"Microsoft is accused by EU again "

[Whiternoise]

Bit of a rant..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7834792.stm

Complete and utter nonsense. What the hell would be the point of stopping them from having IE preinstalled? Yes, they have dominant market share, but this is similar to saying that all computers should be delivered to the customer with no operating system, giving them full freedom of choice over their user interface needs. I fail to see how they can nobble microsoft for providing a fundamental service with their OS and yet Apple are continually defended for their closed hardware approach (not to mention the heinous crime of bundling iLife and Safari which clearly stops users from making informed decisions about lifestyle and internet management utilities. Market share aside, this is a matter of principle not a matter of sales volume.

I have a question for them. How do i get a web browser if i can't navigate to the page because my install hasn't been bundled with a web browser to begin with?

2008 IE7 IE6 Chrome Fx Moz S O
December 26.1% 19.6% 3.6% 44.4% 0.4% 2.7% 2.4%

From the W3schools website. If their data is reasonably accurate, that makes it out that firefox (fx) have around 45% whereas IE (combined) has about the same. Looks to me like they should be after Mozilla for storming the market..

[SiM]

Yup this is ridiculous, I need IE to download Firefox on when I do a new install! But I think the point they are getting at is, we implicitly pay for IE when we buy windows and we shouldn't have to if it is not a core part of the OS. I do hate IE7 though. IE6 is my preferred back-up browser if it is available.

What MS should do is bundle an "extras" CD with each copy of Windows (or each pre-installed copy). On that CD you can get IE7, WM or whatever else.

But IMO, IE is a core part of the OS. It has to be used sometimes by everyone with window. A lot of other apps depend on it to be there for it to work. So this is ridiculous.

[moogle]

Dumb idiots... They were idiots when this story popped up a while back and still are. Who's to say what I get with my OS. Before they were complaining about including WMP with Windows because it hurts Real and Apple's sales of RealPlayer and Quicktime. Why do I want to go and buy something when I can get it free with my OS...

If the EU want Windows to come with no browser then yeah I'd like to know how do I get my new browser. Telnet to the website and send the HTTP codes manually?

Taking the piss really fining them for those huge amounts.

[SiM]

Why do I want to go and buy something when I can get it free with my OS...

Because it's not actually fee. The price is built in to the OS price...

[moogle]

Because it's not actually fee. The price is built in to the OS price...

Okay so it's still paid for, but the EU aren't trying to get that removed for us to not pay for it though are they.

[SiM]

Okay so it's still paid for, but the EU aren't trying to get that removed for us to not pay for it though are they.

Yup that's what they did with WMP...

Look up Windows XP N - costs about 50p less
That is how much WMP is worth lol

[moogle]

Yup that's what they did with WMP...

Look up Windows XP N - costs about 50p less
That is how much WMP is worth lol

That's cheap. However do they pay their WMP programmers

I wonder if they can just goto the WMP site and download it

I do think Microsoft should work towards removing IE from the core of Windows though, because when IE gets ff'ed (Not Firefoxed if that's what your thinking ) so does explorer/Windows sometimes. It might just make the OS seem a little bit more stable. IE7 is messed up on this PC (doesn't open, shouldn't have tried that IE8 Beta) and now clicking a folder will open a new window each time even though it's set to use 1 window etc, can't drag and drop files the destined folder must be open first...

What they should do is let it be uninstallable but still let it be allowed to be given as a part of Windows I think.

[TAKTAK]

I wonder if they can just goto the WMP site and download it

Yup

It's just not included on the disc, thats the EU being pillocks for you...

[SiM]

Yup

It's just not included on the disc, thats the EU being pillocks for you...

They are not being pillocks - they earned a lot of money out of it €x00m iirc. They have to earn a living somehow

[moogle]

They are not being pillocks - they earned a lot of money out of it €x00m iirc. They have to earn a living somehow

€899m *That €x00m was a well accurate figure there*

Well there goes all Microsofts WMP sales and then some

[aidanjt]

If they want to bitch at Microsoft over anything. Let it be the sheer lack of publically available documentation for intergrating Windows and Windows Services with other Operating Systems, or maybe tackle some of the anti-consumer clauses of Microsoft's EULAs. A bundled browser is a given with any modern OS, leaving it out is unparalleled stupidity of the highest moronic order.

[SiM]

€899m *That €x00m was a well accurate figure there*

Well I knew it was x hundred of million, couldn't remember what the x was. So x=9 and my post is accurate

[Hicks12]

Thats pathetic, as you lot mentioned you wouldnt be able to download the others anyway. How do you make money out of browsers? Ive never understood it so how will everyone else suffer? IE has been in windows for MANY years and they only decide todo it now? When loads of people are moving to other browsers lol.

Its funny how Apple are not being fined, i find it hard to believe they are not doing anything wrong. With the IPOD, you need itunes to put music on it so thats forcing people to use that software along with quicktime installing itunes with it and taking over your computers(that program is absolute fail), wonder if apple are behind this?.

[SiM]

It's true Apple are a lot worse at this. I hope Apple get fined too. Their products are way overpriced for that they are - and a lot of the time, they are worse quality then non-Apple stuff. They are worse rip-off artists than MS by far. IIRC you have to pay for the Apple OS's equivalent of service packs

[Hicks12]

Yup you do, and people complain about microsoft charging a similar amount for a whole different OS, stupid aye?.

The ipod earphones are like £20, buy some better quality ones for £7(ep 630's) or the £15 senns cx300's. A sock for an ipod costs like 5 or 10 quid along with arm bands being well expensive. Bought a silicon case for my sandisk sansa clip for about £3!.

[Powderhound]

I suppose by making it harder to get hold of web browsers, the EU might manage to remove some of the complete morons from the internet...