IE to lose Windows monopoly next week in Europe

Microsoft will start offering some European Windows users a choice of Web browsers next week, the company announced Friday, as it starts to publicly test its legally mandated browser choice process.

The choice screen, which followed extensive negotiations between Microsoft and the European Commission, is still being tested internally at the company, but will see its first external testing next week, before a wider European launch set to start around March 1.

Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari are among the browsers to be presented to users. According to statistics from Statcounter, IE currently has a 45.5 percent browser market share in Europe, followed by Firefox with 39.2 percent, Chrome with 6.3 percent, Opera with 4.3 percent, and Safari with 3.7 percent.

Read more of "IE to lose Windows monopoly next week" at ZDNet UK.