So, the European Union decided that Microsoft should, in order to fix antitrust issues, include other browsers on its system in a ballot-like choice (put a check mark on the browser you want to use while setting up the computer). Microsoft responded in a practical FU by simply getting rid of the problem, IE. Yup, Windows 7 E editions, the only editions that will be sold in Europe, won’t include Internet Explorer (or any other browser). The current builds of the OS don’t even provide a way to download a browser, making them pretty useless.
Well, if you’re just a bit of news reader you probably know that already, but I have to complain, I have to.
First off, Microsoft could have just shut up and included other browsers on its system. Big whoop, I’m pretty sure it’s possible even though some parts of Firefox are on the freaken restrictive GPL open source license. But no, they had to do something stupid, because they don’t agree with the EU.
Second, OMG, EU… Lame. I can’t believe how, ah! Might as well tell Apple to stop including Safari, Quicktime, and all of their freaking apps in OS X. And while they’re at it, what about the Linux community who includes whatever open source software they please into their system. Yes, Linux is the only system where you have a complete Office suite installed from the start.
But of course, Apple only has what, 8% of the market (highly debatable, it ranges from 3 to 16%), so it doesn’t count, and Linux, well… in any cases it’s open source, so nobody can blame them because there’s no one to blame really, except if you want to bring 100,000 contributors in court.
So, toady Opera Software should start by open sourcing their browser before complaining, the EU should stop meddling with software makers, and browser inclusion should be the choice of vendors, so that if you buy a copy on the shelves you get IE, because the software vendor would then be Microsoft, and otherwise you get whatever Dell and company choose.
Seriously, I think educating the 92% of Internet users who don’t know the difference between IE and Google is more important than arguing about whether a different browser should be there or not (users aren’t going to choose Firefox if they don’t know what it is!).
