The problem with political jokes is they get elected - Henry Cote
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The EC accepts Microsoft's IE proposals
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION today announced that it is satisfied with Microsoft's efforts to give users a choice of web browsers, after about a decade of wrangling.
The announcement follows years of discussions and a number of fines as the parties sought to reach an agreement on how to tackle the anti-competitive nature of including Internet Explorer as the default browser on Windows machines. Today's decision will give users a range of browsers to choose from, alleviate the ECs concerns, boost consumer choice, and as a result, confuse your grandmother the first time she turns her new PC on and tries to download knitting patterns.
The Vole has agreed to offer web browser options under Windows, and will let third-party computer manufacturers turn off the application in favour of their own alternatives, a dramatic change to its traditional method of including it as the default browser application. Before this agreement was reached the EC was concerned that Microsoft was abusing a dominant market position.
As part of the agreements Microsoft will be expected to offer a 'choice screen' to users of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 for at least the next five years. Something that will please users of other web browsers, but will confuse all of those people who never knew any better and assumed that Internet Exploder was the only one out there anyway.
Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said, "Millions of European consumers will benefit from this decision by having a free choice about which web browser they use. Such choice will not only serve to improve people's experience of the internet now but also act as an incentive for web browser companies to innovate and offer people better browsers in the future."
The Commission had felt that Microsoft had an "Artificial distribution advantage not related to the merits of its product on more than 90 per cent of personal computers", and was creating "Artificial incentives for software developers and content providers to design their products or web sites primarily for Internet Explorer", two things that have kept some lawyers busy for a good couple of years.
Opera was the most recent firm to take its complaints to the EC, and first filed antitrust papers in July 2007. Today Jon von Tetzchner, chief executive at Opera Software, expressed his pleasure at the announcement, saying, "This is a victory for the future of the web. This decision is also a celebration of open web standards, as these shared guidelines are the necessary ingredients for innovation on the web. Opera has long been at the forefront of web standards, which ensures that people have equal access to the web anytime, anywhere and on any device. We see the outcome of the EU's investigation as a testament to our mission."
A clause in the commitments allows the Commission to review the commitments in two years, and during this time the Vole will be expected to report regularly to the Commission.
"The days when companies could use poor standards support to tie down users are over," added Håkon Wium Lie, chief technology officer at Opera Software. "The browser choice screen will give users access to better browsers with better support for web standards." µ
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If you were here last year, or the year before, then you would have seen much more friction, silly names etc. That part of the The Inq has shrunk, and I'm not sure that there is as much personality in the articles.
I miss the wit and scoops, the education from Charlie D etc.
"Millions of European consumers will benefit from this decision by having a free choice about which web browser they use."
How about a choice of operating system, Kroes and pals? You've admitted that Microsoft have an "[a]rtificial distribution advantage not related to the merits of its product on more than 90 per cent of personal computers", so why aren't you attacking this vendor coercion/cartel scheme they have going?
Unmasking the fiction that "PCs have to run Windows" and the illusion of choice that is "you could buy a Mac instead" is the only way to properly deal with Microsoft's monopolistic practices. Right now, you have people tying products to each other and the best the EU can do is some kind of "browser choice" dialogue? Talk about a dog and pony show!
I wonder if the EC will make Apple do the same options now google has there Chrome for OSX out...
Proberly not because Microsoft is easy extra revenue to the EC and Apple just cries like a baby, oh not to mention Steve Jobs seceret suicide army just incase anything like this happens...
Amongst my relatives it's my wife who's the one downloading knitting patterns (and blogging about it). She won't turn the computer on until I've told her everything is installed as it should be and is working fine.
Bob, You do know that Firefox is optimized for Linux so it'll never be as fast as IE or Opera?
So I'm guessing that it's just pure coincidence that at almost the very same moment that this all falls into place with the EU I start seeing gigantic billboard advertisements for Google Chrome...
After years of my friend constantly referring to Firefox as random names like Firebadger or Fizzlefox, I started referring to IE as Internet Exploder.
He now uses Chrome, Safari,FF and even Internet Exploder. I personally installed IE Tab in Firefox and use it pretty much exclusively.
Lunascape 6 was launched recently that combines IE/FF/Chrome/Safari in 1 browser, a little clunky and slow but for those that cant decide on 1 browser it's a start.
"assumed that Internet Exploder "
Thats when I stopped reading, the author is a childish idiot
The winner here will be us professional web developers in a couple of years when we no longer have to dish out css hacks to support non-standard compliant browsers such as IE 6!
Anything which can make Microsoft see standards as something they should stick to (because then everyone's working off the same hymn sheet!) as opposed to "recommendations" as they have in the past, has to be good!
As an afterthought, even though I'm no big supporter of Apple, I can think of only one occasion where I've had change Standards Compliant code to work with it. Opera a couple of times. Firefox I can't comment on as I use that as my main test browser.
Anybody still reading this on Internet Explorer 6 (or god forbid less! click Help About to find your version), please please PLEASE upgrade to a newer version (visit microsoft.com or even better mozilla.com)!
Had to get that off my chest, better now...
Choose your web browser:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Mozilla Firefox
- Google Chrome
- Apple Safari
- Operasoftware Opera
Gee, which one is going to get me on the *Internet*? *Click first one*
Only Apple and maybe Google have enough name recognition to make people try those oddball named browsers, and not because of the browser's name that's for sure. Mozilla's hokey "Firefox" name connotes nothing, and who the hell knows what an "Opera" has to do with the Internet.