Posted on 06/11/2009 1:30:05 PM PDT by reaganaut1
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it would ship the newest version of its Windows operating system in Europe without its Internet Explorer web browser, in a move to counter European regulators' concerns that the company unfairly forces out competition from other browser makers.
The apparent climb-down comes shortly before the European Commission is due to rule on antitrust charges brought against Microsoft in January, claiming that the world's largest software company abuses its dominant position by bundling its Internet Explorer browser, shielding it from head-to-head competition with rival products.
Until now, Microsoft has claimed that the browser was an integral part of the operating system and should not be pulled out;, but it now plans to do that for a European version of Windows 7, due to be rolled out later this year.
"To ensure that Microsoft is in compliance with European law, Microsoft will be releasing a separate version of Windows 7 for distribution in Europe that will not include Windows Internet Explorer," the software maker said in a memo which was made public by technology news site CNET on Thursday. Microsoft confirmed the authenticity of the memo.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Isn't government supposed to work for the people and not make their lives more difficult?
One day Atlas will shrug. There was a chance that Microsoft would have done so today and just refused to sell it’s OS in the European Union.
The shrug is coming and we avoided it today.
Funny, but you do have a point.
>.Isn’t government supposed to work for the people and not make their lives more difficult?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That be so quaint.
And what do you think the reaction of people is gonna be, they bring a PC home, they got the broadband thingie already set, and ......no browser!
MS, I bet, bundles a utility to immediately download and buy one....and the consumer gets billed.
EUGoobers happy, MS happy.
I never have exactly understood the whole Microsoft browser flap. Don't like IE? Install Netscape, Mozilla, Chrome, Safari, Galeon, etc, etc, etc.
>Don’t like IE? Install Netscape, Mozilla, Chrome, Safari, Galeon, etc, etc, etc.
Bingo.
Now THAT would be an improvement.
It is not Explorer, but what is attached to Explorer that is the problem.
Impossible to secure.
What alternative is there? Give it away? You don’t give up hundreds of millions of customers just because they don’t want you bundling a service. You work with in their rules.
Why would the consumer be billed? If I had the choice between paying for a browser and getting one for free, I take the free one. Even if that means a friend has to burn it to disc for me.
Recorded message from government run customer support hotline - “if you are having difficulty with your internet connection, please visit our web site or email us: go@pound-sand.gov”
Because now MS can bill for something they handed out “free” or bundled.
Just a scenario, most people would want to start browsing right away, and if MS enables that, they get billed for the browser.
If the EU tells MS not to ship a free browser, then why shouldn’t MS bill for one they buy.
The EU just screwed its own citizens.
They bank on people taking the path of least resistance. IE Browser already installed and no install problems to deal with, therefore majority will stick with using IE.
Bragging rights to claim percentages of who uses their browser.
Having an emotional attachment to an OS or browser is very weird to say the least.
What would Europe do without the ability to buy Windows?
This just in: Microsoft is going to charge the same amount, browser or no browser.
IE is free software, so I don’t see how Microsoft has a competetive advantage.
Microsoft always claimed IE was so embeded into the OS that it couldn’t be removed, so I’m surprised they did. Their alternative was probably to do what many Linux distros do: include 3-4 different browsers with their installation (which is overkill, imho.)
...but including a bit of malware that causes your motherboard to burst into flames when you attempt to install Firefox....
The Europeans would pirate it or move to Linux after awhile, easy. MS would be doing their business a disservice by walking away from the largest economy in the world because they can’t bundle stuff in it they want. Give the euroweenies what they want I say.
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