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Mozilla To Join EU Suit Against Microsoft

Posted by timothy on from the judges-make-the-best-software-decisions-of-all dept.

CWmike writes "The European Commission (EC) has granted Mozilla the right to join its antitrust case against Microsoft, a spokesman said Monday. If the charges stick, Microsoft could be forced to change the way it distributes IE, as well as pay a fine for monopoly abuse. Mitchell Baker, Mozilla's chairperson, said in a blog over the weekend that there isn't 'the single smallest iota of doubt' that Microsoft's tying of IE to Windows 'harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice.'"

3 of 422 comments (clear)

  1. An OS with no browser? by JCSoRocks · · Score: 1, Troll

    I love FireFox. It's all I use unless I'm confronted with some horrible IE-only site... but, are we really going to try and force Microsoft to stop including IE with the OS? If you have no web browser how are you supposed to go about getting one? Memorize an FTP address? Conveniently have one on a thumb drive or CD ready to go? Mozilla has already said they don't want to be included.

    The answer to this is obviously less important to techies such as ourselves. I can, however, imagine the sad conversation I'd end up having with one of my less savvy peers.

    --
    You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
  2. Re:ultimately reduces consumer choice by moniker127 · · Score: 1, Troll

    Well, making IE uninstallable would be a start. It may also help if they changed their activex object to just use the default browser in browser embedded applications (mmo launchers & such).
    No body expects them to advertise for mozilla, and they shouldnt have to, but they fight the consumer tooth and nail to make IE integrated into EVERYTHING, and thats what we're fighting.
    If i remember correctly, if you manage to uninstall IE manually (not easy) in XP- simply putting the windows cd in your drive will auto reinstall it.

  3. Re:ultimately reduces consumer choice by RoFLKOPTr · · Score: 1, Troll

    Who cares if IE is present on your computer? It doesn't pose a security risk if it's not running. And many widely-used programs use IE embedded in them (Steam, for instance), and I don't want to have to go download IE in order to be able to use it.