Slashdot Mirror
Dell Pre-Installing Firefox in UK
seizer writes "Blake Ross, creator of Firefox, has confirmed on his blog that Dell are now shipping Firefox on all desktop and laptop machines in the UK. While rumours had been floating around before this, and UK buyers had been reporting that 1.0.6 came pre-installed, this is the first official confirmation of Dell's decision. Is the US next?"
This is just not true.
You can order a Dell without an OS. At least in the US.
For those wondering why this particular version, it is the latest to support FULL msi options http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=1380 33 as listed on the official mozillazine forums.
:)
However if the people at DELL had of just gone one more click to the guys full site, they would see the latest MSIs built ready for pre-install or corp rollout needs http://www.frontmotion.com/Firefox/.
Big thanks to "DraconPern" for doing this, OEMer i been working at has been rolling this onto default install for around 14 months now, not had one gripe about bloatware, and quite a few thankyous from people for saveing them the effort
...
You can order a Dell without an OS. At least in the US.
You can, but it costs more than the same computer with Windows.
i dont do windows either, but i maintain a few boxes for some older family members. and MSIE isnt a requirement for windows update any longer. ms finally got tired of hearing all the complaints over the phone as to why they couldnt update their box with a few million people having firefox as their "default browser". so it works now. but yeah.. kernel-level integration of anything but the kernel and device drivers, ..is a big mistake no matter who you are, a one man fly by night F/OSS camp, or the big ole satanic redmond crew. its not intelligent. to say the least. so ..its a step.
They don't remove IE, because you can't. IE is actually a part of Windows.
-Is it installed like the rest of their nagware? (e.g. buried in the menus)
.. I only know this because my brother has just got a new dell machine
Yes, it's pre-installed.
-Will it remain the default browser?
The default browser is still IE
-Is there an icon on the desktop? (still will probably not switch the trained to click the "e" people.)
Yes, it's on the desktop with the standard FireFox icon
Comment removed based on user account deletion
My sister got one of these, to my surprise, the fox was there.
There is an icon on the desktop, along with Internet Explorer's and about 30 others. I believe Internet Explorer came as default, but I didn't observe the first seconds directly.
It seems a standard install, no obvious branding or skinning - the start page has been set to Dell's EULA.
Neither browser masks the other that I can tell, of course each has it's standard 'I'm not the default' message.
Actually, you can remove IE but it is not simple and windows is left lacking a bunch of features.
What if Tetris was invented by Nazis?
Your entire post needs a reality check.
First of all, Dell already bundles RealPlayer, WordPerfect and other software that competes with Microsoft, so tossing Firefox into the mess isn't that big of a step.
Second, while Dell ships RedHat Linux on it's high-end desktops, most of you whiners don't want to pay for a RedHat subscription anyway. Fortunately Dell will sell most of its desktops bare (without Windows), so you are free to install Ugentou or whatever the linux flavor of the month is.
Finally, the key victory in the antitrust settlement was that MS must take this lying down. If there was even a wift of them threating an OEM about bundled "middleware", they would be opening themselves to an new round of lawsuits.
Whenever I hear the word 'Innovation', I reach for my pistol.
The only web browser icon on the desktop is firefox, and yes it is also the default.
Regards,
Steve
Dell is a company, and as such, is a SINGULAR NOUN. Usage rules dictate that singular nouns are incompatible with plural verbs. Would you say "My mom are going to the store?" Of course not. Why, then, would you say "Dell are now shipping" ?
Learn some fucking English, people.
Learn to accept different regional usages. Where I come from, saying 'Dell are' is standard usage: 'Dell' is a collective noun and can be treated as a plural.
If your comment title says 'Re: Foo', I'm not likely to read it.
Ask your average person what browser they use, and most likely your response will be "I don't know" or "I don't care" and I would be willing to bet it would be more than half of internet users. But you are right that they will be acheiving subliminal mindshare to the non-savvy users, but it will definately go un-noticed by them.
Here's an example. The last 4 computers I have fixed, I completely wiped IE out and installed Firefox for them. Saving me headaches in the long run. When a month or two down the line I ask them how their system is running and how they like the new browser I get, "Everything is running good, new what?" Completely clueless Because I made the Firefox icon set to be the IE "e" icon for familiarity. And it was 4 out of 4, so my percentage above could be off by alot, given into account for the icon change.
-- Brought to you by Carl's JR
I'm sure someone will correct me if this is not the case, but I believe in the Queen's English (as opposed to American English), organizations are often represented in the plural because they are a group of people. You will read a US headline that says "Manchester United is likely to sell to Glazer", but in the UK, it can be "Manchester United are likely to sell to Glazer". Check out this site. Given the English source for the story, this makes sense.
