Windows 7's European browser ballot screen revealed, rolling out next week
By Vlad Savov 
posted February 19th 2010 8:12AM
posted February 19th 2010 8:12AM
posted February 19th 2010 8:12AM
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So what do you do, if you wanna use Lynx?
If I was Microsoft's CEO, I would have threatened to quit selling Windows.
..not really, but it would scare some people lol..
@Xcelerate
They would call that bluff. Windows and Office are their lifeblood and everyone knows it. If Microsoft were to threaten to discontinue support however, leaving their country open to known security holes...we would be talking.
They could "claim" that the approval process and concerns over frivolous lawsuits will prevent any future patching since it is not financially feasible to provide such free support in the long run.
A public statement would make them a target and they would quickly drop the soap.
Hi I live in the EU and I elect and pay people with my taxes to inform me that there are other options than Microsoft's internet explorer. I had no idea. I feel so exploited by Microsoft forcing me to use their browser all these years.
.......
This is the basic message being sent to the rest of the world from EU. If this is the message you want to continue sending keep it up. Looks like a few billion US dollars and ballot screen is all that was needed to illuminate the world the world to the EU's true nature and provide everyone outside the EU a neverending laugh!!
Do Mac OSX users get the option to install other browsers other then Safari? If Microsoft is getting singled out, Apple should be included too?
This is just a ignorant double standard that will cause trouble for people who have no idea what they're doing.
I think microsoft could get away with it if they would tie some essential windows functionality into ie.
" (meaning none of the savvy Engadget readers) "
So this is why your site doesn't work in the worlds most popular web browser? Pure arrogance?
Wait till the EU gets their hands on Google's OS and forces them to remove chrome!
based on that logic (or lack thereof) they should force Apple to advertise other cellphones with potential buyers of the iPhone?! it's ridiculous!!
The irony is that the ballot screen is shown in Internet Explorer.
and that link in the picture seems to point to:
http://www.browserchoice.eu/BrowserChoice/browserchoice_en.htm
So when is Apple going to forced to do this too? What do you mean special rules only apply to Microsoft?
I may not use IE as my default, but on occasion I have used IE8 when Chrome doesn't like some site. It's really a pretty decent browser. Aside from that, this is Microsoft's OS. They should be able to bundle what they want just like Apple.
@somekindarobit
Apple bundle apps as the hardware manufacturer, so just like Dell or HP etc, they can sell it loaded with what they like. MS as the software seller is possibly governed by different rulings.
When I installed my Win 7 upgrade I had that ballot thing for choosing the browser... This upgrade was month after the release of 7, so what's new?
So this doesn't apply to Safari and OSX..shouldn't they advertise with chrome and opera?
Stupid. Everybody always had and still has a choice. It's not MS job to educate people on their competition.
What's next, microsoft will have to come bundled with Ubuntu, so that everybody can just choose Ubuntu, and have Microsoft team make a nice Ubuntu choice menu?
They're enforcing Microsoft to advertise their own competitors? It's so wrong on so many levels..
Now let's make Macs and Ubuntu, and everyone else introduce every single browser to the user (?).
Bottom line is IE sucks.. Microsoft should put this ballot screen on all US computers too. maybe it would knock some sense into dumb computer users and open their minds to other browsers.
Will this really change anything? People who know about the different browsers can easily download their choice anyway. Those who don't will just be confused and most will probably pick the big blue "e" because, you know, that's "the internet."
Man I can't wait to see this screen in MAC, CHROME, and other operating systems..it will be so fun to...um...oh..I see what the EU did there...
I don't beleive it's relevant whether or not IE is a good internet browser or not. Everyone's entitled to their opinion and obviously, everyone will never agree on one browser. In any case, the problem here is that the EU is forcing Microsoft to place a ballot screen for browsers on their operating system, and yet hippocritically, doesn't force Apple, or even so when Chorme OS is released, Google to do the same thing.
Microsoft is it's own company with it's own products. It should be allowed to bundle whatever it wants with it's OS. Plain and simple. This ballot screen is ridiculous. What's next? ...buying MS office, only to have a ballot screen at the install making sure that that is truly what you want to install, and not perhaps just use Google Docs, or a notepad, or maybe iLife (if that existed for Windows). Completely abdsurd.
and the applause goes to Opera ! :D
Is it just me or is the ballot box using IE8 XD
i hate the fact that ms has to do this because these other pathetic browsers arent installed in Windows which is owned by Microsoft. I don't see apples os have this option nor doubt Chrome OS will even have it when it comes out.
I think it's funny to see all the US citizien sitting in this forum and posting how stupid it is that MS is forced to do so. I think you're right in one thing: It's not neccessary to do so in EU, if you look at the market shares of FF and IE in Europe you see that EU consumer are already able to change their browser. The US consumer need help to see that they have a choice.
And all the comparisons with Ubuntu and Apple just show that you haven't undertood the problem. As soon as OS X or Ubuntu have a market share of 80% or so, they will have to give those choices as well.
My Money's on the FOX.
i use IE only to download firefox and im done with it until some website forces me to use it. i have no problem with them including it in the OS, the problem is when a site forces me to use it.
Unless every other browser is included in the installation disk some rudimentary form of a browser MUST be included even in a bare bones installation of Windows in order to GET another browser.
So IE is still there in some form like everyone has pointed out from the screenshot. I'm assuming it gives you the option to install another and it automatically removes IE. This is just moronic.
They were forced to automate something those people who want to use other browsers already know how to do.
If the browser installations are included in the disk...think of how outdated your browsers will be in just a matter of a few short months. Talk about a security risk.