Haavard

CNN: Europe Objects To Microsoft's Browser Bundling

Saturday, January 17, 2009 11:23:45 AM

European antitrust regulators have told Microsoft Corp. that the company's practice of including its Internet browser with its popular Windows operating system violates European competition law

The EC:

In the SO, the Commission sets out evidence and outlines its preliminary conclusion that Microsoft’s tying of Internet Explorer to the Windows operating system harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice.

It's been more than a year since Opera Software's antitrust complaint to the European Commission:

These articles answered a few questions and made the case for unbundling IE, which is exactly what the EU might be considering.

While the browser market is heating up, IE is still holding everyone back, and we have to spend far too much time creating workarounds for IE's bugs and non-standard behaviour.

Last year, Opera's antitrust complaint forced Microsoft to default to standards mode in IE8.

Vodafone uses Opera to push for open standardsHow do I get a browser if Microsoft unbundles IE?

Comments

Charles SchlossChas4 # Saturday, January 17, 2009 2:32:15 PM

IE is far behind Opera and others for web standards

the IE strategy has come back to bite them in the butt

http://my.opera.com/Chas4/blog/2009/01/17/eu-internet-explorer-harms-competition?cid=6805773

Anonymous # Sunday, June 28, 2009 2:40:51 PM

J. Villa writes: Hi, No one is holding people back from downloading Opera. I'm not always on the side of Microsoft, but I think that as Windows is THEIR product, they should have control over what products are included. Whether it's their own Internet Explorer, or Microsoft Windows Media Player. You don't see Apple getting sued over Safari being included and them including Quicktime on brand new boxes. If people don't like that Microsoft Internet Explorer is bundled with their OS, USE A DIFFERENT OS or even better, build your OWN OS that comes with your browser or no browser at all. The truth is that most people DON'T CARE about what browser they use as long as it works and plays flash movies. No one cares what program they're playing their music in as long as it plays music well. Microsoft should not NEED to provide other people business, you do that yourselves with marketing/advertisement and telling people why they need your product over their current product.

Anonymous # Monday, June 29, 2009 10:12:07 AM

ms-shills-suck writes: J. Villa is either ignorant or dishonest. Windows might be Microsoft's product, but MICROSOFT BROKE THE LAW. That means they NO LONGER HAVE THE FREEDOM OF SOMEONE WHO DID NOT BREAK THE LAW. It's common to force violators to bundle competitors as you would have known if you read other parts of this blog: http://my.opera.com/haavard/blog/2009/06/17/why-should-microsoft-have-to-bundle-other-browsers Microsoft NEEDS to provide other people business when they BROKE THE LAW AND ILLEGALLY TOOK AWAY BUSINESS FRMO THEM.