Microsoft adds 'browser ballot' to Windows 8 amid EU probe
Summary: A month ahead of its release, Windows 8 users in Europe are now receiving the 'browser ballot' update in Microsoft's bid to appease European antitrust regulators.
Microsoft is pushing out an update to Windows 8 users to enable the "browser ballot" screen, even though the operating system's general availability date is a month away.
Windows 8 users in Europe are now given the choice of which browser -- including Microsoft's own Internet Explorer -- they wish to install.
The Windows Update-offered patch provides a Windows 8 "tiled" (formerly known as "Metro") application, which offers a range of third-party browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Maxathon 3, and Opera, along with Internet Explorer to be installed.
More browsers are available by scrolling through the available options, but only five browsers are displayed at a time.
While Internet Explorer is already installed with Windows, the update 'unpins' the browser from the desktop, and adds the browser ballot tile to the Start screen. Internet Explorer remains on the new tiled Start screen, however.
Controversy stirred earlier this year after Microsoft failed to include the mandatory software in the latest patched version of Windows 7, which may have resulted in 28 million European consumers not being given the option to change their browser.
In 2009, Microsoft was found by European antitrust authorities to have abused its dominant operating system market position by bundling Internet Explorer with the desktop software. Microsoft settled the case with Europe, and dished out a "browser ballot" screen to European users of Windows, first seen in February 2010.
But in July, the European Commission said it had received complaints that Microsoft was not carrying out its obligations to provide users' with a choice of browser. The EU swiftly opened an antitrust investigation into the software giant.
Microsoft admitted in an almost-immediate public statement that it had failed to offer the browser ballot screen since February 2011 because a "technical error" led to the browser ballot update not being included in the store-shelf version of Windows 7 with Service Pack 1.
"While we believed when we filed our most recent compliance report in December 2011 that we were distributing the [browser ballot] software to all relevant PCs as required, we learned recently that we've missed serving the [browser ballot] software to the roughly 28 million PCs running Windows 7 SP1," the company said.
EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told reporters over the weekend that he had received "assurances" from Microsoft that the firm will "comply immediately regardless of the conclusion of the antitrust probe," in what the antitrust chief described as "personal talks" with Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer.
The EU is also looking to allegations that Windows 8 allegedly limits application programming interfaces (APIs) to developers, rival browser makers accuse, while Internet Explorer runs in both "tiled" and "classic" desktop mode.
Microsoft can be fined up to 10 percent of its global annual turnover -- up to 5.7 billion euros ($7 billion) -- or face changes to how it conducts business in the 27 European member states if the software giant is found to have broken European antitrust laws.
ZDNet has put in questions to Microsoft, but did not hear back at the time of writing. If we hear back, we'll update the piece.
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Talkback
Babying over users
Also, why just the browser? Why not the maps application, the photo viewer or anything else?
Governments should leave both computer users and computer manufacturers alone. They're not even going after all manufacturers with the same zeal. It's become completely ridiculous.
Simple, its free money to support their bloated bureaucracy
nonsense
Most users are too stupid to know there are alternative browsers available anyway, the user who thinks the blue e stands for "internet". Don't try to apply your education and knowledge to the majority who are much more ignorant of computer details than you and I.
Besides, the DoJ "extorted" free money from MS too, this isn't some racist action as you imply, but yet another legitimate sanction on a convicted organisation.
PS. does this browser ballot apply to the desktop, or to the Metro version of the browser??? Hmm, strangely enough I think this will sidestep the ability to replace metro/IE.
Metro browser
No we wouldnt
Basically social engineering
Chrome - it's made by an advertising company - you have been warned ;-)
how do
So basically...
Funny thing is that I have never seen a single person running chrome / firefox / internet exsplorer on their Iphone. Wonder why that is.
I just installed linux on a couple of boxes today. Again, no check box.
Turned on my PS3 and went to look for something on the interwebs... no check box....
Sounds like a lot of bull sh&^ to me.
where did you
Nope
When a company has operating system what it ships with its own software system, for what it ships its own office package and for it it ships a own www-browser, and has own developer package, it does have a dominant market position when over 90% of new PC's comes pre-installed with that software system.
Microsoft has un-direct control over OEM's and even other peripheral manufacturers simply with its market share, API's, ABI's and design etc.
