EU Slams Microsoft Over Lack of Browser Choice

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Didn't the EU already do this to microsoft the other year? As i remember IE asking me what browser I wanted to use last time I booted it up on a frash install. And also, when are you going slam Apple with these anti monopoly laws too EU?

Hang on. Most linux Os's have firefox as default, does that mean they too should offer a choice of browser? Probably not, but it would be fair on balance if all operating systems just asks which you would prefer. Of course most users won't care, some will get scared when the blue e has vanished and the rest are smart enough to install another browser anyway.

 

[Doom972]

This never made any sense to me and continues to make no sense to me. Why do they need to offer anything? Are they requiring, oh I don't know, Apple to provide a choice of browser on their iPhone?

The mere existence of IE on my PC doesn't prevent me from installing Chrome, Firefox, Opera or anything else.

I'd say this was an outdated concept except that it never, ever made any sense to me. They might as well complain that there's no choice of Notepad or Solitaire providers, because I'm stuck with what MSFT gives me when I install it, no matter that I can install all the notepad clones or games I want after the fact.

There aren't other browsers for the iOS because Apple won't approve them. Apple get to have their closed OS that only offers what Apple approves, while Microsoft have to be fair competitors.

OT: As I see it, Microsoft shouldn't be singled out and be demanded to put competing software on their OS.

 

[godofallu]

EU is in trouble! What about Greece and Spain! The Debt crisis! Oh wait we can just keep suing Microsoft. Everyone hates them anyways. That will add a little to the coffers.

If only Microsoft didn't make so much money in Europe. It would be totally awesome for them to be like... Ok fuck you guys no more Microsoft products for Europe. We also won't sell to anyone caught exporting to Europe. Enjoy your now super-super overpriced inferior apple products, and the 90% of the population that now wants to hang you for fining us.

In all seriousness I do understand why they want Microsoft to add other browsers, and I do understand why the number has to be outrageously large (to get Microsoft to give a shit). Still not sure its something worth fighting for.

 

[Xan Krieger]

So the EU plan to help their financial problems is to steal money from an American company. Just seems like the EU are being jerks here, putting in place laws meant to get companies to give them money.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

WHY. It's a Microsoft created and owned console. IE is a Microsoft created and owned browser. They match perfectly. So then, again, WHYYYYYYYY? There is no bloody point.

Just curious, why did you mention the word "console"?

This has nothing to do with Microsoft's consoles, there is no mention of Microsoft's console branch. This is about how the Windows OS on PCs in the EU are suppose to have other web browsers on them, or the ability to download them without needing to open Internet Explorer.

Microsoft creates software, not PCs, so consumers have every right to not have to open up IE on their PCs, no matter if the OS is Microsoft.

Come to think of it, I think I'm going to go delete IE from this PC. I've been getting tired of some of my programs when they link to the internet, they stupidly open IE even though I constantly change the properties of my programs so that they only are suppose to link to the net through Firefox.

------------------------------

Yeah Microsoft, you really had this technical problem for three years. Yeah, that is totally believable. If they truly did have somebody working on it, they most have payed that person loads of money to only come to work like once a year, or maybe just press one button a day then go home. It does not take over three years to solve a little problem like a link to the net from a PC window to download a better browser.

Microsoft has hits and misses. But considering the stupidity that is Windows 8, they are headed into some pretty dark and unprofitable times.

Everybody I know that is big into PCs is sticking with Windows 7, until Microsoft comes to its senses and quickly abandons Windows 8, and quickly begins work on Windows 9 which should bring back non-locked down PC functionality. PCs, desk or lap, are not tablets or phones, so they should not have the same OS. A Microsoft OS should be totally customizable and open, so that the users have the freedom to make their PCs run the way they want. Heck, it was the whole point behind Microsoft's "I'm a PC" ads for Windows 7, showing that PCs aren't chores to operate, unlike the Mac crap that Apple puts out.

From what I've seen, there is no actual desktop on Windows 8, so you can forget ordering your programs the way you want and using look customization with wallpapers.

 

[taciturnCandid]

I'm still waiting for my option for windows to be bundled with netscape navigator 3.0.

Because if we are going to go back to this sort of thing, we should totally go with the winner in the browser wars.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

So the EU plan to help their financial problems is to steal money from an American company. Just seems like the EU are being jerks here, putting in place laws meant to get companies to give them money.

