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Microsoft Drops Windows 7 E Editions
A week after Microsoft agreed to include a browser ballot screen in Windows 7 systems sold in Europe, then announced that those systems would initially include no browser at all — specifically, no Internet Explorer — Microsoft has changed its mind again and dropped talk of a European Windows 7 E edition. Here is the official Microsoft blog announcement, which includes a screen shot of the proposed ballot screen. The browsers are listed left-to-right in order of market share, with IE therefore having pride of place. PC Pro notes that, since the ballot screen would not appear if IE were not pre-installed, Microsoft's proposal opens the door for Google to work with PC manufacturers to get Chrome on new machines. Note that the browser ballot screen has not yet been accepted by the EU, though the initial reaction to it was welcoming.
Of course, that couldn't happen, because unlike Microsoft, other browsers don't have a monopoly market they can exploit to force OEMs to bundle their browsers and only their browsers.
"Not to mention all the idiots who use words like boxen."
Anonymous Coward on Monday August 04, @06:49PM
The Borg represent achievement of perfection, through assimilation. Yes, that is exactly what Microsoft does. And no, I don't have a problem with it. Because they make amazing software... You can keep your shiny iCrap, thank you very much.
It will stick around in case your change your mind...
PS: They don't have much choice. Part of their strategy to get IE onto all machines was to put all fancy new user interface controls into the IE DLLs. There was a time when you had to distribute IE along with your own application if you wanted it to run, even though there was no web browsing functions in it (assuming you used those controls, obviously...)
No sig today...
Because Apple aren't a monopoly.
You're confusing things - it's not "Microsoft are a monopoly because they did this", it's "Microsoft are a monopoly, and they did this". Being a monopoly is about market share (well that's one definition - I'm not sure off hand what criteria the EU use, but the point is that Microsoft qualify, and Apple aren't even close).
Last, how is it a monopoly when the product (ie) is non profit (afaik)?
That's not really relevant, but anyway: Microsoft have a monopoly on operating systems, which they do sell.
You rewriting history in order to make it seem Microsoft actually got where they are through merit is laughable at best.
No, they got there because Netscape fucked up.
... there was no 5.0 ... the delay cost it over half of its market, and 6.0 was so bad that by the time IE6.0 was released it was down to less than 10% usage share.
Netscape was still the #1 leader when they made the choice to do a complete fucking rewrite that took several years.
This mistake was so terrible that Netscape usage tanked slowly, from the 60% usage share when NN4.0 was released (1997) down to 55% usage share when IE5.0 was released (1999), where it rapidly tanked down to 20% up until NN6.0 (2000)
No, it wasn't IE's merit.. it was the complete lack of any merit to the competition. NOBODY wanted to use NN6.. the only people who did were using AOL.
Thats the history. Those are the numbers. If you ever used NN4.0 you know for a fact it didnt hold a candle to IE6.0, and if you ever used NN6.0 you know for a fact that it crashed constantly and due to the rewrite, wasnt even as standards compliant as 4.0.
"His name was James Damore."
You mean they progressively improved their browser while Netscape progressively made their browser shittier and shittier? There was a time where the only thing IE was good for (IE3) was to download Netscape without using FTP. Eventually the Netscape version got more bloated and more buggy while the IE versions got more stable, and worked with more websites. Eventually there was just not point to downloading the increasingly large download. IIRC Netscape had a mail client, a usenet client, a webpage editor and an IRC client. Remember those were the days when we still used modems, so a 15mb download was a big deal.
Isn't it obvious that Netscape killed Netscape? Doesn't the fact sued Microsoft (just like Sun/Java) cry of desperation? Does the EU not have anything better to do with their time? Are we still fighting this battle? Seriously? Grow up.
I think a much better punishment/solution would be that Microsoft be forced to charge for IE. If that ballot said 'not free, free, free, free, free", guess which one would not be picked by average user. Even if just 50 cents, who would bother? And it would probably be available as a torrent if you really wanted it.
Steve
Fifty years of Yippie! 1968-2018
Rewriting history much ?
No. Not like you guys trying to paint Netscape as some white knight who was coming to save the internet when they were cruelly cut down from behind by the evil Microsoft, and that the only reason anyone, anywhere, would ever use IE was because it was "forced" on them.
I cut my teeth on Xterms at the local University running Mosaic in the early '90s, and experienced the "browser wars" first hand. You can't bullshit me about how good Navigator was "back in the day" and that IE only took over by subterfuge, because I remember a) sticking with Navigator 3.x when 4.0 came out (because 4.0 was so unbelievably bad), and b) later switching to the IE4 *betas* because they were so much better.
Netscape shot themselves in both feet try to pick up the ball they dropped, then fell into quicksand. That they aggravated Microsoft a few minutes beforehand was unfortunate, but not decisive. Netscape has no-one to blame except Netscape.
In October 1998, Internet Explorer barely had 40% [...]
A self-selecting poll with a question of "which browser do you expect to be your primary browser in 12 months" ?
Statistics. You suck at it.