Pick Your Browser: Microsoft Shows Off Ballot

[Tomtompiper]

I can run any browser but IE, but IE is pants so no big loss.

 

[Camikazi]

[citation][nom]Yuka[/nom]If you make it for one, you ought to do it for all the OSes out there.Now, since Windows has such a big market share, it makes sense that they get to do it first.The idea sounds amazing for any OS in the planet, giving you the CHOICE to use any browser you want right of the bat.Cheers![/citation]
There are only 5 browsers there, that is in no way any browser considering there are MANY more out there, why aren't those on the list? why are these 5 so much more important then the rest of them? Unless all of the browsers in the world are on the ballot then the ballot should be removed since it is not fair.

 

[Guest]

The only reason EU did this is because Firefox and Opera have strong user-base in Europe. Even Firefox has market dominance over IE in some European countries.

 

[tay]

Isnt the real reason MS have been forced (where nobody else has) due to them trying to constrain the web browser market?

This has little to do with Apple or Ubuntu or whatever, its to do with MS trying to take the piss.

This "choice" is a slap to make sure MS plays fair...whether its fair or not is another matter, they took the pee and this is the EU commissions' knee jerk reaction.

Do I think its fair? Nah no way.

 

[groveborn]

I've noticed that people think that it's a silly thing because browsers are free. While they cost the end user nothing, the browser being used actually brings in money for the maker as you surf through various searches and whatnot. Free to you, but they still gain money. Loads of money. Google paid millions to be the default search for Safari. Not just one or two, hundreds. That's a BIG chunk of change. I still feel it was unneeded, but whatever. I would love to see Apple to have the same requirement. I guess Linux too, but who cares there?

 

[BigWaterGT]

I just realised that my Honda has a Honda radio in it! I think I'll sue Honda so they offer me what radio brand I want to use because it's unfair to Pioneer, or Sony, etc....

Come on Eu in what world do you live?

 

[tay]

They live in the same world as you BigWaterGT dont make this a EU vs US thing, its not that. The difference is that this token gesture is to stop big money outfits such as Microsoft bullying people into a browser they might not want. This isnt the first time a big money company has done this ...I doubt it'll be the last but rulings like this might make these people think twice.

For me, IE blows anyway, I want a Chrome / Firefox hybrid... extensions and speed.

 

[salimbest83]

i think EU should aim Media Player, notepad, mspaint, media center ..bla.bla.bla. after this..

 

[Guest]

It is odd that they are being forced to do this. I think it is like Baskin Robbins having to have Dairy Queen and Cold Stone Creamery in their store just in case that is what the buyer wants...

 

[Dawgsoverrebs]

Another reason I will never live in the EU and fight to keep freedoms in the U.S.



IT'S CALLED THE FREE MARKET PEOPLE, IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT DON'T BUY IT END OF STORY.

 

[WheelsOfConfusion]

[citation][nom]jrabbitb[/nom]Do you understand that the next step is for MS to have to offer OSX and Linux as alternatives to the Windows entirely? (of course i'm exaggerating slightly, Apple will never make OSX work on all PCs, only their PCs)Windows 8 installer: Option screen 1)Option A - UbuntuOption B - OSXOption C - Windows 8[/citation]
So I take it your answer is "No, I don't understand." Would you like for me to try and explain it?

[citation][nom]adaman2576[/nom]This is so stupid. Next thing you know they are going to make Ford offer their customers a choice of having a chevey, honda, or dodge engine installed in their new vehicle instead of the ford engine.[/citation]
Can you tell me how exactly that's like this case?

[citation][nom]luc vr[/nom]What about mspainter, calculator, notepad,cd burner... any program that comes with windows??[/citation]
Are those programs edging out competing programs as important as internet browsers by virtue of coming pre-installed? Does Microsoft's version of Calculator keep mathematics development stagnant by not supporting standards? Are you seriously going to rebut the EU's argument with something that doesn't even address the complaint?

[citation][nom]christop[/nom]They all should give this option not just MS..[/citation]
Because every other competitor is a monopoly, right?

