Dear EU: Please quit whining about browsers already

OMG thank you! It's about time someone said this. I had a heated debate with my dad yesterday about this exact issue. Only thing I would change about the article is include the sentence somewhere "Hey EU, [expletive] you!".

Very well spoken indeed!

Microsoft is singled out because of their previous conduct. If they didn't want to pay the price, they shouldn't have committed the crime. I have no sympathy for them, and I have no problem with holding Microsoft to a different standard than Linux or OSX, for this reason.

People seem to forget what Microsoft did in the 90s. Microsoft illegally used its monopoly status to kill Netscape. Even if all OSes today include web browsers, that doesn't change what Microsoft did and how it changed the industry.

At least EU is attempting to do something about it.

The more Microsoft improves Internet Explorer for web standards and the more diversity we have in web browsers makes for a healthier industry.

I'm not saying the EU's method is the best or correct way, but why not post something constructive?

Here Here, I agree with this article. Just my opinion, let those who make operating systems put what they wish on it, there are always other options. People aren't stupid, they can do a google search for whatever browser they want and download it themselves, its pretty fool proof to even the most incomplete person.

It just requires the ability and the willingness to read.

"Apple already show you other browsers"...Where? I've used Macs and seen them out of the box and there isn't any "Hey you could use something other than Safari" information on the things. I installed FF on my sister's Macbook the same way I did on my Vista laptop...getfirefox.com.

The EU is overstepping here and anyone who tries to say that they're not is either delusional or a liar.

Great article and I have to agree. I cannot believe that the EU is making MS to look bad here. At the end of the day, a browser is pretty much expect as standard on any OS. MS being the ones building the underlying OS have every right to include their own OS. Would you seriously expect MS to not include a browser with the OS? Then what - how would you even get to get on the internet if there wasn't a browser to begin with? Why should MS include all the other browsers on the install disk to take up space for what we would then consider bloated?

This shows how effed up the EU really are because if they are bitching about the browser - then what about all the rest? I know they attack MS about having a monopoly on Windows Media Player. Then how about file browsers - OMG Windows Explorer has a monopoly and now all other file browsers should be included. Do you see how this could just go on and on - nitpicking at every part of the OS.

If MS should have to remove everything - then so should Apple, afterall fair is fair. The EU just go about doing things in such a screwed up way with no common sense. At the end of the day - the tech savvy people know there are alternatives and most choose what they want. The average person who doesn't really know tech stuff probably doesn't care whether they use IE or not and are therefore happy to just stick with it because they just want to be able to access the internet and so they don't really care about the name of the product in the title bar.

If MS just got pissed off and said that they would no longer provide Windows to the EU and removed it from being sold, then that would be a huge loss to the EU in terms of revenue and jobs etc. If this actually happened then people would probably get rid of the stupid EU parliament members who caused this in the first place. It is one thing to find fault with something, but to keep badgering MS constantly over this and that is rather pathetic.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's about time somebody said this.

Windows 7 accomplishes what the EU courts have mandated and it works. I uninstalled IE from my W7 partition almost immediately, and I've had no adverse effects from it. Besides the IE Tab extension for Firefox not working (understandably).

I wouldn't mind if Microsoft added this dashboard option, but probably 80% of its customers are going to click the MICROSOFT Internet Explorer option. It makes sense they'd try to promote their own browser and make it look good as much as possible, even if they were mandated to allow users to choose. So what would be the point. Have it installed by default and let it be uninstallable, then users don't have the headache of "which browser do I choose just to START on the internet?"

@KarlW: While Microsoft's competitors may be the ones pushing, the EU's courts are the ones obliging. So the call to the EU is perfectly appropriate, just as it would be to ask the US courts to stop hearing RIAA cases (would you, please?).

what is this a 15 - 18 year old blogger?

this article is just silly and a bit ignorant, first of all, this is a business monopoly problem, so linux or any software that is free or opensource can do what the hell they want, even if they have 99% of market share, so your "oh my gawd they are gonna mess my OS's..." is... *no comment*

second, what the EU is doing, is what America (just the fact lobbies are legal...) and other developed countries close their eyes to, that is, to protect the citizens from unfair and monopolistic BUSINESS practices, because those are the kinds of things that hurt citizens and hurts competition and creativity

third, you probably haven't read much about this ongoing case, but microsoft even after multiple fines, barely complies with what is asked, so what is the EU supposed to do? this is actually not such a bad idea, at least it gives options...

The EU monopoly police keep going after microsoft for one reason, job security.

It's 2009, and if people haven't figured out they can download and install the browser of their choice, as well as make said browser the default, that is their problem not Microsoft's or the EU's. Or perhaps it comes down to this, the vast majority of people SIMPLY DON'T CARE enough about the browser to download something else.

Most people don't want to have to decide which browser, media player, email client, file explorer, picture editor, etc to use. They want to be able to easily do what they want, and they want it to work. By and large Microsoft has accomplished this. If someone wants to use a different tool, it's their choice, but it's also their job to find out about it and do the necessary work to implement it.

It's long past time for the EU monopoly police to show their Microsoft division to the door and move on to more important issues.

Dear Lee Mathews
Stop whining period

I think Windows should be separated from MS-DOS.
that would really make a different. A Windows and kernel version of DOS.

so there will be a dirt cheap $5.00 MS-DOS what would works with other PC programs you just need, not to pay for Solitaire, minesweepers or useless Windows programs.

of course Microsoft will not as profitable.

In Win 7 you can much more easily remove IE as shown here.
microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/support/faq.aspx
I think that's more than enough on Microsoft's part.

The people that don't know about other browsers to download now as it is will just end up confused and calling tech support about which browser they should choose and that's just an unneeded headache for everyone.

I'm not very fond of how the people in the EU seem to want the government to run their lives for them.

Very disappointing post, you would be well advised to some research into the issues involved before embarrassing yourself in this way.
Of course that is the charitable view. MS have been know to reward friendly bloggers with laptops etc..

But I usually like this site and find it useful and informative.

I see that the old adage about expertise not necessarily transfering to other fields is true.

Stick to the stuff you know or do some research.

stop taking the piss and support freedom (also i DO use IE, i like it)

re hexdsl's comment. don't you just love how socialists view government control as "freedom"?

you should let people know that you accept no html. the first line in my previous comment was meant to be italicized and is a quote from a previous comment made by hexdsl