http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 7:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 7:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
Also, Dell isn't the only one offering Linux. ]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
I don't want to be "protected" by the EU thankyouverymuch.]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
Make a list of the Laptop I can buy without but windows, I'm waiting]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 8:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
I don't think that even counts in a practical sense, not for most people.]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 9:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 9:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 9:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 9:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 9:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/But it is a nice OS with a lot of things already built in that the average user needs.
If they would just work on driver support, and get some came compatibility rolling, they would really be kicking. ]]>Oct 7th 2009 9:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
"I really don't understand why the EU feels the consumers are too dumb to help themselves here. If I don't want Windows pre-loaded on my machine, I'll go to any of the dozens of vendors who offer bare-bones machines, or I'll build one myself. "

That's why Apple computers are getting more and more popular these days. People are realizing there are superior choices when buying computers rather than sticking to the same ol' problem of being stuck with Windows in a laptop. And also, the majority of the world population (not just in Europe) does not care nor give a rat's tail about going to the dozens of half-built PC vendors and building their own computer. Normal consumers do not want to "build" a computer like legos, normal consumers want a ready product that can deliver superior customer experience. Macs fit that bill perfectly and OS X lets consumers get their work done without getting in the way.]]>Oct 7th 2009 10:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 2:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
It's how Europe works, we don't want mindless drones buying into everything any company tells them, and that is not what we call a effing feature. ]]>Oct 11th 2009 8:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 7:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 7:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
The goal behind all this is to protect the consumer by keeping markets competitive. ]]>Oct 7th 2009 7:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 8:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
Beside that, if you realy think of, it so funny that Microsoft get fined for this, microsoft OS is the best OS in the world, works with any hardware, almost any software can develop to their OS (paid or free ware), you can ask any one, everyone nkows that you can install as many browsers as you want on It.]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
Oh yeah ... it does!

Obviously, the EU didn't notice that.]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Apple doesn’t have market dominance so they can’t be fined for abusing their dominant position under EC Law.
]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
It's your proprietary product that you introduced to the market, so the hell you can bundle shitloads of crap with it as you please, no friggin commission should have ANY word in that, more so fine you for that!

I hate this EU buero crap sucking private money! And I live in EU, which makes me ashamed!

Also, no wonder MS products cost twice as much here in EU than in the US. They have to make up for their loss! :(]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Dell abuses ITS laptops
Microsoft abuses ITS Windows
Adobe abuses ITS Flash
...



Nobody should EVER bother even thinking about fining these giants for what they do (unless of course they cause real damage or harm to anyone).]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
Any economist will tell you competition leads to increases in efficiency and welfare gains for the whole economy.
As an Engadget reader you should also realise competition encourages innovation which is good if you want technology to progress. How shit would the world be if Microsoft were the only company and we were all using Hotmail.
]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 8:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
What are you whinging about? This is a good decision to a situation that never should have got to this stage. Personally, I have a lot of respect for what the EU has been doing, which is basically protecting YOU, on this case and other ones recently.]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 9:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
HP had 20.8% market share in 2008 (I don't know about the same currently); they bundle this media player sort of thing called QuickPlay. I am pretty sure that it is available globally on all HP notebooks. I don't see the EU complaining.

I am quite sure that other manufacturers bundle other software too.

Oh, and by the way, HP is the market leader.

http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/06/14/notebook-computer-market-share-q1-2008.aspx]]>Oct 7th 2009 9:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 10:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
Market share alone does not show dominance. There is lots of case law on what does but in a nutshell a dominant company has the ability to influence the market independently of its competitors. HP cannot influence the worldwide laptop market on its own!
http://europedia.moussis.eu/books/Book_2/5/15/04/01/index.tkl?all=1&pos=196

on top of this one must prove that the company has abused its position I don’t think bundling software alone is enough it would have to be an anticompetitive abuse on the scale of [Microsoft v Netscape] or [Intel v AMD]. I think in this case Microsoft is playing it safe and for some PR brownie points.
]]>Oct 7th 2009 10:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/ In this case Microsoft is dominant in the OS market so if they packaged IE in with Windows they would be using their OS dominance to get IE (a different product) into people’s houses.
>Hence they would be abusing their dominant position.

So it is important that EU sue Microsoft to keep the market competitive?

Except that the choice they are offerring is which FREE browser your OS comes with.

Exactly what does it matter which FREE program that the OS comes with? Microsoft bundling IE with the OS doesn't steal any money from competitors who might have had the chance to give their FREE browser away.

So the "competitive market" we are talking about is the one where different software manufacturers compete to see how many people use their free software? What is this, the olympics?
]]>Oct 7th 2009 10:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/They're not forcing you to do anything. If you don't like IE, then you simply get another browser. They're not blocking installation, are they? That's like saying when I buy a Dell laptop, they have to ask me which OS I want.
It's not a monopoly if it's freaking free. If people actually care about which browser they want (see Google's study, many people don't even know what a browser is), they can get it.
If they don't, well, doesn't really affect them much does it?]]>Oct 7th 2009 10:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/"I can't wait until they start fining Honda for selling cars with ... HONDA ENGINES! OH THE HORROR"

Are you:
a) stupid, OR
b) a blatant troll

There is no other choice. So which one is it?

Do you think any manufacturer can go and install their engine in a Honda car before it rolls out of the assembly plant? Is there a system in the automobile industry to allow such a thing, thus allowing consumers to chose their car and their engine? of course not. Yet you try to compare something that does not exist with Windows, an OS that was designed to allow other programs to be installed at the user's will.

Clearly you have no clue about the IE vs Netscape war. Everybody was using Netscape as it was the superior choice compared with Netscape. MS continued releasing garbage IE updates that could not compete. So in order to win, ultimately MS abused its monopoly and chose to bundle IE with Windows, thus the general population got the perceived understanding that they no longer needed to chose and forgot about Netscape.

You see, when consumers are presented with a choice, most likely they do not chose Microsoft.]]>Oct 7th 2009 10:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
This is a small deal, blown the hell out of proportion; and just so you know, the situation is resolved, and you can choose whatever browser you want now.

Next.]]>Oct 7th 2009 11:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 11th 2009 8:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
First off, windows doesnt work on almost all hardware. That's linux/BSD that does that. You can install any browser (or anything) you want on linux. Linux is far easier to develop/compile for, as the majority of the good tools are made for linux, with a possible port to another OS. You seem to not have noticed the great linux community.]]>Dec 16th 2009 10:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 7:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
My local library uses Firefox, and that's what happens when you try this.]]>Oct 7th 2009 7:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 8:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 8:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 8:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 8:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
Maybe you could have a sizeable electric shock through the keyboard when they open any kind of http communication?
Or some guy stood behind with a giant whips shouting "WORK! You low life numbers lost in a corporate structure! WORK!"

Seriously...]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 8:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
So to stop users browsing the net you uninstall IE, rather than just disconnecting the internet connection? Yeah, that makes sense.

News flash: it is the IT dept you have a problem with.

If that's your solution to prevent excessive browsing, I dread to think how you deal with security.]]>Oct 8th 2009 1:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
c'mon.]]>Oct 7th 2009 9:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/Oct 7th 2009 7:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/european-commission-likes-windows-7-browser-ballot-screen-will/
This is really pure ridiculous BS!]]>Oct 7th 2009 8:24AM