Microsoft’s browser ballot to be implemented in March

20th December, 2009 by Adina
Tags: Microsoft, News, Windows 7

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Microsoft’s updated proposal regarding a browser ballot within its Windows 7 operating system recently received green light from the European Commission. Referred to as a “choice screen”, the ballot will allow the EU users to make a neutral choice of their browser. When first booting a Windows PC, the users will get an almost neutral window letting them to pick their browser. They will see five browsers listed in a random order giving them equal chances to be chosen. The five candidates will be Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Opera.

These changes are made because Mozilla and Opera have complained about previous plans. Initially, the choice of the browser was presented in an Internet Explorer window and this could have determined users to keep the browser already installed. This proposal had also put Internet Explorer in the first position, subject to further criticism. The alphabetical order, favouring Apple’s Safari against Mozilla and Opera browsers, was neither preferred.

The choice screen will be implemented in new installs of Windows 7 before mid-March next year. An implementation report will be provided six months later. After this time frame, the company will also have to report its implementation for the next five years, on a yearly basis, in order to provide compliance with any future Windows updates.

Microsoft has promised to improve interoperability with all other versions of Windows, Office, SharePoint and Exchange. It has already made an interoperability package available. This a response to concerns and requests regarding a last year’s record $1.4 billion fine after the company failed to share enough code and documentation for competitors to develop on its platform.

The Commission would no longer threaten to impose any additional fines for supposed browser abuses o any defiance of software rulings. Windows browser practices were initially under investigation of the officials who were concerned that the pre-installation of Internet Explorer on every Windows PC, even if not as a default, gave an unfair advantage to Microsoft in a world of computers running its operating system.

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