[citation][nom]BigWaterGT[/nom]I just realised that my Honda has a Honda radio in it! I think I'll sue Honda so they offer me what radio brand I want to use because it's unfair to Pioneer, or Sony, etc.... Come on Eu in what world do you live?[/citation]
Does Honda have a 90% marketshare in the automobile market, and are they using that massive entrenchment and monopoly to edge out other radio manufacturers besides their brand? No? Then shut up. Every time this subject comes up the comments section gets flooded with people who are keen to show everybody that they have no clue what's going on.
If you want to make an analogy, make it with another monopoly brand or don't make one at all.

 

[jimmysmitty]

[citation][nom]stige[/nom]What date is Apple being forced to roll this out for OSX?Oh, right. They're NOT.EU = money grabbing hypocrites.[/citation]

Bingo. They talk about unfair but they forget that Apple has their own propietary video codecs that can only be played via Quicktime. I personally don't like Quicktime. Its crap. but if I want to be able to play .mov or .mp4 files, I need it.

Safari is in OS X. Hell OS X comes with EVERYTHING including full featured photo editing, video editing, music programs for free yet the EU does nothing.

This is why I can't trust anything the EU does.

 

[dmuir]

Yes, Microsoft is a monopoly, and it's nice to see something done to remedy it, but I don't think this is the way to do it. Most people think Google is their browser. Most people will pick IE as their browser because they think "the blue e is the Internet", and that installing a different browser will mean having to relearn everything. The ballot screen won't do much at all, IMO.

Should Apple be required to have a ballot screen? Maybe if they become a monopoly. Until then, it's a moot point.

Besides, people don't want choice. They want to be told what to use.

 

[lashton]

they should have IE installed on the OS, and when you connected ask if you would like to remove IE and install another shittier broswer, FF sux,!

 

[WingedRayeth]

Microsoft is not a monopoly, they are just popular. If they were a monopoly there wouldn't be OSX or Linux, or Solaris, or Unix, or anything else. Microsoft doesn't want to be a monopoly either, because when that happens the US Government will take over and chop the company up into little pieces.

I don't think Microsoft should have to give a choice on install as to what browser people use, but they should allow you to completely remove IE if you don't want it, which as it stands you can not do at all. You should also be allowed to uninstall other software as well instead of just setting something else as the default. If I want to use Media Player Classic instead of Windows Media Player, I should be allowed to uninstall the latter completely and cleanly. But just spamming me with a choice when I'm trying to get my new computer up and running? That is just asinine.

 

[jaglows3]

I want a choice of notepad and paint programs too!

 

[justcallmeben]

Why are all the Americans complaining about this? This is something that only affects EUROPEAN customers! The EU decides how bussiness is done here, not in the USA, so why the hell are you all whining?

The main difference between the US and the EU is how they both look at the market: in contrast to the US, the free market is NOT the most sacred thing in the world (ONOES, I said it!). People in the EU place quality of life before economical freedom. This is why we have government healthcare, strict regulations, special rules for dominant companies (like MS), but also higher taxes and less successful mighty companies.

We have our ways, you have yours. Stop whining and let us keep our market healthy by fixing what needs to be fixed: broken products dominating the market by unfair and technologically unnecessary bundling with other dominant products.
If US-citizens don't want their government to prevent that because the market has to be 'free': fine. But EU-citizens do. And if MS wants to sell us stuff, they'll have to abide our laws and ways of regulating the market.

 

[G-Systems]

[citation][nom]noodlegts[/nom]FOR EXAMPLE:Is it fair that you can ONLY use iTunes to sync your music to your iPOD? I for one would love to use Windows Media Player for that, but it's not an option (that's why I bought a Zune). I'm pretty sure that by EU standards Apple has a monopoly on mp3 players.[/citation]

This is so true...and why I fully boycott Apple products. It's treacherous. My girlfriend has an iPod, although I can't say when she was last able t update her player since I utterly refuse to install an inferior media player such as iTunes on my Windows computer. WMP is faster and less resource intensive.

