Filed under: Business, Microsoft, Browsers
Microsoft, OEMs forced to bundle Firefox, Chrome by the EU?
The answer: more bloat for the end user! Yes, the European Commission is considering forcing OEMs to distribute alternative browsers with their systems. As someone who works in the retail computer business, I cringe at this news.
Don't get me wrong - I load Firefox on every system I build, if for nothing else but backup when a customer overloads IE with toolbars and rogue ActiveX controls. But that doesn't mean I'd want a government body forcing me to install software that I might not otherwise.
Let's think about this for a minute, EU guys.
Windows also includes some other things that have competitors: Wordpad, Paint, Media Player, Defender, and Remote Desktop Connection, to name a few. Does that mean that a new PC will have to include Jarte, AbiWord, Gimp, Paint.Net, WinAmp, VLC, GOM Player, Media Monkey, AdAware, SpyBot, MalwareBytes AntiMalware, Kerio, Comodo, ZoneAlarm, PC Anywhere, VNC, TeamViewer, and a slew of other apps whose functionality Microsoft has built in to Windows?
Where does it end?
And why do I get the feeling that, ultimately, the consumer is going to get the short end of the stick?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Michael said 11:10AM on 1-27-2009
Also, why can Apple bundle Safari with OS X, but Microsoft can't bundle IE with Windows?
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LethAL said 11:44AM on 1-27-2009
In short: market share.
Zaven said 11:49AM on 1-27-2009
Because windows sells more copies of its product than Apple. Yes this makes sense to me (sarcasm). One company sells more of its product than another company, so it must include its competitor's product as well.
Michael said 12:00PM on 1-27-2009
Market share shouldn't matter. Apple is getting increasingly more popular, and if they force one company not to bundle software, then they all shouldn't. I'm not biased towards either manufacturer, but fair is fair.
nicbot said 12:12PM on 1-27-2009
Yes. It's just plain wrong to hold one company to a standard and not another.
And it's not like they're forcing MS to bundle Safari...It's Firefox and Chrome. This could turn out to be a huge security concern imo.
I think choice by education is a better course of action and spending then forcing OS bloat.
Think outside the box EU and get with the times.
Richard said 12:07PM on 1-27-2009
Why not just bundle OSX and every form of Linux with Windows? They are the dominant OS on the market, right? Windows will now come on its own hard drive since a DVD won't be able to hold everything that will need to be included with it. Just plain silliness.
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Miguel said 11:48AM on 1-27-2009
You are absolutely correct Lee. It's a slippery slope; once the government meddles in one part it will set precedents to meddle in others. The EU is beginning to abuse its power as a regulator and ultimately the consumer will get the short end of the stick with extremely sluggish machines with 200 programs pre-installed, virtually no hard disk space left, and mass confusion for all.
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Muffin_man said 12:01PM on 1-27-2009
The more I hear about this story the more I get pissed off at the EU.
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-=Ben=- said 1:01PM on 1-27-2009
Firefox... it should be installed by default.
Chrome can go suck a chrome pipe.
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micronaut said 1:18PM on 1-27-2009
erm... you buy a Microsoft operating system then wonder why the functions have an MS badge on them? erm... ok.
I'm going to write to Vauxhall and demand a Ford steering wheel.
PS: Is anybody still bothered about browser wars? You can get one for every day of the week can't you? Tuesday is Chrome day.
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Christian said 1:20PM on 1-27-2009
I'm so gonna ban Opera on any of my future PC to install if they really go with this....
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warhammer300 said 1:23PM on 1-27-2009
I think there is a simple solution for Microsoft here. Have the browsers (whichever they end up being) on the installation disk with a simple check box during installation to determine which browser(s) the user wants to include. Thus, no end-user bloat. (Not that Microsoft is famous for taking the best route, or anything. :)
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jupiterthunder said 1:10AM on 1-30-2009
That doesn't solve the OEM issue.
doublecuff said 1:44PM on 1-27-2009
This article is interesting but a tad hyper in it's speculation. The following articles may therefore be worth reading:
Opera sings praises of Microsoft-browser statement
"...Opera in December 2007 that Microsoft was continuing to abuse its dominant position by tying its browser to its operating system and by not following web protocols."
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/19/opera_microsoft_european_commission/
"The EU did not specify what it may demand of Microsoft, but it left the door open to a solution similar to the 2004 case, when it required the company to offer a version of Windows without the media player."
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&taxonomyName=Standards+and+Legal+Issues&articleId=9126299&taxonomyId=146
"Microsoft's tying of Internet Explorer to the Windows operating system harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7834792.stm
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triclops said 1:52PM on 1-27-2009
the greatness of socialism! using capitalistic terms like monopoly and free market competition to impose "fairness" in the marketplace. the eu should instead spend more of its time kowtowing to russias will for some drips of gas!
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Ayle said 5:41PM on 1-30-2009
And in the mean time, you country is spending trillions to bail out banks and you auto industry... So much for free market.
Back to the topic: That decision is stupid if implemented.
triclops said 1:57PM on 1-27-2009
i wish microsoft would do more bundling! having to buy office separately on nearly every modern version of windows kinda sucks.
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sitruc said 3:35PM on 1-27-2009
Thanks for giving the EU ideas, Lee. They need more money...
j/k
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AlExAkE said 4:30PM on 1-27-2009
I think instead what MS should do is NOT include any browser at all. Instead, when you INSTALL windows should as you "What browser would you prefer" and give you the option to pick up 1 or more of the top popular ones like "IE, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Netscape and so on..." If is pre-installed same thing on the set-up page, so it downloads it and install it right away! That's the best way as far as I'm concerned!
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zippy said 6:46PM on 1-27-2009
I don't know what everyone is complaining about. Microsoft is a monopoly. The big 3 car manufacturers refused to evolve to meet customer demands and have all but gone under. Microsoft refuses to meet customer demands but has the luxury of being the most widely available and 'taken for granted' software company in the world.
I think its about time governments started putting in legislature that actually gives the consumer a REAL choice. I'm sick of seeing firefox being used by only savvy internet users. The same goes for vlc mediaplayer, process explorer, ccleaner, autologics defragmenter, thunderbird, rocket dock, launchy, paint.net.
It's almost becoming a rule amongst savvy computer users that 'if it's free, open source and does what any microsoft product does, then it's superior in every way'.
These sort of EU mandates are finally beginning to address that.
Maybe in 2020 we'll catch on in the US......
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