Comments on: EU responds to Microsoft's browser move

European Commission says that while the move to strip IE from Windows is bad for retail software buyers, it could have some positive effects in the new PC market.

[opiapr]

OK I use Safari & Firefox on my MAC, Firefox & Chrome on my PC. Somehow I manage to manage 2 browsers that din't came in my pc and barley use the one that came with it. I did the same on the mac. So why people find it so hard that need big brother to figure a way for them to have such call "choices" I also have Opera installed on my Blackberry well it was installed I just remove it. Collateral damage ahh. Europeans can't think they will keep picking in our companies and we will keep supporting them.

[arifsaha]

Microsoft acting childish. Imagine a boy who is being told that he has to share his toy, but instead throw away his toy....
EU told Microsoft to give choices of alternative web browsers, but instead Microsoft ship Windows without any browsers.

If Microsoft does not actually want to include competitor's browser inside MS Windows package, it may be enough for EU if Microsoft just set the default page of initial IE activation to browser download pages of respectable download sites, such as:
http://download.cnet.com/windows/web-browsers/
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Browsers/
http://www.alternativebrowseralliance.com/browsers.html (although, why Opera is the top here?)

I hope this irritate European customer bad enough so they dump Microsoft Windows altogether, in which case this Microsoft childish act become a win for customer.

[moviegeek65]

Why is Apple able to ship MAC's with Safari?
If Windows prevented a user from installing other software then I could see a lawsuit being warranted,as it stands the EU is extorting money from Microsoft.

[moviegeek65]

One more analogy:
What if the US government told Audi that they could import cars but they had to remove the engine because it's not fair to other automakers....would that make sense?

[admezor]

Assuming MS went along with this, how much would Cnet, Softpedia and others wishing to be included be willing to pay MS? There are thousands of download sites - why these three and how is that fair to the others, or to MS being to forced to promote and generate revenue for others? Will these sites carry all browsers as part of this system? (keeping mind there are dozens to hundreds, even thousands of what can be termed browsers)

Again, the best solution is to leave it up to oems serving the EU, which is why I think MS is making the right call if the EU Com is going to force the issue, which it seems intent on doing. MS isn't saying Windows will ship to end users without a browser, but instead leaving the choice of which browsers to install to the oems who already have the ability to include/install any browser they wish, IE being another option. I assume Windows heading into retail will ship with a companion disk.

My question is still why is including IE with Windows a big deal? Other browsers can be installed, IE can be effectively uninstalled as a browser. How does this hamper competition and fair trade or hinder user choice. What magic features would FF or Chrome or any other browser have if IE as a competitive browser were not bundled with Windows.

[pentest]

Put an option in the installer, FF, Opera, Chrome, IE, or any combo of them.

It would be interesting to see how IE fares in a completely level playing field. My guess is that it would end up #2 or #3 with FF at 55-60% share.

[admezor]

IE is #2 at present according to statcounter so the playing field seems pretty level to me.

But we seem to forget one minor but important fact: Windows is 100% an MS product. Google, Opera, Mozilla don't own any part of it nor do they contribute to the cost of its development. Bundling your own products together makes good sense for MS as it does for any other producer in promoting and selling their products.

As fair playing fields go, Mozilla generates something like 75% of its revenue from its deal with Google (setting Google as the default start page/search engine). What happens to Mozilla if Google is found to be an abusive monopoly and has to "level" this playing field for its competitors. Yahoo, Ask, Dex, MS will claim: Market leading browser + market leading search engine tied together = bad for innovation and user choice. That is if you really want to talk about level playing fields instead of just bashing MS. Of course we could just call it user choice that people choose to use Google and FF and leave it at that, we is what we should do IMO, and what the EU Com. should be doing with MS over IE.

[lumpoco]

Wow...Microsoft just can't get anyone to like them. They remove their dominant browser so they would not have to include non Microsoft browsers with their product. I say this is great news. If a person is not smart enough to download a browser using Unix or telnet then they have no business using a computer. If they don't know how then they can always get someone to do it for them. I remember when I first used the internet. I had a connection from a local provider. It was a 10 day free trial. But I had no browser. I was given instructions via Unix on how to retrieve a Netscape browser. It was painful, but hey I learned that if I could suffer a bit to retrieve a browser then anything I would face later on would be easy. Well, it wasn't that easy. Since once I had the browser and installed it I did not know where to go next. Google was not around in 1992. I could have used their help. The moral of the story is you can't please everyone all of the time. Microsoft should not even sell Windows 7 to the European market. There is just no pleasing the Europeans. Hey maybe they will be happier using Linux or Mac OS.

[JunkSiu]

IF (and only if?) I am Microsoft, the question I will be asking is, why the fxxk I will put someone else product in my installation CD without compensation?

[SniffTheDuck]

I would think 90% of us couldn't care less if IE is installed by default, if you actually want another browser you're going to download and install it. I really don't see what the problem is here, just because the other browsers aren't advertised enough to bring them to our attention they shouldn't be allowed to cry and make Microsoft do it for them!

[RJKristin]

Is IE a bad browser? Who cares, PC manufacturers do not! The only reason that IE/Windows is installed along with windows, and will continue to be installed by PC manufacturers, is that they the manufacturer's DO NOT WANT TO SUPPORT MULTIPLE OS's; nor do they want to support a variety of software versions. They want a single OS and browser. They do not even support their own bloat ware. The EU along with many software manufactures are simply whining because of their position in the market. Is MSFT a bad company? Who cares, if you are that against the product use Linux or buy a Mac! Windows is the defacto standard they have made deals with manufacturers to ensure that it remains that way. BTW lets also not forget about retailers who like to group the PC's together, and do not want to have to explain several OS's along with software they are not that smart! Use your own brain, do due diligence before buying know your options and buy what you can afford. Have a good one!

[lang0502]

Why doesn't the EU also force Microsoft to offer a choice of OS? When the computer boots up it can let you select if you want Windows, Linux, or Mac OS to run. If you select something other than Windows then Microsoft will have to pay for your other OS.