Not really. All Microsoft had to do was make it simple for users of their OS to have the ability to get alternative web browsers without having to use Internet Explorer to do it. I don't know about the new IE, but every incarnation that came before was horrendous.

I remember actually getting a virus from IE, just because a PC game I had opened up an IE window to go to the game's website. Never had that happen with any other browser, because they have safeguards already built in that are actually strong.

Microsoft is going to have to come up with another story, because no sane person is going to believe that the ability to get another browser without IE was down because of a technical issues for more than 3 years.

 

[iniudan]

Is installing Chrome or Firefox on a tablet a big deal? It takes literally 5-10 seconds to install Chrome on a PC.

google.com/chrome

Install Chrome

3 seconds later it's done.

Nope, it actually even easier then on Windows, since just need to click the application store icon and get it from there, which in the case of web browser, anything decent is free anyway. But still doesn't beat the ease of getting one install on a Linux distro, just need to type something like "yum -y install lynx" and voila I got a web browser that start downloading, install itself, which in this case is a purely command line web browser, so don't use it, except if you want about everyone, who see you, think your insane or a wizard writing in some arcane language.

 

[Slayer_2]

You should but it's an American company in America. So long as it makes money for America the US government will give no shit what it does and does not do. It's like that whole Apple vs Samsung thing that was decided by a court about an hours drive from where Apple's lair is. We all knew how Samsung had no hope of winning that mess.

Though here it's more clean cut. I don't care about the monopolistic bullshit but dear god save people that awful trip into IE to get a good browser!

I keep the latest firefox install data on a pen drive to avoid that horrific torture.

I live in Canada... I wonder if we can do anything about it here in our communist country. I also keep a copy of the Firefox installer on my USB drive. Nothing more painful than having to navigate through a virus-ridden IE MSN homepage to download something when repairing a client's computer.

 

[Evil Smurf]

a Brian Blessed reader.

If this is not a thing make it so. I will pay you.

 

[sethisjimmy]

This is retarded on multiple levels, it's not microsoft's fault the other browsers are failing in this situation. If they want to create their own OS and put their browser on that, that's their freedom. It's their own fault for not marketing their browser properly, and that people don't even know there are other browsers than IE. Microsoft isn't stopping other browsers from being produced or used on windows, and they're not stopping the marketing of other browsers.

This is like if McDonald's was forced to sell Subway in their stores because Subway complained that because customers didn't have a choice of Subway at McDonald's, therefore McDonald's must have been disabling the competition somehow.

I don't even use or like IE, but this is just wrong.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

I'm actually behind this. Maybe they can use the money from the fine to help with the economy over there.

 

[mattaui]

This is the latest of a very old story. Who cares for a history lesson?!
No-one!? Oh come on guys! Please read it!!!

1993
Novell company at that time had acquired the Unix rights and wanted to battle Microsoft. Microsoft at that time had already released Windows 3.1 (remember no significant internet at that time)
Novell's problem at that time was Windows Media Player. They said it ruined their day.

1998
Sun Microsystems also had a problem with Microsoft. Microsoft at that time had released Windows NT and kept some interfaces hidden. Sun Microsystems saw the competition and it ruined their day also.

2003
These companies run to their mommy and told on Microsoft. The EU mommy saw that Microsoft was hurting her children and punished Microsoft. Microsoft had to ship two versions of Windows; one with media player and one without. The one without had to show people some available players to download. This was some lawyer stuff called the anti-trust or something like that.

2004-June 2009
Microsoft vs EU in the courtrooms. A lot happened but the short story goes like that:
-EU: Bad Microsoft, you hurt my children. Pay the fine!
-MS: Nah, I don't wanna!
-EU: WAT?! YOU DISRESPECT ME?! More fines for you!
-MS: That's unfair! Why you fine me!
-EU: Because you push Media player to their faces. And i like Open source better! (see Novell Unix above)

Microsoft had to pay less than a billion to the companies hurt by Microsoft. But here comes the twist. The EU said that the companies no longer cared (actually it was some legal stuff that I don't know to explain) and instead of the companies I will keep the money, right here in my little pocket.

