The European Commission is launching two new anti-competition investigations against US computer giant Microsoft. The first will look at whether Microsoft unfairly ties its Explorer internet browser to its Windows operating system. In the parallel investigation, the Commission will look at the interoperability of Microsoft software with rival products. Note: Remember the OSNews comic? Here is a new comic, which, for now, is attached to the story it relates to. We are working on a separate section for the comic, but until that is done, I will sporadically publish comics this way. I have a whole stack of comics ready for when that section goes live - and you can see the name for the comic too, if you look "closely". Enjoy the new comic, titled "Hawaii".
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Member since:2006-01-02
Thanks for an even-handed response. I know you are no particular fan of Microsoft, but you're making a fair statement, unlike some other vocal members of the OSS faction.
I really hope nothing serious comes of this. It seems pretty pointless in light of the fact that the ie8 team is already publically taking steps to improve IE's implementation of web standards.
Member since:2005-07-24
That's all very nice. But what I see every day is my customers having to use IE, even though they don't want to, in order to be able to conduct their business. We have *never*, that I know of, hit a Firefox only or Safari only site. The IE8 team can publicly "take steps" all it wants, but it doesn't make a whit of difference as long as the reality is that my customers *have* to be able to run IE. Be it through Crossoever Office or whatever.
If the IE8 team is already leveling the playing field then I'm sure that will come out in the investigation and we can all look at the results and say "Hey, that's really great!", and Microsoft has nothing to worry about. But let's have the investigation, just to be sure.
Member since:2005-07-06
It seems pretty pointless in light of the fact that the ie8 team is already publically taking steps to improve IE's implementation of web standards.
Maybe. But a little pressure to keep MS "honest" doesn't harm.
The problem isn't IE the application, not anymore. Netscape is dead, so bundling or not is irrelevant. All browsers are free of cost.
The problem here are all the undocumented ways IE renders HTML and all the extension technologies like ActiveX. These lock out other browsers. An IE only site blocks other browsers from accessing it. You could rightfully claim that this problem is caused by the web designers. They choose to use these technologies.
The flipside of this is that MS keeps this situation going, as long as IE uses ways to deal with webcontent contrary to common industry standards like W3C/IETF. Through the sheer ubiquity of IE, MS is able to lock out competition by making (having made?) IE handle webcontent in peculiar ways.
If IE8 handles webcontent like all other browsers and MS stops pushing proprietary (content handling) extensions, which are only interoperable with IE, I have no problems with a bundled IE in Windows XP/Vista/"7".
Member since:2007-09-06
I like the car analogy. It seems the MS muffler is wielded in place with a joining joint half way down the pipe for aftermarket mufflers to be attached. Instead of replacing the muffler, your options are to have one muffler (the MS muffler) or two mufflers (the MS muffler and the after market fork).
-------MSMSM-
or
-------MSMSM-
\--OTHER-
(if the cheesey asci stays lined up properly)
Member since:
2005-07-08
It seems that the issue at bar in the IE investigation should be: Is Microsoft in any way preventing or discouraging OEMs from replacing IE with an alternative browser in their default system images? If the OEMs are choosing independently of Microsoft and/or each other to include only IE, then I don't think that there is a case against Microsoft.
The only alternative is to argue that Microsoft should be prohibited from including a browser with their operating system. But the OEMs won't ship a system image with no browser. If they are free to add whichever one they want, and they select IE, then we're back where we started.
It's sort of like an aftermarket muffler company complaining that the automakers are being anticompetitive by shipping their cars with stock mufflers already installed. Mozilla, Opera, and other browser distributors need to understand that their products are aftermarket items. They need to effectively make the case for why users and OEMs should ditch the stock IE for their superior browsers. If they aren't making that case, then they aren't really competing, and Microsoft isn't really being anticompetitive.