Opera complains to EU over Microsoft

Hmmmmm didn't this happen before with Netscape a few years back them complaining that IE should not be in Windows and be seperate. 

And Real Player over Windows Media Player and it's bundle thing. Suppose with it installed the choice is cut less and people just use IE cause they know it works (for some). Others use FireBadger (sorry that is a piece of genius whoever made that name up).

What about OSX (safari) and Linux?

I'm pretty sure they come with different browsers. It's not hard to choose a default browser, and if one company is given the go-ahead to put their software in with Microsoft's during install, then EVERYONE will want in on it. The next thing you know, the whole bundle is screwed even more than it is, not including the BS search bars and add-ons they'll include with it.

Complain to the computer companies who throw their proprietary garb, then they'll add it on production. You have to have some type of browser when you start up the PC, but you can't have all of them.

Opera should have created their own OS. It's like being miffed at a car manufacturer because they didn't give you the option to choose their speakers.

indeed. Opera needs to look at other operating systems out there that also bundle web browsers with them. for example, osx comes with safari which adheres to standards, some might say, as well as microsoft's ie does. 

i can't say it was personally difficult or annoying for me to install firefox, or any other browser in XP, 2k3, or Vista out of personal choice, and the operating system certainly did not get in the way of me doing so. In fact, microsoft have stepped away from the need for having IE and using it with the core operating system, with system maintenance tools like Windows / Microsoft Update not having a web browser (limited to IE) frontend in vista. 

Don't get me wrong, opera is a great browser, i don't use it on my desktop machines, but i several of my close work-mates do, and i even use it on my mobile, but they need to drive innovation, and marketing of their product if they want to use it, simply giving users the choice of browser at install wont necessarily drive them from IE to Opera, especially when you add in the possibility of them also having the choice of firefox, safari, netscape, or whatever else at the same time.

Apparently the EU must be advertising itself as the place for failed manufacturers to go to instead of actually doing something worthwhile that succeeds on its own merits. 

Last time I looked Opera was the only option people had for trying to access the internet from a Nintendo DS and that was a fairly abominable option at that.

I'm all for equal competition and I can't stand the arrogance of smug monopolies. Like AT&T, pardon, I mean at&t. But if a firm pulls the monopoly complaint card, it had better have its ducks in a row. Otherwise it's gonna look like the sniveling little brat of a sore loser who can't do anything without using authority figures as enforcers.

Firefox seems to be doing better and better and it hasn't given up yet.

Last time I checked Safari was one of the only browsers that meet full standards compliance. You failed to see the point of the article. Many web pages are written to support IE and it's non standard crap from MS. Then when any other browser goes to that site it has trouble on that page. Microsoft is doing this on purpose to aggravate people and get them to switch back to their DRM infected spyware security risk browser called IE.
They have not learned their lesson one bit from the Netscape days and will not stop unless a government stops them.
Have a great day,
Glenn

" instead of actually doing something worthwhile that succeeds on its own merits."

That is the point. IE does not succeed on its merits but on the coattails of M$. That is unfair competition and it was a deliberate choice M$ made about the time of Lose95 and the browser wars. See US DOJ v Microsoft for details.

on my desktop I'll somehow use IE over Opera but not so on my phone. it is quite easy to choose which browser to be default as each one asks to be default at launch and windows never stopped the change. not because your way behind doesn't make it right to throw oil in the way of the one ahead. most websites are built around IE and that's why it works for me. still a lot of the time I use the fox with the fire on it's tail but IE renders the page a bit better, while the fox a bit faster with a fast connection who notice that difference? not long ago I did a comparison with IE, the fox and myspace.com. I found that the fox had striped the pages of a lot of features and eye-candy, no wonder it renders a little bit faster. opera? to me the fox renders better. still to him his own and his browser.

A common tactic of car makers is to curve the dashboard or integrate the radio control into the AC panel to stop people from buying third-party replacements.

Like many other MS "innovations", Internet Explorer is actually a good browser. I can't blame Microsoft for making a browser that is nice to use and easy. Opera, Netscape and many other browser suck badly. I don't want to pay for a browser, there should be one in the OS itself for users like me. (and btw I work in IT dept) All 3rd party software have one huge problem... security updates in corporate network. Whether it be Sun Java (which today is like old Windows DLL hell, all sorts of versions and Java apps require certain Java version,.. bleh), Opera, Adobe Flash, ...

I'm sorry to say but Microsoft knows how to do things and do them well. Sucks for the companies that can only do "one good program" and dont think about central administration and user experience.

When a Joe Sixpack who bought his computer in WallMart or Tesco decides to explore the internet.. Guess what tool will spring to his mind.

Boo hoo hoo, Opera still can't make any impact even after changing away from their ad-driven free version. Meanwhile Firefox is at something like 15 - 20% adoption rate amongst Windows users and still growing. 

Why? Because Firefox is a solid dependable browser that had features that real people wanted long before IE. Opera has always been a niche product, has never managed to make the breakthrough into wider public awareness that Firefox has, and taking Microsoft to court won't change that. 

It will be entertaining in one respect though: Microsoft will be able to kick this lawsuit out at the first hearing - all they have to do is point at the success of Firefox!

" Like many other MS "innovations", Internet Explorer is actually a good browser"

This is soooo wrong. Let me tell you, I've been a web designer/developer for over 8 years now, and I can tell you Internet Explorer is the worst browser ever.

I agree with opera on this one - mainly for standards support. MS need shot as development time has gone through the roof trying to fix their endless bugs.

They had 6 years to fix IE6, and did they? No! Not even close. The're in a monoply and want to lock you in. This is there cheap tactic.

Let me do my job, without this IE pain. It will be good for everybody!!!

And also, opera, even though a nice browser. Needs to get it's default interface sorted. It's confusing to first time users, some ennoying tab features need sorted. IE7 looks much prettier, i give MS that, while opera is still on big grey form buttons...yuk!

As for firefox, my prefered browser, let's see what it brings with full CCS2 support and a lovely interface that will tie into my vista beautifully :)