Browser ballot confirmed for 1 March
Microsoft has confirmed that European Windows users will be prompted to consider rival browsers to Internet Explorer from March 1. The move makes no actual difference to the freedom and choice users have, but may reduce the numbers who stick with Internet Explorer out of habit.
The “browser ballot” (or “Web browser choice screen”) is a key element in the settlement of a European Union investigation into whether Microsoft unfairly ties Windows and Internet Explorer by bundling the browser with the operating system.
As we previously noted, the most surprising aspect of the program is that it won’t just apply at set-up of new PCs. Existing users from European Union member countries will get it as part of the regular Windows Update service (unless of course they choose to receive such updates on a manual basis.)
Once the update is installed, any user running Internet Explorer will be met with the screen the next time they start Windows. The screen will display the five most widely used browsers in Europe (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari) in a random order. There’ll also be a horizontal scroll-bar leading to the next seven biggest browsers, with that group also in random order. Users will be able to install as many or as few browsers as they choose from the screen.
The update will be sent out to some users in Belgium, France and the U.K. for testing purposes next week, before being rolled out to all users from March 1.
Windows 7 users should note that the ballot’s appearance will automatically unpin the Internet Explorer icon from the bottom of their screens. They will be able to re-pin or remove the icon as usual after the ballot process.
There may be a useful side effect of the process: the browsers offered by the screen will be the latest editions, meaning that those users who simply click Internet Explorer because they recognize will upgrade to the more secure version 8.
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