Microsoft has everything expect the hardware, from operating system to graphical user interface and everything between them, and software what most companies needs (they can not use others because file compatibility problems when bigger company use MS Office, smaller ones needs to use MS Office as well) and they have browser what was used to make most web sites in mind before EU went and slapped MS a warning that they should not abuse their dominant market position.
Since EU, the WWW has grown more natural and free way. It has gained lots of new features, innovations, services and most of all, compability with other WWW-browsers. And even web designers and web coders are happy because it is easier than ever to make sites.
Apple has totally different position than Microsoft. Same thing is with every other than Microsoft.
As they either make the whole product by themselfs (like Apple, from hardware to stores and so on) or they use standards and they allow users to swap any part they want to alternative.
Microsoft has key software pieces, and it use them to abuse its dominant market position unless someone stops it.
When one company abuses its market position, it doesn't mean fines and special rules what are given to it, are applied to everyone else who doesn't abuse dominant market position.
Microsoft has cheated more money than any other company, it has blackmailed customers and even governments and other companies, it has pushed other smaller companies away from markets just with single phone call or single API change.
And Microsoft is still same company as it was 25 years ago, it just is defending its kingdom and hoping there are ignorant fans protecting it as well, like you.
entire premise is just stupid - or is it EU citizens who are stupid?
Nobody was deprived of the option to load whatever browser they wanted - they just don't have it forced upon them. The article makes it sound like Microsoft is somehow blocking the installation of other browsers. They are not. But the EU has determined that the people under their jurisdiction are too stupid to download an alternative without forcing Microsoft to lead them to it.
Politicians are always looking for ways to make themselves look good
Nope
When someone comes and suggest that the user has to make a choice in first time they want to start browsing WWW that what tool they use it, people get crazy because it isn't forced by their idol (microsoft).
Have you ever seen other browsers fans whining how there is now a ballot and their favorite isn't pre-installed and forced to everyone? No. Because others like it when other browsers even have a change to be chosen, not forced.
Isn't it scary how people don't even know difference between Internet and WWW? Or difference between browser and search engine? Or operating system and graphical user interface or MS Word and word processor?
People are ignorant, they just want stuff done and it is very easy by big companies to influence their users opinions, especially if your own product comes preinstalled over 9/10 of the new personal computers.
not scary - practical
Of course you don't hear fans of other browsers whining that MS is forced to do their marketing for them. Just because somebody has designed a new browser is no reason to make Microsoft do their advertising and distribution for them. And that is what the EU is doing with the ballot screen. There is money to be made with these other browsers, or they would not be out there. The EU is mandating that the other browser companies don't have to advertise their browsers, MS has to do it for them.
Is it scary that people don't know the differences between gasoline and diesel engines? Is it scary that people don't know the difference between 1080i and 1080p? Is it scary that people don't know the difference between a maple and an oak? No, it is not, because the vast majority of the population does not need to know these differences. A car is a car, a TV is a TV, and a tree is a tree. Unless it is your job to know more about it, or you really want to know more, that is enough to to know. When somebody calls me for help with a browser, step #1 is check it with the most recent version of IE. If that works but you "have to use Opera because its better", call Opera. Let them support it, or figure it out yourself. If you are qualified to make your own choices, you are qualified to clean up the mess.
Just FYI, I use Chrome for roughly 90% of my browsing. Dropped Opera when they had a hand in instigating the whole EU ballot mess.
For those who think that this is needed for competition
Consider for a moment when this action began
I don't get it.
Ignorance is easy
You just said it....
Learn first what is operating system (technically) as it is just few megabytes software in computer controlling every other software and hardware.
Then learn what is software platform
then what are system programs and system libraries
Then learn what difference is with program and library
Then what is API and ABI
Then what is a standard
Then read history of PC from 1981 when IBM invented PC to this time how Microsoft has worked on markets (read court rulings, competitors comments, now public emails from MS monopoly on PC markets in US etc etc) and you can start to have a clue what is the problem what EU tries to fix.
Fri13....couln't have said it better if I tried
Why just Microsoft?
Surely, if MS is in trouble for not allowing other browsers access to the underlying APIs, then so too should Apple... iOS does not allow for any other browser to access the main Javascript APIs and WebKit that iOS Safari uses. This is why Chrome for the iPad is slower than Safari - they're not allowed to use their own engine, nor are they allowed to use Apple's own speedier libraries.
Perhaps a little more breadth in the search for anti competitive companies is in order?