I have just recieved my new pc from dell, and yes, firefox is pre-installed as the default browser, and is nice and prominent as a shortcut on the desktop and right at the top of the start bar under Internet. And no, it doesnt have a special dell skin, but the home page is to Dell's EULA. IE is also still installed of course and still has its icon on the desktop which will make people that are used to clicking on the 'e' continue their bad habit (yes i am a firefox supporter).
I just hopes this gives the browsers support a boost.
Nufu Game Making Team Nufu Networks
Opera went free and ad-free a couple of months back with version 8.5. There was a big whoopety-doo about it at the time. Those screenshots are out of date, as most screenshots posted on the Internet always seem to be. Not saying you should use Opera, just get your facts straight. For me it was the best browser a few years ago but now nothing can really hold a candle to Firefox plus a few essential extensions:
Adblock + Filterset.G from Pierceive.com
FlashGot
NoScript
PDF Download
Tabbrowser Extensions by Shimoda Hiroshi (not the Tabbrowser Preferences available from the "official" extensions site which is a pale imitation, you'll have to Google for it using the author's name). This by itself is the single best extension for Firefox as far as I am concerned. Long live automatic colored tab groups.
Opera is nice but there is no way it can keep up with the simple flexibility of Firefox these days.
You make a mistake in insisting that language be logical. It isn't: usage morphs over time, and once-ungrammatical constructions become normal. Take, for example, the difference between 'I feel good' and 'I feel well.'
Would you say, "Microsoft are a company" or, "Microsoft is a company"?
I'd tend to say 'Microsoft is a company' in order to put the two sides into agreement. However, I'd also say 'Microsoft have been fined by the EU.' It's a matter of feeling and nuance, really.
Now it's your turn to point out some equally nonsensical language construct that is only used by us 'mericans.
Here's one where Americans often use a plural noun as if it were singular:
'That's a savings of $5!'
It sounds odd to my ears, but it's obviously very common in US usage.
If your comment title says 'Re: Foo', I'm not likely to read it.
Which bank?
There are very, very few that don't support Mozilla/Firefox/etc completely, and of those who don't, the sites typically have just minor quirks.
If it's not already a known problem I'll be happy to file a Bugzilla report (regardless of whether it's a problem with the browser or the website - we can at least try to work with the webmaster to fix their site).
For the most part, usage of non-IE browsers has reached critical mass and webmasters/designers have stopped ignoring it. While there are still quite a compatibility problems in corporate and other environments where browser usage tends to be more tightly controlled, for general purpose websites it's unlikely to see problems with Firefox anymore. It's difficult to tell 10-15% of your potential audience (perhaps more, perhaps less depending on demographic) to get another browser, especially when these tend to be the more tech-affluent (and active) online users.
Microsoft's income based on IE is negligible if not negative.
.Net dev tools and what not.
Bullshit! MSN makes quite a bit of money. IE uses MSN as the default search engine. The ads alone bring in quite a bit of revenue, otherwise Google wouldn't have bought a stake in AOL and had let AOL switch to MSN search technology.
That default earns them a lot of money in advertising. In addition it sells their technology, such as
It costs them absolutely nothing for Dell to preinstall Firefox; the only cost is altering the Windows Update site to allow for both browsers--which they're doing anyway.
Microsoft stated that they would allow Firefox to browse and download files from Microsoft.com, this means that it will use the Windows Media Plugin to run it's GenuineCheck test. They have not stated that they will support Firefox on WindowsUpdate. Truth be told that would be a bad thing, since it would mean giving Firefox way more power to alter the underlying OS.
Eventually, MS might reach a deal with the Mozilla Foundation to bundle Firefox with Windows, saving them the expense of maintaining IE. Then everyone wins--the users get a better browser and a more secure OS; Microsoft's reputation improves all around; Firefox spreads further; and website designers get redesign their sites to support standards and nix ActiveX controls.
This will never happen. They have revitalized the IE product and will not drop it as long as competition is available. The web is quickly becoming more powerful (think AJAX) and Microsoft will not allow a cross platform browser take the lead on that. Then it means users can switch easier between platforms.
Besides the Mozilla Foundation makes the majority of its money from the integrated Google search. Microsoft will not help what it considers an enemys friend.
Can I get an eye poke?
Dog House Forum
Wrong over 50% of all internet connections in the U.K. are broadband, and I have yet to notice one (with the exception of AOL) that produces a branded version of IE. In fact you generally don't get a CD for that matter either, beyond drivers for a USB or PCI ADSL card. Though increasingly people opt for NAT based ethernet routers, if only for the added protection it provides.