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Why Microsoft's EU Ballot Screen Doesn't Measure Up
An anonymous reader writes "A lengthy interview on Groklaw discusses the EU's case against Microsoft. The case is supported by Opera, Google, Mozilla, ECIS, and the Free Software Foundation Europe. The EU has demanded that users be offered a 'ballot screen' to make it easier for users to select other browsers. Microsoft has responded by implementing the ballot screen as a web page inside IE. While this may nominally satisfy EU's demand, it is unlikely to satisfy users who prefer other browsers. In order to select another browser, users must be running IE. Also, users will be shown security warnings when choosing from the ballot. Microsoft's ability to charge patent fees in Europe is also discussed: why are they allowed to charge patent fees where software patents are not recognized?"
They will be running IE for a grand total of 30 seconds, rendering a local web page, until they choose their prefered browser.
Not true. Even after installing a different browser, IE will continue to remain in the system, providing a safe haven for viruses, worms etc. making the system insecure.
Where's the need for a browser just to choose and download another? Why not just ftp?
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
Anonymous Coward writes
Because the functionality is already there. They're being good developers, you idiot. They don't want to reinvent the wheel just as much as we don't want to reinvent the wheel.
There's no need to install Innerweb Exploder, except the desire of the marketers to put that IE shortcut on the desktop. It would take less than a day to add the FTP functionality into the selection screen. "you idiot"
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