EU investigation of Microsoft over browser choice moves forward

[Brink]

Antitrust regulators are said to be moving ahead in investigating Microsoft's failure to provide a browser choice screen on PCs in the EU.

Bloomberg is reporting European Union antitrust regulators are moving ahead with their investigation of Microsoft's failure to fulfill its obligation to provide users with Web-browser choice.

Bloomberg cited in a September 18 report "two people familiar with the matter" claiming that the EU is preparing a formal complaint.

Read more at source:
EU investigation of Microsoft over browser choice moves forward: Report | ZDNet

 

[Gornot]

Seriously, is this **** ever going to stop?

 

[Brink]

Tell me about it. I really don't see what is so hard for users to download and install whatever browser they want to use instead of Internet Explorer that the EU must regulate it???? Microsoft doesn't prevent users from doing this, or make you use Internet Explorer. I don't see how this is an antitrust issue. :huh:

 

[bej]

Realize this is not about MS, or IE, it's about CONTROL. This is what Socialist countries do. The arguement above is to rational. When your political system is based on subject/object control the idea of choice has no place.

 

[brummyfan]

This is really farcical and utter waste of time and money by the EU, may be they don't have anything else to do.

 

[LittleJay]

This is really farcical and utter waste of time and money by the EU, may be they don't have anything else to do.

Yeah, solving the fiscal mess they are in isn't a big enough problem in itself.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I agree it is ridiculous, but who can possibly believe this quote from Brink's link regarding why it happened:


"Microsoft admitted quickly it had failed to offer the browser ballot screen since February 2011. The Redmondians cited a a "technical error" led to the browser ballot update not being included in the store-shelf version of Windows 7 with Service Pack 1."

 

[stephens]

As an Englishman I wish we had EU choice, never mind browser choice.

The population get no vote on the EU because vested interests might not like our choosing.

How ironic.

 

[bobafetthotmail]

Tell me about it. I really don't see what is so hard for users to download and install whatever browser they want to use instead of Internet Explorer that the EU must regulate it???? Microsoft doesn't prevent users from doing this, or make you use Internet Explorer. I don't see how this is an antitrust issue. :huh:

The issue is that the average user is too dumb to understand that "internet explorer icon" isn't TEH INTERNET, but just window's integrated browser.

So unless you say "hey you can have other things too" they won't notice.

It was like that for IE 6 and thanks god XP is slowly dying so we are finally getting rid of that beast (most webmasters hate it, lots of good reasons).

And so much things are sold over sheer ignorance (*cough* tablets *cough*).

Yeah, solving the fiscal mess they are in isn't a big enough problem in itself.

Because the Antitrust guys pestering Microsoft could do wonders in fixing fiscal issues right?

 

[Dwarf]

As an Englishman I wish we had EU choice, never mind browser choice.

The population get no vote on the EU because vested interests might not like our choosing.

How ironic.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Incidentally, are the EU going to target Apple for the same reason? I know that they include Safari as the browser on Macs and other computers that they manufacture, but can users of said computers choose to install and use an alternative? Don't think so - which kind of makes the EUs stance against Microsoft absolutely ridiculous. Or is Apple a subsidiary of the EU (or the other way round) ?

 

[bobafetthotmail]

ehm, did you look at the share of the PC market that Apple sits in?

the total of the computers running any of their OS are matching now the amount of computers running Vista alone (and only because Vista user base is shrinking), while Win 7 and Xp pwn everything.