The Windows 7 without including Internet Explorer issue

rctneil

rctneil

rctneil

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Just read this on Engadget:


It looks like Redmond is backing slowly away from its previous IE-or-else stance on Windows 7 for European markets. According to an article just published, the OS giant has apparently caved to pressure from the European Commission over "monopoly abuse" (practices which essentially force users into Internet Explorer as their main browser). The last we'd heard on this story, the company was considering shipping the new operating system without a browser altogether, but it looks like those plans have changed. Microsoft has relented and will now offer consumers a "ballot screen" on first boot, allowing purchasers to make their own (we're hoping informed) decision about which window into the web they'll be looking through. Additionally, while Windows 7 will still include an install of IE, users will have the option to disable it, and computer-makers will also be allowed to pre-load any browser they see fit for their systems. We're glad that Microsoft is taking the inclusive approach here, though there are lots of good arguments against the EC's actions. We don't see Apple getting the same heat for Safari, though Apple doesn't currently hold the lion's share of the market. At the end of the day, we're personally just happy to not be using IE -- no matter how you slice it.


Is there any more info on whats happening?
 
Windows 7 and Web browsers

Microsoft has offered to let European PC customers pick the browser they want running on Windows PCs, hoping to placate anti-trust regulators.

Users will be able to pick one of five most popular browsers via a proposed Ballot Screen, which will be available for download to Windows Vista and Windows XP via software update, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft also plans to ship the screen with future releases of Windows. That means that if Microsoft's offer is accepted by the European Union regulators, Windows 7 will be Microsoft's first client operating system that lets users chose a browser at the start rather than work only with Internet Explorer. Windows 7 will still ship with Microsoft's own browser, IE.

The five browsers offered will be determined by averaging monthly use-share date for the past six months.

Once a browser is picked, an install link will connect the user to the browser manufacturer's site to begin download, Microsoft said.

The offer is part of package of proposals for EU regulators, who this year said Microsoft had violated anti-trust law by integrating Windows with IE.

Microsoft has also promised a mechanism for PC manufacturers and users in the EU to turn off its browser, IE, and to make IE unavailable from launch.

IE would not be turned on through anything other than user action, and there won't be any icons, links, or short cuts in Windows to download or install the browser.

A major hurdle to letting other browsers work with features in Windows has been the close degree of integration between IE and the operating system. Microsoft said it'll disclose all the Windows APIs that IE relies on in a "complete, accurate and timely manner" so rival browsers are not at a competitive disadvantage to Microsoft.

Furthermore, Microsoft said, OEMs are free to develop, install and distribute their own choice of browser, promising it wouldn't retaliate or terminate an OEM's Windows license without first giving written notice of the reasons of any cancellation

EU anti-trust regulators welcomed this latest settlement proposal from Microsoft and noted it was the result of "extensive" discussions. The Commission refrained from further comment.

The settlement follows an earlier offer from Microsoft to simply remove IE from Windows 7, in a move it said was designed to comply with EU antitrust law but that should have been seen more as an attempt to exert pressure on regulators from disgruntled consumers and OEMs.
 
This should have been the case in the first place. I'm starting to think maybe Microsoft let people think it wasn't shipping with a browser to kick up a bit of a stink (just read the anti-EU posts on here for a taster) as a bit of retaliation.
 
theheyes said:
This should have been the case in the first place. I'm starting to think maybe Microsoft let people think it wasn't shipping with a browser to kick up a bit of a stink (just read the anti-EU posts on here for a taster) as a bit of retaliation.
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Yes, that is exactly what it was - a political stunt to make it look like the EU were the bad boys and not Microsoft.
 
Tuvoc said:
Yes, that is exactly what it was - a political stunt to make it look like the EU were the bad boys and not Microsoft.
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In this case, the EU are the bad boys. There was never any consumer benefit to the attack on IE, and there was never action taken by MS to prevent the use of other browsers with their OS.

The key point is that MS have lots of money, which makes them a great target for action like this. If the EU had consumer interest in mind, they'd have gone after Apple with regards to the music players and downloadable music market long ago, especially as active competition abuse in that sector is still going on now (see the ongoing Apple/Palm saga)
 
Dolph said:
In this case, the EU are the bad boys. There was never any consumer benefit to the attack on IE, and there was never action taken by MS to prevent the use of other browsers with their OS.

The key point is that MS have lots of money, which makes them a great target for action like this. If the EU had consumer interest in mind, they'd have gone after Apple with regards to the music players and downloadable music market long ago, especially as active competition abuse in that sector is still going on now (see the ongoing Apple/Palm saga)
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+1 Very well said.
 
Dolph said:
In this case, the EU are the bad boys. There was never any consumer benefit to the attack on IE, and there was never action taken by MS to prevent the use of other browsers with their OS.

The key point is that MS have lots of money, which makes them a great target for action like this. If the EU had consumer interest in mind, they'd have gone after Apple with regards to the music players and downloadable music market long ago, especially as active competition abuse in that sector is still going on now (see the ongoing Apple/Palm saga)
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exactly.
if they want IE unbundled they should make the same demands of Apple OSX and safari / itunes / etc
 
VeNT said:
exactly.
if they want IE unbundled they should make the same demands of Apple OSX and safari / itunes / etc
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OSX is not the problem, not at all. The problem is the ipod (80%+ of the portable music player market) and itunes (60-80% of the download music market depending on source and scope of figures) and the determination to keep these two markets interdependant at the expense of the competition, as well as the efforts to use the above to lever the iphone into a position of leading the converged PMP/Mobile phone market.
 
Daegan said:
Of course there was, when Opera originally lodged their complaint Microsoft were feeding us IE 6.
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And the progression to IE7 and IE8 shows that the market was working because people quickly started to change browsers when better alternatives appeared. (Remember when IE6 first launched firefox was non existent and opera was adware or paid for software.)

It's also worth mentioning that Opera filed the complaint with the EU on 12th December 2007, over a year after IE 7 was released and nearly 12 months after the release of Vista, which included IE 7, not IE 6
 
Dolph said:
In this case, the EU are the bad boys. There was never any consumer benefit to the attack on IE, and there was never action taken by MS to prevent the use of other browsers with their OS.

The key point is that MS have lots of money, which makes them a great target for action like this. If the EU had consumer interest in mind, they'd have gone after Apple with regards to the music players and downloadable music market long ago, especially as active competition abuse in that sector is still going on now (see the ongoing Apple/Palm saga)
Click to expand...

Well no not really, you could never properly remove IE as it was so integrated into windows
So while you 'could' download other browsers you could never really remove IE

Now it is as it should be, easily removable and allowing you to have a choice

As for apple, they follow these cases on complaints if no big player has made (i may very well be wrong, in which case they are likely to follow up on it eventually) an issue of what apple bundles in why would there be a action against them?
 
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The choice of whether or not to install iexplorer.exe isn't really a pressing concern for me. Even Win 7 E is only missing the exe, trident, the rendering engine, is what is part of windows, and that is still fully present in Win 7 (it has to be, it's a key and commonly used API).

I wouldn't be surprised to see a complaint from Palm to the EU soon with the way appe are behaving towards them at the moment
 
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