This market share argument that has become Apple's bubble--from why it is "safer" to why iPod is limited to iTunes...on into how the Apple store is the exclusive venue for anything Apple--must burst at some point. Am I the only one that recalls Microsoft being divided (to their benefit, it seems--which is "good") for a similar, but less egregious offense?

[Well, no, that's not fair, if my girl needs iTunes, I'll install it, but it'll be uninstalled as soon as she's finished. 🙂]

 

[G-Systems]

[citation][nom]lashton[/nom]they should have IE installed on the OS, and when you connected ask if you would like to remove IE and install another shittier broswer, FF sux,![/citation]

--gotta use something newer than FF v1.0, bro/sis. They're up to v3.6 now. I prefer Chrome myself, but FF doesn't "suck"... Vacuums suck...

 

[G-Systems]

[citation][nom]justcallmeben[/nom]Why are all the Americans complaining about this? This is something that only affects EUROPEAN customers! [/citation]

I don't think that people are complaining about the EU being unfair to Microsoft, they're complaining that the same thing hasn't yet been done to Apple. From what I've read here, that seems to be the chief complaint.

...and since you brought up the "Free Market"...

Most Americans in "the know" understand that we don't really have a free market. It's an illusion...we know that. In addition, I think that most of us like the idea of companies not being allowed to be "too big to fail' since that totally goes against the idea of a "free market."

It's quite unfortunate that you generalize so abruptly without reading the character of the statements being made. If you read a little closer, you'll actually see a lot of "Americans" cheering for you guys.

BTW: I would like to believe that most of us Americans who visit here understand that Internet Explorer is an inferior product, so calling it "broken" is actually pretty nice of you since it infers that it can be fixed... In the meantime, "Add or Remove Programs" and "Set Default Programs" are friends in this area...

Relax...

 

[justcallmeben]

[citation][nom]g-systems[/nom]I don't think that people are complaining about the EU being unfair to Microsoft, they're complaining that the same thing hasn't yet been done to Apple.[/citation]

That is exactly what I'm getting at: calling it 'not fair' because Apple doesn't have to offer a ballot-screen completely misses the point.
The whole point I made is that different rules DO apply since Windows totally dominates the market, while OSX doesn't.

However, I also read posts about the bundling of iTunes with iPods, which ARE dominant, and I do support that: the EU should force apple to adopt an open standard at least to sync music and video (syncing apps to an iPod touch/iPhone on the other hand is something Apple has the right to protect imo)

 

[p05esto]

MS Shouldn't have to offer choices. No way, it's their OS. I would LIKE however that during an OS install we were presented with a lot more configuration options. Basically an advanced install path. We could choose not to install a browser, or any number of optional software components that may not be needed and just add to bloat.

 

[G-Systems]

We actually agree, Ben. And I was referring moreso to the iPod ridiculousness than the OSX deal. I should have been more clear. I ranted on a different posting about my disdain for Apple's Nazi-ish approach to cordoning off their products; it was a different topic however.

You guys have interesting laws over there in the EU, but they do seem more fair than not in retaining a "free" market...

Cheers!

 

[jitpublisher]

What a boat load of baloney this is, if the other browsers want people to use them, then let people know they are available! Depending on Microsoft to "present" them this way is simply a cheap way for the other browsers to get Microsoft to advertise for them. They should have to pay Microsoft advertisement fees. I use Firefox, but only as recently as a few months ago, because quite simply I didn't know it was even available! If these other guys want people to use their products, it really would be helpful if people knew about them, ya think? I am going to start up a auto/brake/muffler business. I think that every time a customer walks into Midas to have their auto worked on, Midas should first have to tell them about my business and then let the customer make up their mind if they want Midas to work on their car, or if they should take their car to me. If they don't, I am going to sue them! Boo-hoo.

 

[jaymz1977]

To all of you that think this is new News, apparently you haven't been keeping up with what is going on with MS across the pond. There were a few articles on it last year.