And Microsoft said "okay" :forever alone face:

October 2009
Microsoft releases Windows 7. And the EU was like "$$$ Cha-Ching $$$".
The story went like this:
-EU: Ehm, lets see, lets see...
-MS: What?! Everything's fine! No media player version and stuff!
-EU: But, what's this? Internet Explorer!? BLASPHEMEEERRR!!!
-MS: What's wrong now?!
-EU: IE in Windows?? That's a no-no!

And Microsoft said "okay" :unlucky brian face:
Microsoft had to ship Windows7 without IE and with an option to users to choose which browser they wanted (displaying a page with 12 popular browsers in random order)

2012
Microsoft fucked up. Something went wrong with the code and the page was not being displayed correctly. The rest are covered by this article.

And the story ends with the EU smiling slyly. Bhaahahahhahah

ps. I thought my history lesson was awesome! Who's with me?! Eh?! EH!?
Guys?! are you still here?! Dammit, i'm going home! :forever alone face:

Thanks for this recap. It shows exactly the same pattern, over and over again, and this isn't the only industry that it occurs in. The government, in its benevolent wisdom (and maybe, you know, goaded on by competitors of the company in question) starts to make decisions about things that they claim will forever and ever harm the consumer, and doom them to using the dominant product. Years later, often without resolution or significant change, the 'problem' remains, only no one really cares about it anymore.

 

[Von Strimmer]

WHY. It's a Microsoft created and owned console. IE is a Microsoft created and owned browser. They match perfectly. So then, again, WHYYYYYYYY? There is no bloody point.

EU is broke, they'll do whatever they can to make a quick bit of cash haha.

On topic why hasn't Apple been targeted by the EU? Doesn't make sense to cream one but leave the other.

 

[Lunar Templar]

o.0?

this is a thing? um k ... i guess.

 

[likalaruku]

Pointless; it takes seconds to download & install an alternative browser. Including them is just lazy.

Ah but Explorer...How fun is THAT to try to get rid of? It's the only browser you have to disable your firewall & antivirus to install, it's the only browser that takes 15 minutes to install or uninstall, it's the only browser that requires a reboot to install or uninstall, & those reboots take longer than Windows Updates, & it's the only browser that when you uninstall it, auto-installs the previous version of the browser without your permission.

I gave up trying to get rid of it after downgrading from 9 to 7, but I'd wager you'd need 9 downgrades with 9 reboots & that it would take 4.5 hours.

 

[FoAmY99]

Welcome to the European Union's Web of Political Intrigue!

It all boils down to politics. With the economic and political climate as it is around the world, slapping a big name corporation with fines and bad PR is a great way to earn political brownie points and media coverage (this article for example). Even if MS were to call them out on their bullshit, the EU commission can simply shout over them and levy more fines and threaten imprisonment for non-compliance (everybody loves a good perp walk). And as it has been said before here, there is NOTHING stopping you from downloading any other browser out there, (aside from your shitty internet connection). The EU's argument has no foundation and if you spend more than 5 minutes looking at it you can tell, they're fishing for money and control. They want to be able to tell corporations and individuals how they can do things.

And for those who say that Windows is an "open" OS and therefore is obligated to provide their competitors an advantage, i say this:

1. In a free and open market you survive by making something better than your competitors. Forcing the guy who's in the lead to slow down, means his competitors don't need to create a better product or service to catch up and/or surpass Microsoft and therefore making us lose. Not to mention the fact that IE seems to be universally hated and the other browsers are doing just fine without MS having to change a goddamn thing!

But then again, this is Europe we're talking about where capitalism, free markets, and competition are considered heresy cause god forbid the consumer gets what they want and not what their benevolent masters want.

2. Windows isn't really "open" per se. A true open system like Linux gives you the source code, so you can fuck around with it until its absolutely perfect for you. Windows doesn't do that (as far as I know). Yes you can customize it a great deal but not nearly to the extent you can with an open source OS. As for Apple *snort* they wanted to get every major US govt. agency to consider jailbreaking your iphone a criminal offense like piracy.

TL;DR EU is on a power trip cause their economies are in the shitter with no light at the end of the tunnel

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Never mind just Europe, can we all have that? Please? It would be nicer. Less time in starting up a new computer to get to the good stuff.

 

[kburns10]

I honestly don't have a problem with this. I hate IE, but I'm using a Microsoft product. I fully expect out the box to have IE thrown at me because it's THEIR product. Should every company be forced to remind people of their competitor's options?