APP - Microsoft To Allow Users To Choose Browsers

PostmodernProphet said:
ah, standardization.....that of course, is why Microsoft exists in the first place.......I can remember when computers didn't HAVE operating systems and you never knew if a program written by someone else was going to work in your computer.......you had to know BASIC programming just to use a computer....
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Back in 1971, I actually took and passed a course in Fortran and another 1 in Cobalt.
I can still do flow charts; but I've thankfully forgotten the rest.
I think I still have the books though.
 
Opera downloads have increased massively after the Microsoft browser ballot was introduced. How amazing that when you give people a choice they exercise their right to use it. Isn't that the American way?
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=3217743

Browser ballot leads to 85% increase in Opera downloads

Web users encouraged to try new browsers

Carrie-Ann Skinner


Opera Software claims UK downloads of its Opera 10.50 web browser have increased by 85 percent since Microsoft made its 'browser choice screen' available.

The 'web browser' choice screen' was made available at the start of March, and is part of a proposal by the software developer to help settle the EU's antitrust investigation, which was sparked by a complaint filed by the Norwegian browser developer in December 2007.
The screen offers 12 different browsers - a mix of popular programs such as Firefox, Google Chrome and Opera, along with lesser-known browsers such as Sleipnir, Green Browser, Maxthon, Avant and Flock.


browser_screen.jpg


It is available to Windows PCs that use Internet Explorer as the default browser via the Windows Update system, which is used to distribute security patches.


"This confirms that when users are given a real choice on how they choose the most important piece of software on their computer, the browser, they will try out alternatives" said Håkon Wium Lie, CTO at Opera.


"A multitude of browsers will make the web more standardised and easier to browse".
Opera also said 46 percent of all UK downloads of the web browser had come directly from the browser choice screen.

Web users will continue to be offered the choice screen well into May for existing Windows computers and for five years on new installations.
 
egordon0315 said:
Well, that's going to suck big time for my job as grants.gov only accepts NIH grant applications through IE, not Mozilla, and I don't know whatever else it won't recognize. What will support IE9?
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Windows 7 presumably but that doesn't mean that all the other IE versions won't be around. My God, IE6 is still around after 9 years.
 
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