News - The EC welcomes Microsoft browser ballot screen

[HEXUS]

The new screen for PCs with Internet Explorer as the default browser features a lot of options you might not have heard of.

Read more.

[Irien]

Don't know about anyone else, but I found it all rather confusing, especially for people who just want to keep what they have.

Not only do you get another (useless) icon stuck to your desktop, but there's no obvious way to say "Just keep what I have" or "Go away!". Indeed, if you do choose to download and install an alternative browser, it doesn't notice, so keeps offering you the choice. You can't even click a button to say "I have installed a new browser, please go away".

I *think* you're just suppose to click the close button to close the window, but that doesn't remove the desktop icon etc. There didn't appear to be any help provided either.

Basically, it seems like it was put together by a bunch of first-time coders with no concept of how to present something that would be forced upon the vast majority of computer users on the planet. Way to go, Microsoft. Sigh.

[cjs150]

"Web browsers are the gateway to the internet," said Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia. "Giving consumers the possibility to switch or try a browser other than that included in Windows will bring more competition and innovation in this important area to the benefit of European internet users."

All I can say is that sums up the competence of the EU. If I want to try a new browser that takes me, let me think, about 2 mins to find, downloand and install. I do not need some stupid sign up screen to show me how to do that.

This is about on par with EU requirement to have Windows without the media player which sold exactly how many copies? Less than 100 ?

[TheAnimus]

my mum called me because she assumed she had some nasty software. I'm proud she has learn't not to click on stuff that says it needs to be installed.

I wonder how long before phishers are actually using this idea? (hell they probably already are!)

[AGTDenton]

I still havnt seen the option to choose yet, I feel left out Actually no i dont im quite happy managing my own system thank you very much EC

Giving consumers the possibility to switch or try a browser other than that included in Windows will bring more competition and innovation in this important area to the benefit of European internet users.

If almost all browsers are free, whats the beef with including a free browser with your own OS when you dont directly profit from it. If other companies cant compete with IE then surely they arent doing it right in the first place? In my opinion this doesnt need to go to court. Do you see MS crying that the iPhone doesnt have IE as an option?

People seem quite happy and able to seek out better photo editing software than that of Microsofts offering so Im sure most of the EU residents arent stupid to not apply the same logic with their Internet browser. Maybe people in the EU like Internet Explorer, did they ever stop to think about that?

The EC and EU can go stuff its face full of pristine and perfect sized vegtables as far as im concerned.

[Mike Fishcake]

my mum called me because she assumed she had some nasty software. I'm proud she has learn't not to click on stuff that says it needs to be installed.

I wonder how long before phishers are actually using this idea? (hell they probably already are!)

That's exactly what we're worried about with our users as well. Expecting loads of service desk calls about this.

[borandi]

The system is meant to detect if you already have another browser as default - sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

I lot of people do not even know what a browser is. They just 'click google'.

With regards the placement of the icons in the menu, it turns out that the idiot programming it either purposely made it not random, or used the algorithm declared un-random by the mathematical community - http://www.robweir.com/blog/2010/02/...er-ballot.html

[McPhee]

Is it true that if you choose not to install another browser you keep getting the pop-up and can't get rid of it? Sounds a lot like the EC telling people they can't use IE, which is a shame because IE8 is actually alright (I used it until Chrome updated to make use of Windows 7's features. Live View tabs are still missing).

[MorrisR]

Agree with all on this, especially Irien. If I'm happy with IE7 (or 8 for that matter), or anything else, however weird it may seem, why on earth should I be encouraged to hit an "Install Now" button for something else. It really needed an "I'm happy with what I've got", or "I don't want anthing - go away" button.
If this keeps popping up I'm going to be very annoyed indeed. Deleting teh icon from the desktop should be simple, unless someone has tried to be annoyingly clever and made it sticky.
The points about virus access are also very valid.

[marshalex]

Is it true that if you choose not to install another browser you keep getting the pop-up and can't get rid of it? Sounds a lot like the EC telling people they can't use IE, which is a shame because IE8 is actually alright (I used it until Chrome updated to make use of Windows 7's features. Live View tabs are still missing).

it would appear so, a lot of our end users are complaining because they click on ie8 but it doesnt appear to clear any of the settings for it and it keeps appearing. its going to be a fun few days in the office me thinks