Microsoft fined by European Commission over web browser

I, for one, refuse to be told by these dictators what I use to browse the web

Nobody tells you anything. They just want to make sure the other options are easily accessible. Not everybody is as smart as you are and can get it on his own.

whs said:

If somebody make a commitment and does not stick to it, do you let them get away with it ??

I agree that making a commitment and then breaking that commitment is what this is about and it is fully justifiable to hold them to it.

I guess my problem with all this is that MS should not have been forced to promote competitor's software in their OS in the first place. When they did agree to it, they should have stuck with it, but it was and is unfair to make them do this in the first place (just my opinion). I can understand the prevention of monopolies, and fair business practices, and packaging the browser allows MS to have it more mainstream and a bigger customer base than the competitor, but it's a freaking free browser. It's not like MS was making it so people couldn't use any other browser with their OS or suppressing search results for firefox or something. Ten years ago, Nobody had to prompt me during install about firefox for me to hear about it, find it, install it and switch to it. Windows didn't prevent me from getting another browser. It's not like I could only use IE with windows...

I feel some things are needed for the PC that should come prepackaged. browser, media center, virus protection, word processing, image editing should all be available and MS does this (well except AV suite). I'm sure they left out AV simply because of this and you see what happens with that. you get PC's with trial software that expires and either leaves the user high and dry or makes them think they need to pay for an AV suite.

Purchasing a laptop that only has an OS and no actual programs that can do the daily tasks that you bought it for would be frustrating to the 100% of consumers who know little to nothing about computers. (this statistic is not based on fact it is purely made up)



Ok /rant

In Windows 8 they fixed the AV problem with Defender (former MSE) being standard out of the box. I wonder what the Nortons, McAfees etc. have to say about that.

HarryHusker said:

Eh, just a drop in the bucket for these corp.'s

Pretty much. 2012 total earnings: $74 billion Microsoft Reports Record Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year Revenue

Fine: $731 million

So only close to 1% of their business for one year...

Thorsen said:

It's not like MS was making it so people couldn't use any other browser with their OS or suppressing search results for firefox or something. Ten years ago, Nobody had to prompt me during install about firefox for me to hear about it, find it, install it and switch to it. Windows didn't prevent me from getting another browser. It's not like I could only use IE with windows...

Well said.

If Opera, Chrome, Firefox, et al want more publicity and a bigger share of the market, why don't they make adverts showcasing their capabilities? As far as I am aware, I've only ever seen ones for IE.

Dwarf said:

Thorsen said:

It's not like MS was making it so people couldn't use any other browser with their OS or suppressing search results for firefox or something. Ten years ago, Nobody had to prompt me during install about firefox for me to hear about it, find it, install it and switch to it. Windows didn't prevent me from getting another browser. It's not like I could only use IE with windows...

Well said.

If Opera, Chrome, Firefox, et al want more publicity and a bigger share of the market, why don't they make adverts showcasing their capabilities? As far as I am aware, I've only ever seen ones for IE.

Have they made it easily removable? If so I am not aware of it. It smacks of the practice that to get this program (one which you paid dearly for) you must install this also. What??? You don't want it? How stupid can you be to have an opinion of your own!!!!!