2009.0 and KDE 3.5.10 (but going a few years back from that; it was no different then), here's the GUI solution, my friend:
Kmenu > Tools > System Tools > Configure Your Desktop pulls up the configgerator.
Then System Settings > Default Applications > Web browser puts in in the face.
Mine's set for Konqueror @ the mo'. But if I really want FF, Galeon or any of I forget how many others, of all I loaded up with Just In Case One Dies Someday (or I Want To Try Something Completely Different, Lynx included), I can just fire up that fine KDE rejiggerer-thingie, go to the Right Place (although many in the US just HATE reading ANYTHING, no matter how succinctly informative), then click the handydandy LOWER of the two radio buttons so as to make for free choice (thus overriding the default). Next it is merely to key the appropriate browsername + miscellaneous %syntax% stringie-bits into the string-gadget (so called 'cuz Amiga runs deep in me soul) that is indeed quite thoughtfully provided.
There is no trouble in my world with this approach. I like it because it works, idiotech-y tho' typing a line of invocation may seem to some. (Next version might just present an array of icons, one for each user-installed and thus available browser, for all I know.)
So: I can enjoy the best of 'em all, default to the one I like best, and swap that one out for any other on Earth at will - as default or whim, depending. Life is sweet. So is this-here "K"-brand desktop environment.
The which need not even run atop Linux. - <gasp> -
Ayup. I read a few months back of a KDE3.x-for-Windows release available for free download, too. I dunno any more than that; I keep strictly to Linux for me health's sake.
The license fee for the Redmond product is well beyond my frayed-out shoestring money+time budget, y'see, Guv, as are the solicitor's fee structure and corpy-lawful Court-imposable penalties (on top of that) for getting caught out with a non-registered Windows installation; better to be penguin-safe than crim-dodgy and worried sick all day+night long. Also, the relatively virus-free aspect of such a tricked-out Web-cruiser box is very good indeed.
So I dunno' fer sure re KDE-for-Windows, but I reckon it's prolly fair decent at least. I would expect the range of browser choice I enjoy on the Linux platform's prolly there in the Windows version too.
At least the updates and patches have proved reliably timely on my end; I'd be deeply surprised if Team KDE ever slacked on that aspect regardless of the target O/S. 0{;-)o<
Weird innit
The same sort of people who say "MS has a monopoly??? When did THAT happen? You can just use some other program" are also the same ones who say "Open Office DOES NOT WORK!!! It's not going to work and will never work for 'real' people" etc.
So when MS get kicked in the metaphorical nuts they say you can easily use any other program. And when someone says that you can use any other program and get away from MS, they tell you that there is no replacement.
Weird,
COMP/C-3/37.792
For those of you who find the EU/Microsoft so hard to understand.
Please Google for COMP/C-3/37.792. The text, bye the EU is +300 pages long.
Well written and interesting. It is also IT history many of you where too young to know anything about it, and many have forgotten all about it.
And if you want to look and listen to Saint Bill, then Google for the videos from the similar case
in the USA.
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