Microsoft 'didn't notice' it had removed Browser Choice for 17 months Brussels' competition commissioner has opened a fresh investigation into Microsoft's practice of using its Windows operating system to push people into using its Internet Explorer browser, following allegations of non-compliance with an EC settlement deal the software giant agreed to in late 2009. Microsoft, under the legally- …
"Microsoft immediately confessed to what it described as a "technical error" that had removed the choice screen from its OS. "
Yes it's thanks to the bullshit artists and morons in Microsoft and the crapware that is filled with "technical errors" that they didn't notice that I don't ever use any Microsoft product any more - and haven't for a LONG LONG LONG time.
In fact the better I got at using computers and repairing operating systems and rectifying stupid bugs and outright bullshit - the more I became so utterly desperate to escape from having to use any Microsoft software....
While I think the people in Microsoft are lying - it seems patently obvious that they are, given their track record of stupidity and deceit, and bullshit software, I'd accept the fact that it's just one more fuck up, in a series of extremely long ranging and never ending series of fuck ups...
In fact I can hardly wait till Stupid Office 2013 falls flat on it's face..... A box of horse shit in different wrapping paper.
*blatantly
Fixed that for you. Get over yourself and go compain to your mirror. I haven't had any issues with my own Windows OS install (XP, 7 or 8 Preview) for over 5 years now. I do work in IT support though and plenty of people manage to cock up their OS by thinking that they know everything and doing things which they don't completely understand. It's called user error.
Once Microsoft copped a plea, they entered a binding settlement agreement. Unless they agreed to language that stipulated they no longer had to comply if their market share fell to X, they will have to keep that screen up until the end of time, the company goes tits up, or they petition the EU to modify the terms of the settlement agreement. (Whichever comes first... Assuming that the EU doesn't dissolve first...)
Having said that, it looks like one of three things happened...
A) our rogue programmer left Google and is now working for Microsoft
B) Microsoft was losing enough market share of the browsers and decided to do ths and if caught, they'd cop the Google Defense...
C) it was an honest mistake because they shipped the work off to India and the QA team didn't catch the mistake that flipped the switch to turn off the code to show this window for EU customers only.
Your choice....
Agree, I think the first thing people do with a new Windows computer is go to Mozilla to download a piece of software. The second thing they do is reset their homepage to Google.com. Maybe I am wrong, but I don't think IE and Bing, or whatever they use today, being the default throws many people off.
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Plus they may have been waiting to see how long it was until MS reinstated it, or until enough time had elapsed to smack their legs a bit.
Not that many people notice cos they're using other browsers, the ones using IE probably have no clue there should be a choice.
> Clearly the great unwashed couldn't give a shit.
The great unwashed don't know they have a choice.
They are not technically knowledgeable, they are not aware that there are other tools out there for performing the same task. They either depend upon their son/daughter/nephew/niece/neighbour (who probably has a little bit of knowledge) to set things up for them or they go with what they are given.
The browser choice screen is there so that the great unwashed are made aware that they do have a choice. What they do with that choice is up to them.
>The great unwashed don't know they have a choice.
>They are not technically knowledgeable, they are not aware that there are other tools out there for performing the same task.
>They either depend upon their son/daughter/nephew/niece/neighbour (who probably has a little bit of knowledge) to set things up for them or they go with what they are given.
>The browser choice screen is there so that the great unwashed are made aware that they do have a choice.
>What they do with that choice is up to them.
Except... no.
I agree with your statement that many depend on a friend or relative to sort things out. I don't agree with the rest though.
Because they are unaware that they do have a choice then, in reality, they don't really need to be given a choice and are fine with what is provided since given them a choice only confuses issues more.
Anyone who purposely clicks on any browser on the choice screen other than the default does so because they know what they want and if they already knew what they wanted then there's no need for the browser choice in the first place since they are more than capable of doing it themselves.
To those that know no better, giving them such a choice is just confusing and unneccessary.
Two examples.
Case one. Me. Built myself a new rig just before Christmas, Win7 Pro SP1. Can't remember if I had the browser choice but I'm assuming I didn't since, come a few days back here it is!
Now, I already had IE and FF installed so any install option was pointless so I clicked cancel. Heyho, it removes the IE icon from desktop, start menu and taskbar. No worries though, I simply re-pined them and was fine as before.
Case two. My mum. Setup a new Win 7 laptop for her a couple of weeks back. No browser choice option at initial setup when I was there. Browser option comes up after an update when I'm not there.
Now, I've instilled in her to say no to things that popup asking you to install this and that and leave it until I'm next there. So, she follows suit and clicks cancel the same as I did.
Trouble is, now her icons are gone and she thinks she no longer has internet access since you can't find them in the usual place. Brilliant!
How many others around the country did the same and ended up packing their laptops and pc off to PC World etc. because they had "lost" internet access...?
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There is no such thing as the default, that is the whole point of the EC's ruling. The (pretty obvious) idea here is that they want to prevent Microsoft from unfairly promoting their own solution.
The order of the various options in the browser choice screen is randomised.
Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by balls up.
I can't imagine for a minute that they'd deliberately go against the rulings of the EU, despite what many of the conspiracy orientated people on the Internet may say...
Also, how come the EU didn't notice for so long?
"Also, how come the EU didn't notice for so long?"
Yeah first thing that occurred to me is why Brussels didn't discover it was missing immediately when it happened. Can only suspect they knew much earlier and deliberately let it run to get another bite at the cherry. Or perhaps too busy using up their lavish expense accounts and generous salaries and perks. Either way, this is the real scandal so long as theres no evidence of a deliberate action by Microsoft, highly unlikely IMO.
And what about Opera who helped instigate the idiots to demand the annoying crapware in the first instance.
""Also, how come the EU didn't notice for so long?"
Yeah first thing that occurred to me is why Brussels didn't discover it was missing immediately when it happened. Can only suspect they knew much earlier and deliberately let it run to get another bite at the cherry"
That could be true but it is also possible that...
1. The EC were busy (they've had a few other issues to worry about, like the possible break up of the Euro) and
2. The wheels of EC bureaucracy turn very, very slowly (speaking from experience).
Re: "Apart from possibly the new Chrome for iOS no browsers are allowed unless they're just skins for Safari."
Nope, Chrome uses the same underlying libs, too, and a slower javascript engine, as it's not allowed to use the fancy one safari uses, or a faster third party one. It isn't allowed to be the system default browser, either. That said, it's still nicer to use AND YOU CAN SWITCH IT BETWEEN IDENTIFYING AS A MOBILE AND DESKTOP BROWSER, hint hint, Safari.
Oh, and Firefox Aurora for Android with Adblock extension is starting to appeal to me more and more too, apropos of nowt.. :)
that Apple had entered into a legally binding agreement to allow users to pick their browser of choice in iOS in settlement of an anti-trust investigation. Until that happens (and Apple hold only a small fraction of the worlds browser use) you won't see it either.
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