Microsoft giving Europeans with Windows XP and Vista choice of browser, too
By Ross Miller 
posted July 29th 2009 12:33AM
posted July 29th 2009 12:33AM
As it turns out, it won't just be Windows 7 that'll be giving Europeans a choice of what web browser to use. In fact, the lengths that Microsoft is going to appease the European Commission is quite extreme. Ars Technica did some digging and here's the fine print of the proposal. Within three to six months of the EC's approval, an update will be sent out to Europeans with Windows XP and Vista, labeled "high priority" or "important." User who install the update and have Internet Explorer as the default browser will see the ballot screen on next log in, which will show up to ten different browsers with at least a 0.5 percent share of the market in the European Economic Area (EEA). Users can then choose to download something new, ignore the screen, or defer until an indefinite time in the future. Windows 7 users will get the ballot update within two weeks of the Commission's decision or by its October 22nd launch, whichever comes second. Extreme? You betcha -- but we can't argue over having more choice.
[Thanks, Adrian]
I want AFARI because I want to "Intall" the product.
Screenshot looks real legit!
Now that MSFT have changed their minds and are including IE with Windows 7 and only deploying the ballot screen through automatic updates, does this mean there won't be an "E" version specifically for the EU now?
If so, then everyone in the EU that pre-ordered the "Windows 7 E" versions that were on special offer (roughly £49 for HP & £89 for Pro) have got a fairly good deal. Since we weren't going to be able to upgrade to the E versions from any previous version due to the removal of IE, the offers were for the full retail (non-upgrade) versions. Everywhere else in the world only got offers on the upgrade versions.
As a web developer for many years, I can tell you I hate IE, always the odd one out, and IE8 doesn't fix much so I welcome this, and the sooner IE dies the better for the whole web. Long live open standards!
SRWare Iron better be on there.
You guys do know the image is a fake, right?
By the time Windows 8 rolls around, I am fully expecting the EU to force Microsoft to include a copy of the top 3 GNU/Linux distros along with it. And Microsoft Works and Office will have to be bundled with copies of OpenOffice.org.
And if you go to open Paint, it'll ask you if you want to install the GIMP. And when you open WordPad, it'll ask you if you want to install AbiWord. Notepad, want to install SciTE? Visual Studio, how about SharpDevelop? And what about Windows Live Messenger, Pidgin for all!
It would only be fair of course.
Exactly. Only fair.
I would have simply pulled out of the European market. MS to me now are a bunch of pussies.
way to go!
Is it just me that realizes how dumb this is? (sorry, didn't bother reading every comment)
I am no IE or M$ fanboy. I'm typing this in Firefox 3.5, so no need to flame.
Still, they made M$ advertise their rivals? Sure, how about putting Firefox download links on M$ own page while you're at it?
Very competitive indeed. So what's the problem with bundling IE with Windows? It's their OS, their browser. If they want to bundle their browser with their OS, what's the problem?
People say they make it look like IE is the only browser available?
Sure, they don't really have to announce other browsers who don't even belong to them (oh, right, now they do).
It's not like they were hiding the truth, they just weren't screaming it around. Why would they? In fact, why should they? I don't see any other company advertising their rivals, why should M$ be any different? Because it has a larger market share, spreading IE around more than other browsers?
Then I guess larger companies, with larger marketing budgets, should also advertise the smaller, rival companies who cannot afford such things.
If someone is unhappy with IE, he should do his homework and inform himself about other browsers, instead of waiting for M$ to hand feed it to him.
Competition is nice, and freedom of choice is something everyone is/should be entitled to have. The way they're attacking the problem, however, is wrong. They want to encourage competiton? Then they shoud help the smaller competitors (be it with funds or whatever) and bring them to a place where they can compete with M$, instead of bringing down M$ to a place where others can compete against it. It's like decreasing life quality to the level of the poorest country instead of raising life quality to the level of the richest country.
Chrome OS? Will it come with Firefox or IE I wonder? Oh, it couldn't be Chrome, could it? And I do wonder if it will advertise other browsers... I guess that freedom of choice thing only apllies to M$. Seems really fair to me. No matter how big or small M$ is, it they have to do it then so should others. THAT's being fair.
That being said, THIS POST WAS MADE WITH FIREFOX 3.5!