EU warms to Windows browser ballot screen; unveils details of how it would work
Peace between Microsoft and the European Union looks a step closer today after EU officials said they would likely be satisfied with the firm’s proposals for settling the Internet Explorer bundling row. The woman in charge of EU competition policy agreed to test plans to offer Windows users a choice of browsers.
Speaking at a press conference today, Neelie Kroes said Microsoft had tweaked its proposals for a “ballot screen” after discussions with officials. Under the revised system, people setting up Windows for the first time will see a screen explaining what a web browser is. They’ll then see a list of browsers to choose between, each with a “Tell me more” button linking to more details about that particular browser.
The screen will include 12 browsers to choose between, with users able to install multiple browsers if they choose. They’ll be based on existing market share across the European Economic Area (the 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Lichenstein and Norway.) Kroes noted that with the market dominated by a few major players, offering 12 options will give plenty of chance for lesser-known browsers to get on the ballot.
The system won’t affect the launch of Windows 7. If and when the EU gives the ballot scheme a final thumbs up, Microsoft will have two months before it must include the system in new European copies of Windows. Officials will retain the right to review the system in the future to make sure it is working effectively.
The EU will now run formal market testing of the scheme as well as inviting public opinion. However, the signs are good for Microsoft, with Kroes noting “The Commission’s preliminary view is that Microsoft’s commitments would indeed address our competition concerns.”
Kroes did not address whether this meant the EU would simply consider the matter closed, or whether it might still issue a fine to Microsoft for what it sees as previous competition breaches in bundling Internet Explorer in Windows.
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October 7th, 2009
Finally, it looks like common sense is getting through to the EU. Internet Explorer is indeed shockingly bad compared to Firefox and Google Chrome, its main two competitors, but to try to steal away market share on ‘anticompetitive’ grounds is just poor stuff from the EU. The average PC user doesn’t really care what browser they use until prompted to make an informed decision – and the ‘informed’ is the main part.
If they tell users the benefits of each browser then surely this is a good thing for the browser market as a whole – after all, with more people using faster, more secure browsers, the web will be a better place until virus creators focus more on firefox and chrome. As long as Microsoft describes Firefox, Chrome and the other 9 browsers accurately, I can’t see Internet Explorer even retaining market share at all, it will lose it rapidly.
October 10th, 2009
If EU will test and approve the new ballot screen near the end of the year, what browser , if any, will microsoft ship with win7 on October 22 ?
Did the EU approve IE8 on win7 as sole browser for the time being ?