EC decision expected to force IE to better support standards
Opera Software CTO says this would suit him fine.
By Microsoft Subnet on Fri, 07/24/09 - 6:49pm.
Opera Software is, as expected, preening over the expected forthcoming ballot box feature in Windows 7. When European Windows 7 users fire up their machines, the box will ask which browser they would like to install by default. This will put the Opera name in front of millions of users who probably never considered it. But that's not all. Opera CTO, Håkon Wium Lie, feels that today's decision will force Microsoft to make Internet Explorer do a better job of supporting standards, particularly the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). Lie would also like to see Apple and Linux makers follow suit with browser ballet boxes of their own.
The browser market has changed big time since Opera first filed its suit, a year-and-a-half ago. Firefox now accounts for over 20% of browsers, according Net Applications, with that share almost entirely at the expense of Internet Explorer. The argument that Windows has hampered browser competition may have been true in 2007, but it isn't in 2009. Opera, however, remains barely a blip, not even grabbing 1%.
I had noted this fact to Opera executives months ago, who told me that the battle was really for the enterprise. IT folks don't want to take on the administrative task of standardizing on another browser when one comes for free in the desktop, even if that browser does a notoriously bad job of supporting Web standards causing misery for an entire generation of Web developers.
In an e-mail interview, I asked Opera CTO, Håkon Wium Lie, if he thinks the ballot box achieved what 
Opera wanted.
Q: In what way will a ballot box option affect browser choice in the enterprise?
This is one of several open questions. We believe corporate users deserve better browsers, too.
Q: Giving the rise in popularity of Firefox in Europe, and now with the ballot box, how will Opera benefit?
Opera and our users will benefit in two ways. First, it will be easier to install Opera on Windows machines. Second, due to the increased competition stemming from the ballot box, browsers will improve their support for standards. This will result in a richer, faster web. For example, I believe that Microsoft's IE will add support for SVG, a standard that all browsers but IE support.
Q: In your opinion, should Apple also be expected to offer a ballot box for its computers? Should Ubuntu?
The Microsoft case is based on antitrust law, something that only applies to monopolies. Apple and Ubuntu are not monopolies as per the legal definition of a monopoly. Still, it may be a good idea to offer it; the browser is the most important tool for most of us, and having access to better browsers is a good thing.
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ubuntu, not ubunto
ubuntu, not ubunto
thank you, fixed
Thanks for catching that typo.
People like to throw this
People like to throw this thing about Microsoft being a monopoly around without much understanding of how that came to be. In order for Microsoft to meet the definition of a monopoly, the judge (who was eventually replaced in the case) had to shrink the definition of the market to "Intel-based personal computers" (at the time Apple was not in Intel). If you define the market narrowly, you can make anyone a monopolist. I saw an report that Apple has 91% of $1000+ PC market -- sounds like a monopoly of the "expensive personal computer market" to me.
I saw an report that Apple
Apple doesn't even make 91% percent of Mac-compatible computers which are all $1000+
Apple has lower marketshare
Yeah, apple marketshare in computer is a lot smaller than we think. I don't say in any way that they don't make quality product, but they are far from 91% of sales. Always great innovations though, can't wait to see what's next on the plate, always hungry for more!
Microsoft monopoly
It is obvious from your response to interview of Opera executive that you also have little or no understanding of ant-trust.
Microsoft "abused" it's position in technology by "illegally" tying it's browser to windows, and other unsavory, unethical and illegal acts in ways that crushed fair competition and hurt customers - consumers, businesses, organizations and governments.
That position was arrived at by not only the European Union (EU), but Korea, Taiwan, USA Justice Dept, the Brazilian government, the South African government... you get the mesage.
If you wish to defend Microsoft at least become knowledgeable about the facts of the situation, and not be a dupe.
wanderson@nac.net
Get off your high horse
The tying was only illegal after the monopoly finding. Others do exactly the same thing and did so then too. Regarding it being unsavory, get real. They bundled a browser, something evey other consumer OS also does.
The real monopoly
Of course you can define any market however you like to achieve the statistics you want. What I think is an important consideration for the market of "personal device for human interface to data storage, program logic, and world wide networking" is whether or not people have felt they could make a choice. Conduct a survey of people who walk out of a store with a new computer, asking them "what operating system did you choose for your new computer, and why did you choose that one?". Expect puzzled looks. How many people actually CHOOSE Windows, as opposed to how many people didn't even make a choice. How many people even know what such choices are (again, expect answers like "you mean XP or Vista?"). Education (lack of) is as much a part of the problem as business manipulation.
Someone I was teaching how to access email on a webmail provider asked back to me, while I was explaining what was happening, "what's a browser". He didn't know, or care, that he was using Firefox. He only knew that something called "Ubuntu" was there because it said so when the computer started up. Do people even want to make choices? Do we need for them to learn to make choices?
oh crap on the dratted web browsers, they're unimportant
Sigh. Still having all this pointless drama over Web browsers. Who cares?? How hard is it to install a different Web browser? What the EU and US DOJ should be investigating is Microsoft's lock on the PC market-- dictating specs to hardware vendors, blocking cross-platform drivers, keeping competitors off shelves and Web order pages, punishing any OEM who leaves the fold, their insanely scorched-earth tactics re: OOXML/ODF, the inexplicable about-faces from "We're rolling out open source solutions" to robotic pronouncements of "Microsoft is great, Microsoft is good, let us thank Microsoft for our food"...
An exercise in silliness
This is mostly an exercise in silliness. For 99% of the tasks that 99% of people do, it really doesn't matter if you use firefox or internet explorer or safari, windows or ubuntu or os x.
There are of course various advantages and disadvantages to each, and if you have a preference, by all means you should go for it.
Besides apple preventing you from installing on non-apple software, nobody is trying to stop you, which as far as I'm concerned is the real crime in the battle of standards/interoperability.
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