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Microsoft Agrees to Stop Hijacking Music-Shopping

Posted by michael on from the mozilla-all-the-way dept.

ScottSpeaks! writes "CNN , ABC, and others are reporting that Microsoft has agreed to fix Windows XP so that it no longer launches IE (instead of the user's chosen default browser) when the user selects the "Shop for Music Online" option in Windows XP. MS isn't admitting that it's a violation of the consent decree they signed to get the DoJ to drop the anti-trust suit against them, but threats to take them to court over it are what prompted the move."

5 of 382 comments (clear)

  1. Using another browser from outlook... by Phil+John · · Score: 4, Informative

    What version of Outlook are you using? Mine fires up Moz Firebird no problems, here's a link on how to do it.

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    I am NaN
  2. Re:What about Windows Update by SumDog · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here is a better question: should windows update even be run through a browser? No! Windows Update should be a completely standalone program. It has no business even being done through a web browser.

    Let's look at the other operating systems. Redhat uses rpm/yum/up2date which are all command line with a couple of gtk front-ends you don't need to use. Debain used apt. Gentoo uses emerge/portage. Not sure about OSX, but I'm willing to be that it's update tool isn't connected to Safari.

    Binding the update tool to the web browser seems to be one of those ploys Microsoft started years back to try to prove IE was essential to their operating system and couldn't be removed. Bad design dictated by bad politics. Here is a better question: should windows update even be run through a browser? No! Windows Update should be a completely standalone program. It has no business even being done through a web browser.

  3. Re:What's good for the goose... by irix · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is different how?

    Apple is not a convicted monopolist.

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    Do you even know anything about perl? -- AC Replying to Tom Christiansen post.
  4. Change which browser you use... by Otto · · Score: 4, Informative

    Or at least which browser you claim to use.

    Just add this to your user.js file (create the file in the same dir as prefs.js if it doesn't exist yet):

    user_pref("general.useragent.override", "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)");

    That'll fake it so the site thinks you're using IE 6 on an XP box. Usually, unless the site has something really extraordinary on it, it'll work reasonably okay anyway.

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    - Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
  5. Re:Why should MS have to change? by nolife · · Score: 4, Informative

    why shouldn't someone be able to force me to write a program in such away as to force me to generate charts

    The rules are different when a court determines your business is a monopoly. This change would not have happened if that was not the case.

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    Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.